Protemnodon

Protemnodon[1]; Temporal range: Pliocene-Pleistocene
	Skull of Protemnodon anak at the Melbourne Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Macropodidae
Subfamily:	Macropodinae
Genus:	†Protemnodon; Owen, 1873
Paleospecies
	†P. otibandus; †P. buloloensis; †P. hopei; †P. tumbuna; †P. nombe; †P. bandharr; †P. snewini; †P. anak; †P. chinchillaensis; †P. brehus; †P. roechus

Protemnodon is a genus of megafaunal macropodids that existed in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea in the Pliocene and Pleistocene.

Taxonomy

Restoration of Protemnodon anak

Based on fossil evidence, Protemnodon is thought to have been physically similar to wallabies, but generally larger and more robust. Protemnodon nombe was the smallest in the genus, weighing about 45 kg; Protemnodon roechus was the largest in the genus, weighing around 170 kg.[2]

Recent analysis of mtDNA extracted from fossils indicates that Protemnodon was closely related to Macropus.[3]

References

Haaramo, M. (20 December 2004). "Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: Macropodidae - kenguroos". Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
Helgen, K.M.; Wells, R.T.; Kear, B.P.; Gerdtz, W.R. & Flannery, T.F. (2006). "Ecological and evolutionary significance of sizes of giant extinct kangaroos". Australian Journal of Zoology. 54 (#4): 293–303. doi:10.1071/ZO05077.
Llamas, B.; Brotherton, P.; Mitchell, K. J.; Templeton, J. E. L.; Thomson, V. A.; Metcalf, J. L.; Armstrong, K. N.; Kasper, M.; Richards, S. M.; Camens, A. B.; Lee, M. S. Y.; Cooper, A. (2014-12-18). "Late Pleistocene Australian marsupial DNA clarifies the affinities of extinct megafaunal kangaroos and wallabies". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 32: 574–584. doi:10.1093/molbev/msu338. PMID 25526902.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[Mikko-1] Haaramo, M. (20 December 2004). "Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: Macropodidae - kenguroos". Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.

[2] Helgen, K.M.; Wells, R.T.; Kear, B.P.; Gerdtz, W.R. & Flannery, T.F. (2006). "Ecological and evolutionary significance of sizes of giant extinct kangaroos". Australian Journal of Zoology. 54 (#4): 293–303. doi:10.1071/ZO05077.

[Llamas2015-3] Llamas, B.; Brotherton, P.; Mitchell, K. J.; Templeton, J. E. L.; Thomson, V. A.; Metcalf, J. L.; Armstrong, K. N.; Kasper, M.; Richards, S. M.; Camens, A. B.; Lee, M. S. Y.; Cooper, A. (2014-12-18). "Late Pleistocene Australian marsupial DNA clarifies the affinities of extinct megafaunal kangaroos and wallabies". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 32: 574–584. doi:10.1093/molbev/msu338. PMID 25526902.