Project 758: Y. Gurovich, K. J. Travouillon, R. M. D. Beck, J. Muirhead, M. Archer. 2013. Biogeographical implications of a new mouse-sized fossil bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) occupying a dasyurid-like ecological niche across Australia. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
Specimen: † Bulungu palara (QM:F23437)
View: ventral

Abstract

We describe Bulungu palara gen. et sp. nov., a new fossil peramelemorphian (bandicoot), based on a single well-preserved skull and additional dental specimens from Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene (Faunal Zones A–C) limestone deposits at the Riversleigh World Heritage Property, Queensland, and two dental specimens from the Early–Middle Miocene Kutjamarpu Local Fauna, South Australia. This is the first fossil peramelemorphian species to be reported from more than a single fossil fauna, with its inferred distribution extending from north-western Queensland (modern latitude 19°S) to north-eastern South Australia (modern latitude 28°S). The presence of Bulungu palara in Riversleigh Faunal Zones A, B and C and in the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna supports the current interpretation that these faunas span similar ages, namely Late Oligocene–Middle Miocene. Phylogenetic analyses of an expanded 74 morphological character dataset using maximum parsimony and Bayesian approaches, both with and without a molecular scaffold, consistently place Bulungu and the Oligo-Miocene forms Galadi and Yarala outside crown-group Peramelemorphia. These analyses also fail to support a close relationship between the Pliocene Ischnodon australis (previously considered the oldest known representative of the extant peramelemorphian family Thylacomyidae) and the modern thylacomyid genus Macrotis. With an estimated body mass of 130 g, Bulungu palara is smaller than any known Recent bandicoot from Australia, although some modern New Guinean species are similar in size. The small size and craniodental morphology of B. palara suggest that it was predominantly or exclusively insectivorous, perhaps ecologically similar to small New Guinean dasyurids such as Murexechinus melanurus. Together with the small-bodied (< 100 g), insectivorous Yarala burchfieldi and large-bodied (900 g), faunivorous Galadi speciosus, Bulungu palara demonstrates that Oligo-Miocene Australian peramelemorphians filled ecological niches that today are mostly occupied by dasyurids, and that a major faunal turnover event occurred at some point after the Middle Miocene.


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Project DOI: 10.7934/P758, http://dx.doi.org/10.7934/P758
This project containsMatrices
  • 1 Media
  • 1 Matrix
  • 1 Document
  • 28 Taxa
  • 1 Specimen
  • 74 Characters
Total size of project's media files: 1.77M

Download Project SDD File
Total scored cells: 1845
Total media associated with cells: 0
Total labels associated with cell media: 0
Characters
Total characters: 74
Total characters with associated media: 0
Total characters with media with labels: 0
Total character states: 194
Total character states with associated media: 0
Total character states with media with labels:0
Total unordered/ordered characters:74/0
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MorphoBank Project 758

    Authors' Institutions

    • Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)

    • University of New South Wales



    Members

    member name taxa specimens media chars character
    media
    labels
    cell scorings
    (scored, NPA, "-")
    cell
    medialabels
    rules
    Robin Beck
    Project Administrator
    280174001845
    (1828, 0, 17)
    000
    Maureen Admin
    Full membership
    0000000
    (0, 0, 0)
    000
    MorphoBank Curator
    Full membership
    0100000
    (0, 0, 0)
    000


    Taxonomic Overview for Matrix 'M1712' (28 Taxa)

    taxon unscored
    cells
    scored
    cells
    no cell
    support
    NPA
    cells
    "-" cellscell images labels on
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    [1] Peroryctes raffrayana
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0747400003
    [2] Peroryctes broadbenti
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1737300003
    [3] Microperoryctes longicauda
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0747400003
    [4] Microperoryctes papuensis
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    9656500003
    [5] Microperoryctes ornata
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0747400003
    [6] Echymipera rufescens
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1717102003
    [7] Echymipera kalubu
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0737202003
    [8] Echymipera clara
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0737202003
    [9] Echymipera davidi
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    10626202003
    [10] Rhynchomeles prattorum
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    5686702003
    [11] Isoodon auratus
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1737300003
    [12] Isoodon obesulus
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1747300003
    [13] Isoodon macrourus
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1737300003
    [14] Perameles nasuta
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    0757400003
    [15] † Perameles eremiana
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    2727200003
    [16] Perameles gunnii
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1737300003
    [17] Perameles bougainville
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1747300003
    [18] † Chaeropus ecaudatus
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    2737200003
    [19] Macrotis lagotis
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    1737201003
    [20] † Macrotis leucura
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    2717101003
    [21] † Djarthia murgonensis
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    42323200003
    [22] † Barinya wangala
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    2707002003
    [23] † Mutpuracinus archibaldi
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    14585802003
    [24] † Yarala burchfieldi
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    14605901003
    [25] † Yarala kida
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    49252500003
    [26] † Galadi speciosus
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    7676700003
    [27] † Bulungu palara
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    12656200003
    [28] † Ischnodon australis
    Taxon name last Modified on 12/05/13
    61131300003


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    type number of downloads Individual items downloaded (where applicable)
    Total downloads from project378
    Project downloads366
    Matrix downloads10Biogeographical implications of a new mouse-sized fossil bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) occupying a dasyurid-like ecological niche across Australia (10 downloads);
    Media downloads2M310151 (2 downloads);