Stephanie A. Maiolino

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at Stony Brook University

The field of phenomics is experiencing unprecedented advances thanks to the rapid growth of morphological quantification based on three-dimensional (3D) imaging, online data repositories, team-oriented collaborations, and open data-sharing policies. In line with these progressions, we present an extensive primate phenotypic dataset comprising >6,00...

With a few exceptions, crown-clade Primates differ from other arboreal mammalian clades by having nails instead of claws on most post-axial digits. Distal phalanx morphology of close extant and fossil relatives of crown-clade Primates provides a context in which to study the evolution of this characteristic feature. Plesiadapiforms are a diverse gr...

The undergraduate anatomy courses at the University of Missouri provide anatomical training to a large cohort of pre‐professional students including future radiology technicians, physical and occupation therapists, nursing and dentistry providers. Historically, systems‐based anatomy was often taught in isolation, and the students struggled to conne...

Euprimates are unusual among mammals in having fingers and toes with flat nails. While it seems clear that the ancestral stock from which euprimates evolved had claw-bearing digits, the available fossil record has not yet contributed a detailed understanding of the transition from claws to nails. This study helps clarify the evolutionary history of...

The primate hand consists of five rays: a pollex containing a metacarpal and two phalanges and four ulnar rays each containing a metacarpal and three phalanges. Morphology of these elements is related to a number of factors including behavior (such as locomotor mode and manipulatory capabilities) and phylogenetic relatedness. This chapter briefly r...

The integument of primate hands (i.e., skin and nails) are specialized to interact with the outside world. The integument of the palm is arranged into a series of fleshy volar pads, while hardened nails grow from the skin overlying the tips of the digits. The volar skin provides friction which enhances climbing ability and the prehension of objects...

In his recent article “Primates in the Eocene”, Gingerich (2012) presented a broad review of Eocene primate radiations and their place in the primate evolutionary tree, with a particular focus on Adapoidea. While synthetic reviews of early primate evolution are always welcome additions to the literature, within his larger analysis Gingerich (2012)...

Extinct Multituberculata was the longest surviving order of mammals. Given their near ubiquity in Mesozoic and Cenozoic communities, reconstructing their paleoecology is important for a balanced view of mammalian evolutionary history. The relative lack of multituberculate postcrania has hindered the study of their functional morphology and the impl...

Among fossil primates, the Eocene adapiforms have been suggested as the closest relatives of living anthropoids (monkeys, apes, and humans). Central to this argument is the form of the second pedal digit. Extant strepsirrhines and tarsiers possess a grooming claw on this digit, while most anthropoids have a nail. While controversial, the possible p...

Boxplot illustrating differences in mandibular corpus depth among anthropoid and prosimian taxa. Note that Darwinius, Notharctus, and Catopithecus all plot within the extant prosimian (“shallow”) range. (TIF)

Extant distal phalanx sample. Extant sample analyzed in comparisons of distal phalanx shape. See Table 1 for abbreviations. (DOC)

Mandibular depth of fossil and extant primates. Measurements are reported in millimeters. See Appendix S1 section 2 for details. (DOC)

High-resolution 3D pdf of all in situ elements of foot. Reconstruction of in situ elements after MicroCT scanning individual bones and re-orienting them in their original positions. (PDF)

Trees from cladistic analysis using corrected matrix of Gingerich et al. [8] with Notharctus added. A, Consensus of three most parsimonious trees resulting from analysis with Notharctus coded as having a grooming claw and with Darwinius coded as either unknown for this trait or as lacking a grooming claw (see Appendix S1, sections 11–12 for nexus f...

Means and standard deviations from phalangeal proportions analyses. Means (x) and standard deviations (s.d.) of shape variables used in two discriminant function analyses. Variables ending in ‘V’ were used in the first analysis; those ending in ‘Vv’ were used in the second (See Materials and Methods and Results). Table A, Means and standard deviati...

3D pdf of AMNH 143612 in situ elements. Digital surface reconstruction of the CT scan data with labeled elements. (PDF)

High-resolution 3D pdf of all elements of foot in articulation. Repositioning of MicroCT scans of individual bones into anatomical position. (PDF)

Extant phalangeal proportions sample. Extant sample analyzed in comparisons of phalangeal proportions. Table A, Strepsirrhines; Table B, Haplorhines. See Table 1 for abbreviations. (DOC)

Standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients. Coefficients from two discriminant function analyses. A, Discriminant function analysis of metatarsal and phalanx shape variables; B, Discriminant function analysis of phalanx shape variables only. See Table S3 for variable means and standard deviations. (DOC)

Gingerich et al. (2010) character matrix with our corrections and updates. Missing data, ‘?’ are highlighted in yellow. See Appendix S1, sections 2–5 for details on corrections, additional characters, and additional fossil taxa; and section 16 for the text of the corresponding nexus file. (DOC)

3D pdf of AMNH 143640 in situ elements. Digital surface reconstruction of the CT scan data with labeled elements. (PDF)

Trees from cladistic analysis using original matrix of Gingerich et al. [8] and additional taxa. A, Consensus of three most parsimonious trees resulting from analysis with Notharctus scored as having a grooming claw. B, Single most parsimonious tree resulting from analysis with Notharctus scored as lacking a grooming claw. C, Consensus of three mos...

Supplementary documentation of phylogenetic analyses. (DOC)

Grooming claws are present on the second pedal digits of strepsirhines and on the second and third pedal digits of tarsiers. However, their presence in New World monkeys is often overlooked. As such, the absence of a grooming claw is generally considered an anthropoid synapomorphy. This study utilizes a quantitative multivariate analysis to define...