Developing a radiometrically-dated chronologic sequence for Neogene biotic change in Australia, from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of Queensland

Woodhead, Jon; Hand, Suzanne J.; Archer, Michael; Graham, Ian T.; Sniderman, J. M. Kale; Arena, Derrick A.; Black, Karen H.; Godthelp, Henk; Creaser, Philip; Price, Elizabeth E.

doi:10.1016/j.gr.2014.10.004

Cited by 99 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…All known specimens of Na. philcreaseri are from Riversleigh Faunal Zone B sites, which have been interpreted to be early Miocene in age based on biostratigraphy (Archer et al, 1997;Archer et al, 2006;Travouillon et al, 2006), an age assignment that is now being validated by radiometric dating (Woodhead et al, 2014). A full list of Na.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians

Beck¹,

Warburton²,

Archer³

et al. 2016

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Beck, R.M.D., Warburton, N.M., Archer, M., Hand, S.J. and Aplin, K.P. 2016. Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 74: 151-171.We present the first detailed descriptions of postcranial elements of the fossil marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri (Marsupialia: Notoryctemorphia), from early Miocene freshwater limestone deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. Qualitative functional analysis of these elements suggest that Na. philcreaseri was very well-adapted for burrowing, albeit somewhat less so than the living marsupial moles Notoryctes typhlops and N. caurinus. Quadratic discriminant analysis of limb measurements suggests that Na. philcreaseri was subterranean, and its Index of Fossorial Ability is almost identical to that of Notoryctes species, being among the highest known for any mammal. These results suggest that notoryctemorphians evolved their specialised, "mole-like" subterranean lifestyle prior to the early Miocene. Given that forested environments predominated in Australia until the middle-late Miocene, this transition to subterranean behaviour may have occurred via burrowing in forest floors, in which case fossorial mammals that live in tropical rainforests today (such as the placental golden moles Chrysospalax trevelyani and Huetia leucorhina) may represent reasonable living analogues for early notoryctemorphians. However, alternative scenarios, such as a cave-dwelling or semi-aquatic ancestry, should be considered. Phylogenetic analysis using a Bayesian total evidence dating approach places Naraboryctes as sister to Notoryctes with strong support (Bayesian posterior probability = 0.91), and indicates that Naraboryctes and Notoryctes diverged 30.3 MYA (95% HPD: 17.7-46.3 MYA). The age and known morphology of Na. philcreaseri does not preclude its being ancestral to Notoryctes. Using estimates of divergence times and ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions per site, we infer that the nuclear gene "Retinol-binding protein 3, interstitial" (RBP3), which plays a key role in vision, became inactive in the Notoryctes lineage ~5.4 MYA (95% HPD: 4.5-6.3 MYA). This is much younger than previous published estimates, and postdates considerably the age of Na. philcreaseri, implying that RBP3 was active in this fossil taxon; hence, Na. philcreaseri may have retained a functional visual system. Our estimate for the inactivation of RBP3 in the Notoryctes lineage coincides with palaeobotanical evidence for a major increase in the abundance of grasses in Australia, which may indicate the appearance of more open environments, and hence selection pressure on notoryctemorphians to spend less time on the surface, leading to relaxed selection on RBP3. Ultimately, however, a fuller understanding of the origin and evolution of notoryctemorphians -including when and why they became "molelike" -will require improvements in ...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians

Beck¹,

Warburton²,

Archer³

et al. 2016

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“…The stage of evolution studies of Propalorchestes are therefore significant to that comparison (Black et al, 2012;Arena et al, 2015) Woodhead et al (2015 have presented radiometric U-Pb dates on speleothem for the Riversleigh WHA that span a time , sheet SE 52-08, 2 nd Ed, 2003. For fossil site details refer to Murray & Megirian (1992) (Arena, 2004;Woodhead et al, 2015). While Murray and Megirian (1992) suggested that Bullock Creek might be transitional BairnsdalianMitchellian, a depositional period within the Bairnsdalian stage (15.0-10.5 Ma) is more parsimonius.…”

Section: Geographic Geologic and Paleoecological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ponticulus that is presently only described from smaller isolated dental material and mandibular fragments. (Plane and Gatehouse 1968;Murray, 1986 (Woodbume et al, 1985), Riversleigh WHA Faunal Zone B-C, middle Miocene (Black, 2006;Travouillon et al, 2006;Woodhead et al, 2015;.…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontology Marsupialia Illiger 1811mentioning

confidence: 99%

Description of new cranial material of Propalorchestes (Marsupialia: Palorchestidae) from the Middle Miocene Camfield Beds, Northern Territory, Australia

