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The Origin and Evolution of Mammals - Moodle

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210 THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF MAMMALS<br />

(b)<br />

Khasia<br />

also represented in Antarctica, where teeth <strong>and</strong><br />

jaws <strong>of</strong> Marambiotherium occur in the Eocene<br />

deposits <strong>of</strong> Seymour Isl<strong>and</strong> on the Antarctic<br />

Peninsular (Goin <strong>and</strong> Carlini 1995; Goin et al. 1999).<br />

In the light <strong>of</strong> this occurrence, the presence <strong>of</strong><br />

microbiotheres in Australia would be more plausible<br />

although, as already mentioned, suggestions<br />

that they are represented in the Tingamarra Local<br />

Fauna have not yet been confirmed.<br />

(c)<br />

(a)<br />

Dromiciops<br />

Microbiotherium<br />

Figure 6.10 Microbiotheria. (a) Skull <strong>of</strong> the modern Dromiciops australis in dorsal, ventral, <strong>and</strong> lateral views. Skull length approx. 3 cm<br />

(Reig et al. 1987). (b) <strong>The</strong> Tiupampan Khasia cordillerensis: upper molar in occlusal <strong>and</strong> lower molar in lingual view (redrawn after Marshall <strong>and</strong><br />

Muizon 1992). (c) Dentition <strong>of</strong> the Eocene/Miocene Microbiotherium tehuellcum: upper in labial <strong>and</strong> occlusal views, lowers in occlusal <strong>and</strong> labial<br />

views (Reig et al. 1987).<br />

Yalkaparidontia<br />

<strong>The</strong> only Australian order <strong>of</strong> marsupials that has not<br />

survived to the present day is represented by the<br />

single genus Yalkaparidon (Fig. 6.11(a) <strong>and</strong> (b)) from<br />

the Miocene Riversleigh deposits (Archer et al. 1988).<br />

It was quite a small animal with a skull length <strong>of</strong> 5 cm<br />

<strong>and</strong> an extremely unusual dentition. <strong>The</strong> dental formula<br />

is reduced to I3/1 : C1/0 : P3/3 : M3/3. <strong>The</strong> first<br />

upper incisor <strong>and</strong> the lower incisor are huge, sharp

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