The fossils were discovered in the lignite layer of a coal mine in Mae Mo district, Lampang Province, northern Thailand, from which it also received its scientific species name.

Four lower jaws with teeth were unearthed by a joint team of Thai and French geologists in 2004.

It was dated to be 13.1 to 13.3 million years old, and described in 2007 by a team led by geologist Yaowalak Chaimanee (เยาวลักษณ์ ชัยมณี) from the Department of Mineral Resources, Thailand.

The animal was a very small primate, with a body length of 15 centimetres and estimated to have weighted 500 grams.

Distinct for the species is the small size and differences in dentition compared to other Miocene sivaladapids.