Additions to knowledge about ektopodontids (Marsupialia: Ektopodontidae): including a new species Ektopodon litolophus

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 9 years ago

Abstract - Information about the extinct phalangeroid family Ektopodontidae has been increased following the discovery of new material from several localities. A new species, Ektopodon litolophus, described on the basis of an M1 from the Leaf Locality, Lake Ngapakaldi, Lake Eyre Basin, is characterized by the extremely simple structure of the crests. Ektopodontids are recorded for the first time from the northern half of the Australian continent through discovery of a tooth fragment at Wayne's Wok Site, Riversleigh World Heritage area, northwestern Queensland. Comparisons of M1 of Chunia and Ektopodon species now allow evolutionary trends of simplification to be discerned.