Trusler¹,

Sharp²

2016

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Additional material referable to Propalorchestes novaculacephalus from the middle Miocene Camfield Beds is described. A cranium prepared in 1999-2000 from material collected on the T. H. Rich expedition of 1981 represents the most complete skull of the genus found to date. The detailed preservation of the previously unknown rostral anatomy supports the hypothesis that Propalorchestes possessed retracted nasal morphology. Cheek teeth from the skull and an additional isolated mandibular fragment from the same site, adds to the dental record for the genus. It further supports the intermediate condition of the molar morphology between the fully bilophodont Palorchestes and the subselenodont/ semilophodont wynyardiid morphologies. The highly retracted nasal morphology and corresponding mandibular features demonstrate an advanced and highly derived condition in contrast to the plesiomorphic features previously described for the basicranium. In comparison to the generalized rostral anatomy of the sister group, the early to middle Miocene Diprotodontidae, this more complete record of Propalorchestes cranial morpholgy, suggests a significantly earlier origin for the highly derived facial anatomy in the Palorchestidae.

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“…Differences include, for example, a new species of Hypsiprymnodon that is abundantly present in the Wholly Dooley Local Fauna. We have therefore tentatively concluded that this faunal assemblage probably correlates with those from either Faunal Zone C or D in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, which span approximately 16 to 13 Ma (Woodhead et al, 2014). However, it could be younger than this, possibly early late Miocene in age given the uncertain age of Encore Site, which has been estimated on the basis of biocorrelation to be early late Miocene (Black, 1997a(Black, , 1997bMyers et al, 2001;Brewer et al, 2007;Black et al, 2012;Arena et al, 2014;Arena et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…The suggestion of intermittent desiccation may indicate accumulation during a younger, climatically drier period than those involved in triggering Depositional Phases 1-3 in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area (Creaser, 1997;Arena, 2004;Woodhead et al, 2014).…”

Section: Geological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest known record of a hypercarnivorous dasyurid (Marsupialia), from newly discovered carbonates beyond the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north Queensland

Christmas¹,

Black²,

Creaser³

et al. 2016

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Whollydooleya tomnpatrichorum gen. et sp. nov. is a new, highly specialised hypercarnivorous dasyuromorphian from a new mid-Cenozoic limestone deposit southwest of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in northwestern Queensland. Dental dimensions suggest it may have weighed at least twice as much as the living Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Although known only from a lower molar, it exhibits a plethora of carnivorous adaptations including a hypertrophied protoconid, tiny metaconid and a battery of vertical carnassial blades between most of the major cusps, most of which incorporate carnassial notches to immobilise materials being sheared. It is unique among dasyuromorphians in having a massive entoconid that closes the entire lingual side of the talonid. Comparison with previously known thylacinid and dasyurid hypercarnivores suggests its relationships are closer to dasyurids than thylacinids in the main because of the very large entoconid, a cusp that is relatively small to absent in all known thylacinids but commonly small to large in dasyurids. However, the extent of enlargement of the entoconid suggests that it is not closely related to previously known Cenozoic hypercarnivorous dasyurids in the genera Dasyurus, Glaucodon, Sarcophilus or any of the other previously described Cenozoic dasyurids. Although the early late Miocene Ganbulanyi djadjinguli is only known from an upper molar, the reduced area of its protocone suggests a correspondingly reduced rather than hypertrophied entoconid in its as-yet-unknown lower molars. Reconsideration of the structure of the talonid in species of Sarcophilus even suggests that within that Quaternary lineage, the entoconid may have been entirely lost, with the posteriorly displaced metaconid taking its functional place as an occlusal counterpart for the blades of the protocone. The large size of the new species signals the earliest indication within the dasyurid radiation of a late Cenozoic trend towards gigantism that became evident in many lineages of Australian marsupials. While the age is uncertain, on the basis of associated taxa such as species of Ekaltadeta, it is probably either mid or late Miocene in age. Geological features of the deposit suggest it was formed within a pool in a cave environment that periodically underwent desiccation. Some grains suggest an aeolian as well as an alluvial and pluvial origin for the deposit. This may relate to current understanding about environmental change that took place in the region following the mid Miocene climate oscillation.

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Developing a radiometrically-dated chronologic sequence for Neogene biotic change in Australia, from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of Queensland

Cited by 99 publications

References 57 publications

Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians

Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians

Description of new cranial material of Propalorchestes (Marsupialia: Palorchestidae) from the Middle Miocene Camfield Beds, Northern Territory, Australia

Earliest known record of a hypercarnivorous dasyurid (Marsupialia), from newly discovered carbonates beyond the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north Queensland

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