Erik R. Seiffert, PhD

Chair and Professor of Clinical Integrative Anatomical Sciences

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Overview

Mammalian evolution; combined Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of molecular and morphological data; detection of long-term evolutionary patterns in mammalian anatomy

Awards

  • Robert W. Sussman Award for Scientific Contributions to Anthropology (AAAS), 2016

Publications

  • A diminutive new basilosaurid whale reveals the trajectory of the cetacean life histories during the Eocene Commun Biol. 2023 08 10; 6(1):707. . View in PubMed
  • Total evidence time-scaled phylogenetic and biogeographic models for the evolution of sea cows (Sirenia, Afrotheria) PeerJ. 2022; 10:e13886. . View in PubMed
  • A new protocetid whale offers clues to biogeography and feeding ecology in early cetacean evolution Proc Biol Sci. 2021 08 25; 288(1957):20211368. . View in PubMed
  • New phiocricetomyine rodents (Hystricognathi) from the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Depression, Egypt PeerJ. 2021; 9:e12074. . View in PubMed
  • Dinosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of the Western Desert, Egypt Cretaceous Research. 2021; 123:104783. . View in PubMed
  • Widespread loss of mammalian lineage and dietary diversity in the early Oligocene of Afro-Arabia Commun Biol. 2021 10 07; 4(1):1172. . View in PubMed
  • An Early Oligocene age for the oldest known monkeys and rodents of South America Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 09 14; 118(37). . View in PubMed
  • A parapithecid stem anthropoid of African origin in the Paleogene of South America Science. 2020 04 10; 368(6487):194-197. . View in PubMed
  • New crocodylomorph material from the Fayum Depression, Egypt, including the first occurrence of a sebecosuchian in African late Eocene depositsJ. Vert. Paleo. 2020; e1729781. . View in PubMed
  • Revision of Oligocene “Paraphiomys” and an origin for crown Thryonomyoidea (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Phiomorpha) near the Oligocene-Miocene boundary in AfricaZool. J. Linn. Soc. 2020; 190:352-371. . View in PubMed
  • Oldest record of African Bagridae and evidence from catfishes for a marine influence in the late Eocene Birket Qarun Locality 2 (BQ-2), Fayum Depression, EgyptJ. Vert. Paleo. 2020; (e1780248). . View in PubMed
  • Early anthropoid femora reveal divergent adaptive trajectories in catarrhine hind-limb evolution Nat Commun. 2019 11 08; 10(1):4778. . View in PubMed
  • Vertical support use and primate origins Sci Rep. 2019 08 26; 9(1):12341. . View in PubMed
  • New Egyptian sauropod reveals Late Cretaceous dinosaur dispersal between Europe and Africa Nat Ecol Evol. 2018 03; 2(3):445-451. . View in PubMed
  • An enigmatic crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous Quseir Formation, central Egypt Cretaceous Research. 2018; 90:174-184. . View in PubMed
  • Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar’s aye-aye Nat Commun. 2018 08 21; 9(1):3193. . View in PubMed
  • Quantification of the position and depth of the flexor hallucis longus groove in euarchontans, with implications for the evolution of primate positional behavior Am J Phys Anthropol. 2017 06; 163(2):367-406. . View in PubMed
  • Dental eruption and growth in Hyracoidea J Vert Paleo. 2017; e1317638. . View in PubMed
  • Craniodental and humeral morphology of a new species of Masrasector (Teratodontinae, Hyaenodonta, Placentalia) from the late Eocene of Egypt and locomotor diversity in hyaenodonts PLoS One. 2017; 12(4):e0173527. . View in PubMed
  • A new genus and species of marine catfishes (Siluriformes; Ariidae) from the upper Eocene Birket Qarun Formation, Wadi El-Hitan, Egypt PLoS One. 2017; 12(3):e0172409. . View in PubMed
  • Astragalar and calcaneal morphology of the middle Eocene primate Anchomomys frontanyensis (Anchomomyini): Implications for early primate evolution J Hum Evol. 2016 Feb; 91:122-43. . View in PubMed
  • Internal carotid arterial canal size and scaling in Euarchonta: Re-assessing implications for arterial patency and phylogenetic relationships in early fossil primates J Hum Evol. 2016 08; 97:123-44. . View in PubMed
  • Hyainailourine and teratodontine cranial material from the late Eocene of Egypt and the application of parsimony and Bayesian methods to the phylogeny and biogeography of Hyaenodonta (Placentalia, Mammalia) PeerJ. 2016; 4:e2639. . View in PubMed
  • Ancient phylogenetic divergence of the enigmatic African rodent Zenkerella and the origin of anomalurid gliding PeerJ. 2016; 4:e2320. . View in PubMed
  • New phiomorph rodents from the latest Eocene of Egypt, and the impact of Bayesian “clock”-based phylogenetic methods on estimates of basal hystricognath relationships and biochronology PeerJ. 2016; 4:e1717. . View in PubMed
  • Evolution of postural diversity in primates as reflected by the size and shape of the medial tibial facet of the talus Am J Phys Anthropol. 2015 May; 157(1):134-77. . View in PubMed
  • Primate tarsal bones from Egerkingen, Switzerland, attributable to the middle Eocene adapiform Caenopithecus lemuroides PeerJ. 2015; 3:e1036. . View in PubMed
  • First cranial remains of a gondwanatherian mammal reveal remarkable mosaicism Nature. 2014 Nov 27; 515(7528):512-7. . View in PubMed
  • Anthracobunids from the middle eocene of India and pakistan are stem perissodactyls PLoS One. 2014; 9(10):e109232. . View in PubMed
  • New Myzopodidae (Chiroptera) from the late Paleogene of Egypt: emended family diagnosis and biogeographic origins of Noctilionoidea PLoS One. 2014; 9(2):e86712. . View in PubMed
