Australidelphia

Australidelphia; Temporal range: 61.6–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early Paleocene to present
	A swamp wallaby
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Superorder:	Australidelphia; Szalay 1982
Orders
	Microbiotheria; †Polydolopimorphia?; Eomarsupialia; Archer, 1984 Diprotodontia; Agreodontia; Beck et al., 2014 Dasyuromorphia; Notoryctemorphia; Peramelemorphia; ; ;

The Australidelphia is a superorder of Australasian marsupial mammals. It consists in five extant (living) orders which includes about three-quarters of all living marsupial species.

This group has all the marsupials that live in Australasia (Australia and nearby islands) and one species from South America called the monito del monte. Unlike other American marsupials, which belong to a different group called Ameridelphia, Australidelphia started in South America. Genetic studies show that the monito del monte is closely related to all the other members of this group.

Inside Australidelphia, the Australian marsupials form their own special group (a clade) called Eomarsupialia. Scientists are still working to understand how the different species in this group are related to each other. Research suggests that Australidelphia began in South America along with other big groups of marsupials. The Eomarsupialia probably moved to Australia by traveling through Antarctica in one event, after they split from their closest relatives, the Microbiotheria.

Evolutionary history and relationships

The following cladogram (a simple family tree) is a phylogeny that shows how Australidelphia are related to each other through evolution). It is based on the work of May-Collado, Kilpatrick & Agnarsson 2015, with extinct clades from Black et al. 2012.

Australidelphia

Microbiotheria

	†Woodburnodontidae

	Microbiotheriidae

†Yaraloidea

†Yaralidae

Perameloidea

Thylacomyidae

Peramelidae

	†Chaeropodidae

	Peroryctidae

Dasyuromorphia

†Thylacinidae

	Myrmecobiidae

	Dasyuridae

Diprotodontia

Taxonomy

The orders within this group are listed below:

Genus †Djarthia Godthelp, Wroe & Archer 1999
Order Dasyuromorphia (71 species)
- Family Dasyuridae: antechinuses, quolls, dunnarts, Tasmanian devil, and allies
- Family Myrmecobiidae: numbat
- Family †Thylacinidae: thylacine
Order Diprotodontia (117 species)
- Family Acrobatidae: feathertail glider and feather-tailed possum
- Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
- Family Hypsiprymnodontidae: musky rat-kangaroo
- Family Macropodidae: kangaroos, wallabies, and allies
- Family Petauridae: striped possum, Leadbeater's possum, yellow-bellied glider, sugar glider, mahogany glider, squirrel glider
- Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
- Family Phascolarctidae: koala
- Family Potoridae: potoroos, rat kangaroos, bettongs
- Family Pseudocheiridae: ringtailed possums and allies
- Family Tarsipedidae: honey possum
- Family Vombatidae: wombats
- Family †Diprotodontidae: giant wombats
- Family †Palorchestidae: marsupial tapirs
- Family †Thylacoleonidae: marsupial lions
Order Microbiotheria (1 species)
- Family Microbiotheriidae: monito del monte
Order Notoryctemorphia (2 species)
- Family Notoryctidae: marsupial moles
Order Peramelemorphia (21 species)
- Family Peramelidae: bandicoots and allies
- Family Thylacomyidae: bilbies
- Family †Chaeropodidae: pig-footed bandicoots
Order †Yalkaparidontia Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988
- Family †Yalkaparidontidae Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988

References

↑ "PBDB". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
1 2 3 Beck, R. M. D.; Travouillon, K. J.; Aplin, K. P.; Godthelp, H.; Archer, M. (2014). "The Osteology and Systematics of the Enigmatic Australian Oligo-Miocene Metatherian Yalkaparidon (Yalkaparidontidae; Yalkaparidontia; ?Australidelphia; Marsupialia)". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 21 (2): 127–172. doi:10.1007/s10914-013-9236-3. S2CID 18490996.
↑ Schiewe, Jessie (2010-07-28). "Australia's marsupials originated in what is now South America, study says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
1 2 3 4 Nilsson, M. A.; Churakov, G.; Sommer, M.; Van Tran, N.; Zemann, A.; Brosius, J.; Schmitz, J. (2010-07-27). Penny, David (ed.). "Tracking Marsupial Evolution Using Archaic Genomic Retroposon Insertions". PLOS Biology. 8 (7) e1000436. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000436. PMC 2910653. PMID 20668664.
↑ May-Collado; et al. (2015). "Mammals from 'down under': a multi-gene species-level phylogeny of marsupial mammals (Mammalia, Metatheria)". PeerJ. 3 e805. doi:10.7717/peerj.805. PMC 4349131. PMID 25755933.
↑ Black; et al. (2012). "The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic and Palaeobiogeographic Understanding". Earth and Life. Springer Netherlands. pp. 983–1078. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3428-1_35. ISBN 978-90-481-3427-4.

[1] "PBDB". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2021-07-13.

[Beck2014-2] 1 2 3 Beck, R. M. D.; Travouillon, K. J.; Aplin, K. P.; Godthelp, H.; Archer, M. (2014). "The Osteology and Systematics of the Enigmatic Australian Oligo-Miocene Metatherian Yalkaparidon (Yalkaparidontidae; Yalkaparidontia; ?Australidelphia; Marsupialia)". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 21 (2): 127–172. doi:10.1007/s10914-013-9236-3. S2CID 18490996.

[LAT-3] Schiewe, Jessie (2010-07-28). "Australia's marsupials originated in what is now South America, study says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-01.

[Nilsson-4] 1 2 3 4 Nilsson, M. A.; Churakov, G.; Sommer, M.; Van Tran, N.; Zemann, A.; Brosius, J.; Schmitz, J. (2010-07-27). Penny, David (ed.). "Tracking Marsupial Evolution Using Archaic Genomic Retroposon Insertions". PLOS Biology. 8 (7) e1000436. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000436. PMC 2910653. PMID 20668664.

[5] May-Collado; et al. (2015). "Mammals from 'down under': a multi-gene species-level phylogeny of marsupial mammals (Mammalia, Metatheria)". PeerJ. 3 e805. doi:10.7717/peerj.805. PMC 4349131. PMID 25755933.

[6] Black; et al. (2012). "The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic and Palaeobiogeographic Understanding". Earth and Life. Springer Netherlands. pp. 983–1078. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3428-1_35. ISBN 978-90-481-3427-4.