An investigation of phylogeny in the giant extinct rat kangarooEkaltadeta(Propleopinae, Potoroidae, Marsupialia)

Abstract

The Giant Rat Kangaroos (Ekaltadeta, Propleopus) were placed in a new subfamily the Propleopinae by Archer and Flannery (1985). The discovery of newEkaltadetamaterial from Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland has stimulated a review of propleopine phylogeny. Cladistic analysis of five propleopine taxa suggests possible paraphyly forEkaltadetaand polyphyly forPropleopus.A new species of Miocene propleopine,Ekaltadeta jamiemulvaneyin. sp., from system C local faunas at Riversleigh, is described.