  • Patterns of astragalar fibular facet orientation in extant and fossil primates and their evolutionary implications Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Jul; 151(3):420-47. . View in PubMed
  • A calcaneus attributable to the primitive late Eocene anthropoid Proteopithecus sylviae: phenetic affinities and phylogenetic implications Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Jul; 151(3):372-97. . View in PubMed
  • Palaeontological evidence for an Oligocene divergence between Old World monkeys and apes Nature. 2013 May 30; 497(7451):611-4. . View in PubMed
  • J Hum Evol. 2013 Mar; 64(3):211-5. . View in PubMed
  • Evolution and allometry of calcaneal elongation in living and extinct primates PLoS One. 2013; 8(7):e67792. . View in PubMed
  • Early primate evolution in Afro-Arabia Evol Anthropol. 2012 Nov; 21(6):239-53. . View in PubMed
  • Evolution of locomotion in Anthropoidea: the semicircular canal evidence Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Sep 07; 279(1742):3467-75. . View in PubMed
  • New primate first metatarsals from the Paleogene of Egypt and the origin of the anthropoid big toe J Hum Evol. 2012 Jul; 63(1):99-120. . View in PubMed
  • Evidence for a convergent slowdown in primate molecular rates and its implications for the timing of early primate evolution Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Apr 17; 109(16):6006-11. . View in PubMed
  • Diversity in the later Paleogene proboscidean radiation: a small barytheriid from the Oligocene of Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman Naturwissenschaften. 2012 Feb; 99(2):133-41. . View in PubMed
  • A radiation of arboreal basal eutherian mammals beginning in the Late Cretaceous of India Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 27; 108(39):16333-8. . View in PubMed
  • Craniodental morphology and systematics of a new family of hystricognathous rodents (Gaudeamuridae) from the late eocene and early oligocene of Egypt PLoS One. 2011 Feb 22; 6(2):e16525. . View in PubMed
  • Astragalar morphology of Afradapis, a large adapiform primate from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt Am J Phys Anthropol. 2010 Nov; 143(3):383-402. . View in PubMed
  • A fossil primate of uncertain affinities from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 May 25; 107(21):9712-7. . View in PubMed
  • Convergent evolution of anthropoid-like adaptations in Eocene adapiform primates Nature. 2009 Oct 22; 461(7267):1118-21. . View in PubMed
  • Fossil and molecular evidence constrain scenarios for the early evolutionary and biogeographic history of hystricognathous rodents Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 29; 106(39):16722-7. . View in PubMed
  • Stable isotope evidence for an amphibious phase in early proboscidean evolution Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Apr 15; 105(15):5786-91. . View in PubMed
  • A new estimate of afrotherian phylogeny based on simultaneous analysis of genomic, morphological, and fossil evidence BMC Evol Biol. 2007 Nov 13; 7:224. . View in PubMed
  • A remarkable female cranium of the early Oligocene anthropoid Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (Catarrhini, Propliopithecidae) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 22; 104(21):8731-6. . View in PubMed
  • Additional material of the enigmatic Early Miocene mammal Kelba and its relationship to the order Ptolemaiida Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Mar 27; 104(13):5510-5. . View in PubMed
  • Early evolution and biogeography of lorisiform strepsirrhines Am J Primatol. 2007 Jan; 69(1):27-35. . View in PubMed
  • Evolution and extinction of Afro-Arabian primates near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary Folia Primatol (Basel). 2007; 78(5-6):314-27. . View in PubMed
  • Revised age estimates for the later Paleogene mammal faunas of Egypt and Oman Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Mar 28; 103(13):5000-5. . View in PubMed
  • Basal anthropoids from Egypt and the antiquity of Africa’s higher primate radiation Science. 2005 Oct 14; 310(5746):300-4. . View in PubMed
  • Additional remains of Wadilemur elegans, a primitive stem galagid from the late Eocene of Egypt Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Aug 09; 102(32):11396-401. . View in PubMed
  • Afrotherian origins and interrelationships: new views and future prospects Curr Top Dev Biol. 2004; 63:37-60. . View in PubMed
  • Oligocene mammals from Ethiopia and faunal exchange between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia Nature. 2003 Dec 04; 426(6966):549-52. . View in PubMed
  • Fossil evidence for an ancient divergence of lorises and galagos Nature. 2003 Mar 27; 422(6930):421-4. . View in PubMed
  • Astragalar morphology of late Eocene anthropoids from the Fayum Depression (Egypt) and the origin of catarrhine primates J Hum Evol. 2001 Dec; 41(6):577-606. . View in PubMed
  • Earliest record of a parapithecid anthropoid from the Jebel Qatrani formation, Northern Egypt Folia Primatol (Basel). 2001 Nov-Dec; 72(6):316-31. . View in PubMed
  • Morphometric variation in the hominoid orbital aperture: a case study with implications for the use of variable characters in Miocene catarrhine systematics J Hum Evol. 2001 Apr; 40(4):301-18. . View in PubMed
  • Anthropoid humeri from the late Eocene of Egypt Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Aug 29; 97(18):10062-7. . View in PubMed
  • Widanelfarasia, a diminutive placental from the late Eocene of Egypt Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Mar 14; 97(6):2646-51. . View in PubMed