A new fossil kangaroo from the Oligocene-Miocene Etadunna Formation of Ngama Quarry, Lake Palankarinna, South Australia

Benjamin P. Kear; Neville S. Pledge

doi:10.1071/ZO08002

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Next Contents Vol 55(6)

A new fossil kangaroo from the Oligocene-Miocene Etadunna Formation of Ngama Quarry, Lake Palankarinna, South Australia

Benjamin P. Kear ^A ^C and Neville S. Pledge ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Genetics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.

^B South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.

^C Corresponding author. Email: b.kear@latrobe.edu.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 55(6) 331-339 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO08002
Submitted: 8 January 2008 Accepted: 15 April 2008 Published: 16 May 2008

Abstract

Mandibular and postcranial remains attributable to a new fossil kangaroo (Macropodoidea) are described from the Oligocene-Miocene Etadunna Formation deposits of Ngama Quarry at Lake Palankarinna in north-eastern South Australia. The taxon is uniquely differentiated by its straight bunolophodont molar row, elongate P₃ with distinct labial/lingual cingulids and 12–13 fine (shallowly incised) cuspids/transcristids, molars with a rectangular (length at least 0.3 > width) occlusal outline, hypolophid formed by a buccally directed crest from the entoconid, absence of a discrete M₁ protostylid, transversely broad trigonid basin on the M₁, M₄ not markedly smaller than the anterior molars, distal end of humerus with sub-equally sized capitellum and trochlea (the latter also closely abutting the entepicondyle), and ulna with distinctly sinuous ventral edge. Relationships of the Ngama Quarry kangaroo are poorly resolved because of missing data; however, inclusion within the most comprehensive published phylogenetic dataset of Macropodoidea suggests close affinity with the currently extant potoroine/macropodid lineage.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Jim McNamarra for discovery and collection of the holotype. Comments from three anonymous reviewers helped improve the manuscript. La Trobe University, the Australian Research Council and South Australian Museum provided financial support for this research.

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