''Propalorchestes'' is a fossil genus of palorchestid marsupial that existed in Australia during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch.

Overview

The type species is ''Propalorchestes novaculacephalus''. The genus is probably ancestral to ''

Palorchestes ''Palorchestes'' ("ancient leaper") is an extinct genus of large terrestrial, herbivorous Australian marsupial of the family Palorchestidae, living from the Miocene through to the Late Pleistocene. Like other palorchestids, it had highly retract ...

'' and resembles ''

Ngapakaldia ''Ngapakaldia'' is an extinct genus of diprotodontid marsupials, related to the modern koala and wombat. Around the size of a sheep, it was a ground-dwelling herbivore that lived around the vegetated shores of lakes in Central Australia during th ...

'', another palorchestid that existed during the Miocene epoch. Evidence for the transitional connection between earlier and later phylogenies was discovered amongst the

Riversleigh fauna Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Faunal zones The presence of the Riversleigh in the Oligo-Miocene has been exceptionally well preserve ...

, including a more complete maxilla within the unworn dentition of a juvenile. The marsupial appears to have existed from the early to mid Miocene in material obtained in north-eastern Queensland, in fossil deposits at Riversleigh. A largely complete cranium, providing anatomical evidence of the

rostral Rostral may refer to: Anatomy * Rostral (anatomical term), situated toward the oral or nasal region * Rostral bone, in ceratopsian dinosaurs * Rostral organ, of certain fish * Rostral scale The rostral scale, or rostral, in snakes and other sca ...

morphology that distinguished the lineage of ''Propalorchestes'' and ''Palorchestes'' from similar groups of the

diprotodont Diprotodontia (, from Greek "two forward teeth") is the largest extant order of marsupials, with about 155 species, including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others. Extinct diprotodonts include the hippopotamus-sized ...

order of marsupials. The dentition of the specimen links the form of molars found in the early wynyardiids with those of the palorchestids. The type species and genus were named in 1986 by

Peter F. Murray Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, conducting palaeontological research at the

Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is the main museum in the Northern Territory. The headquarters of the museum is located in the inner Darwin suburb of The Gardens. The MAGNT is governed by the Board of the Museum a ...

, along with a second and possible third species proposed in 1990. * '' Propalorchestes novaculacephalus'' Murray, 1986 * '' Propalorchestes ponticulus'' Murray, 1990 The genus name is Latinised Greek, combining ''pro'' with ''

'' to indicate its ancestral position to that genus. Murray repeats the translation of Richard Owen's genus as "old dancer" with the contemporary reconception as a "marsupial tapir", although Owen gave his own etymology as a combination of "ancient" and "leaper" to the fossil fragments he thought were of a giant kangaroo.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85794713 Prehistoric vombatiforms Prehistoric mammals of Australia Prehistoric marsupial genera Miocene marsupials Fossil taxa described in 1987