New craniodental remains of Wakaleo alcootaensis (Diprotodontia: Thylacoleonidae) a carnivorous marsupial from the late Miocene Alcoota Local Fauna of the Northern Territory, Australia

New jaws and teeth referable to the rare thylacoleonid marsupial Wakaleo alcootaensis are figured and described. The species is the geologically youngest known member of the genus and is only known from the late Miocene Alcoota Local Fauna of the Northern Territory, Australia. A revised diagnosis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2015-11, Vol.3, p.e1408-e1408, Article e1408
Main Author: Yates, Adam M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcoota
Art galleries & museums
Australia
Congeners
Evolutionary Studies
Geology
Geophysics
Marsupialia
Marsupials
Mineral resources
Miocene
Paleontology
Parallel evolution
Phylogeny
Species
Teeth
Thylacoleonidae
Wakaleo
Zoology
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Summary:New jaws and teeth referable to the rare thylacoleonid marsupial Wakaleo alcootaensis are figured and described. The species is the geologically youngest known member of the genus and is only known from the late Miocene Alcoota Local Fauna of the Northern Territory, Australia. A revised diagnosis of the species is presented which is found to be morphologically distinct from its congeners. W. alcootaensis can be distinguished from other species of Wakaleo by its greater size, deeply recessed masseteric fossa, more steeply angled I1, loss of P2, greater P3 to M1 ratio and loss of M3. Several characters of W. alcootaensis, including the increase in size, steeply angled I1, increase of the relative size of P3, and reduction of the molar row are present in at least some species of Thylacoleo. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these character states are convergences and that there was parallel evolution in these two thylacoleonid lineages.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.1408