First Fossil Bandicoots from the Pliocene

Abstract

FOUR fossil peramelemorphians are currently recognised – Yarala burchfieldi from Miocene deposits of Riversleigh (Muirhead and Filan 1995; Muirhead in press), Ischnodon australis from the Early to Middle Pliocene Palankarinna Fauna (Stirton 1955), Perameles allinghamensis from the Early Pliocene Bluff Downs Local Fauna (Archer 1976) and P. bowensis from the Early Pliocene Bow Local Fauna (Muirhead et al. 1997). Three of these fossil taxa are referable to modern families. Ischnodon australis represents the Thylacomyidae, while Perameles allinghamensis and P. bowensis represent the Peramelidae. Yarala burchfieldi, in contrast, represents the superfamily Yaraloidea (Muirhead in press).