Balbaridae is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of basal

Macropodoidea The Macropodiformes , also known as macropods, are one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. They may in fact be nested within one of the suborders, Phalangeriformes. Kangaroos, wallabies and allies, bettongs, poto ...

. The

synapomorphies In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to ...

are divided into two areas, the dental and

cranial Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Thi ...

. The dental area of this taxa can be described as having the molar

lophodont The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth ...

and

brachyodont The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth ...

with a hypo lophid formed by lingually displaced component of posthypo cristid and linked to a buccal crest from the

entoconid Many different terms have been proposed for features of the tooth crown in mammals. The structures within the molars receive different names according to their position and morphology. This nomenclature was developed by Henry Fairfield Osborn i ...

. Molars have a hypo

cingulid A cingulid is a term used to describe the structure of some mammalian cheek teeth which refers to a ridge that runs around the base of the crown of a lower molar. The equivalent structure on upper molars is called the cingulum. The presence or a ...

, first lower molar compressed with the "forelink" absent. First incisor with

lingual Lingual may refer to: * Tongue, a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication * Lingual, in palaeontology, the side of the teeth that faces the tongue * Lingual artery arises from the e ...

and

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

enamel ridgelets. The third lower

premolar The premolars, also called premolar Tooth (human), teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the Canine tooth, canine and Molar (tooth), molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per dental terminology#Quadrant, quadrant in ...

of some taxa have a posterobuccal cusp (cusp at the back close to the cheek). The skull is defined by four shared characteristics, a large sinuses,

postorbital The ''postorbital'' is one of the bones in vertebrate skulls which forms a portion of the dermal skull roof and, sometimes, a ring about the orbit. Generally, it is located behind the postfrontal and posteriorly to the orbital fenestra. In some ve ...

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to: Biology and healthcare * Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side" * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx * Lateral release ( ...

constriction of the skull, a

hypertrophy Hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. It is distinguished from hyperplasia, in which the cells remain approximately the same size but increase in number. Although hypertro ...

of the

mastoid process The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the posterior (back) part of the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles (via tendons) and it has openings for blood vessels. From its borders, t ...

es and no

auditory bulla The tympanic part of the temporal bone is a curved plate of bone lying below the squamous part of the temporal bone, in front of the mastoid process, and surrounding the external part of the ear canal. It originates as a separate bone (tympanic b ...

formed by an inflated

tympanic wing Tympanic may mean: *Tympanic nerve *Tympanic bone *Tympanic muscle The tensor tympani is a muscle within the middle ear, located in the bony canal above the bony part of the auditory tube, and connects to the malleus bone. Its role is to dampen ...

of the

alisphenoid The greater wing of the sphenoid bone, or alisphenoid, is a bony process of the sphenoid bone, positioned in the skull behind each eye. There is one on each side, extending from the side of the body of the sphenoid and curving upward, laterally, ...

.Kear, B.P. & Cooke, B.N., 2001:12!20. A review of macropodoid systematics with the inclusion of a new family. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists 25, 83-101. ISSN 0810-8889 Subfamily indeterminate *†''

Galanarla ''Galanarla'' is an extinct genus of quadrupedal kangaroos of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, th ...

'' *†'' Wabularoo'' Subfamily Nambarinae * †''

Nambaroo ''Nambaroo'' is an extinct genus of macropod marsupial from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene of Australia.B.P. Kear; B.N. Cooke; M. Archer; T.F.Flannery (2007). Implications of a new species of the Oligo-Miocene kangaroo (Marsupialia: Mac ...

'' * †'' Wururoo'' **W. dayamayi * †'' Ganawamaya'' Subfamily Balbarinae * †'' Balbaroo'' **†'' Balbaroo fangaroo''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q223304 Prehistoric mammals of Australia Chattian first appearances Miocene extinctions Prehistoric macropods Prehistoric mammal families