Microchoerus

Microchoerus is a genus of extinct microchoerine primate from Late Eocene Europe. ^[1]

Microchoerus Temporal range: Late Eocene–Paleogene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
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
M. woodi (Hooker, 1986) M. ornatus (Hooker, 1986) M. hookeri (Minwer-Barakat et al. 2017) M. erinaceus (Wood 1844) M. creechbarrowensis

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]