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Glite Dictionary
Lemuroidea

Lemuroidea

9.9
A group of primates from Madagascar that includes lemurs and related animals
  • noun
  • /lɛˈmʊrɔɪdɪə/
  • Archaic
translation icon : lemuroidea
  • Some zoological texts list Lemuroidea as a superfamily within the primate order.

Examples

  • Taxonomists once classified many Malagasy primates under Lemuroidea.

  • The extinct species belongs to the Lemuroidea, which includes all modern lemurs.

  • The Lemuroidea superfamily includes many fascinating species.

  • Did you know that Lemuroidea are primarily found in Madagascar?

  • Many scientists continue to study the Lemuroidea to understand their evolutionary history.

  • The Lemuroidea superfamily encompasses a variety of species found only in Madagascar.

  • In textbooks, Lemuroidea is often described as a unique group of primates related to lemurs.

Synonyms

suborder Lemuroidea
vsLemuroidea
  • Archaic
9.9

An older group used by scientists for animals like lemurs and lorises

is a narrower former rank focusing mainly on lemurs, not the larger primate groups

Compounds

suborder Lemuroidea
  • Archaic
9.9

An older group used by scientists for animals like lemurs and lorises

Surface Forms

Lemuroidea singular
Lemuroideas plural
Lemuroideae plural

Morphology

Lemuroidea = lemur (semi-transparent) = lemur + oidea

The stem 'lemur' is clear, but '-oidea' is a specialist taxonomic suffix meaning 'superfamily', so learners may infer it's a group of lemurs but not the exact rank.

Etymology

Lemuroidea comes from lemur, a name from old Latin for a 'ghost' or 'spirit' because these night animals looked ghost-like, and the ending -oidea means 'like' or 'group' in biology. So Lemuroidea means the 'group like lemurs' and is used for the big group that includes lemurs.