Tetonius homunculus


TAXONOMY:

MORPHOLOGY:
Tetonius homunculus had a dental formula of 2:1:3:3 on both the upper and lower jaw (Fleagle, 1988). The upper molars of this species have a postprotocingulum (Martin, 1990). This species has a short snout (Fleagle, 1988). The eyes of this species are large and are of the size of cheirogaleids suggesting this species was nocturnal (Fleagle, 1988). This species had a true lateral sulcus (Radinsky, 1970; cited in Martin, 1990). The cranial capacity of this species was 1.5 cc (Conroy, 1990). This species had a relatively small frontal lobe and olfactory bulbs as compared to other strepsirrhines (Conroy, 1990). This species had an average body mass of about 290 grams (Fleagle, 1988).

RANGE:
Tetonius homunculus was found in North America, more specifically in the state of Wyoming and occurred during the early Eocene (Fleagle, 1988).

DIET:
Based on dental morphology, this species probably had a insectivorous diet (Fleagle, 1988).

REFERENCES:
Conroy, G.C. 1990. Primate Evolution. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York.

Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.

Martin, R.D. 1990. Primate Origins and Evolution: A Phylogenetic Reconstruction. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New Jersey.

Radinsky, L.B. 1970. The Fossil Evidence of Prosimian Brain Evolution. In The Primate Brain. Eds. C.R. Noback and W. Montagna. Appleton-Century-Crofts: New York.

Last updated: November 17, 2001

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