Oligocene marsupials of the Geilston Bay local fauna, Tasmania. American Museum novitates ; no. 3244

Abstract

"Fragmentary remains of marsupials from the later Oligocene travertine deposits of Geilston Bay, River Derwent estuary, near Hobart, Tasmania, appear to represent elements of a temperate rainforest fauna then at about 50S latitude. These deposits are capped by alkali basalt that yielded a whole-rock age of 23.0 0.5 Ma, a minimum age for the Geilston Travertine. Identified taxa include a dasyurid, two petauroids, and a burramyid, all belonging to scansorial and arboreal groups having important representation in present-day forested environments. Only the petauroids are complete enough for phylogenetic analysis and both are more primitive than other known members of that superfamily. Their presence indicates a pre-Oligocene time of differentiation of the Diprotodontia in accordance with molecular and paleontological interpretations"--P. [1].