Microchoerus
Extinct primate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Microchoerus is a genus of extinct microchoerine primate from Late Eocene Europe. [1]
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| Microchoerus Temporal range: | |
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| Upper dentition of M. erinaceus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Family: | †Omomyidae |
| Subfamily: | †Microchoerinae |
| Genus: | †Microchoerus Wood 1844 |
| Species | |
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Description
Microchoerus is similar to most other microchoerines in bodyplan, In dentition, Microchoerus is unique due to the development of mesoconid and hypoconulid molars. The shapes of the molars has been used to distinguish evolutionary trends in the species of Microchoerus in the past.[2]
Paleoecology
Microchoerus lived in the Iberian Peninsula, which, during the Paleogene, was a rainforest. [3] It shared the environment with many vertebrates, including indeterminate anurans, lacertids and cryptodirans. Mammal fauna consists of Elfomys, Peratherium, Xiphodon, Anoplotherium and Paramiacis, among others.[2] Microchoerus was likely an arboreal insectivore.[4]