title: Early tertiary elephant-shrews from Egypt and the origin of the Macroscelidea.
abstract: Recent expeditions to the Fayum Depression, Egypt, have made possible the discovery of mandibles and a maxilla of a new genus and species of late Eocene elephant-shrew as well as initial evidence of the upper dentition of the early Oligocene taxon Metoldobotes. These fossils demonstrate that macroscelideans underwent a significant radiation in the Early Tertiary of Africa. Two new subfamilies are recognized and described. These Tertiary macroscelideans are the most primitive elephant-shrews known and indicate that previous hypotheses of a close phylogenetic relationship between macroscelideans and either lagomorphs, erinaceotans, or tree-shrews are unlikely. Rather, the dental anatomy of the Fayum macroscelideans provides evidence for a derivation of the order from within the Condylarthra.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Holroyd
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Bown