A NEW, GIANT PLATYPUS, OBDURODON THARALKOOSCHILD, SP NOV (MONOTREMATA, ORNITHORHYNCHIDAE), FROM THE RIVERSLEIGH WORLD HERITAGE AREA, AUSTRALIA
A NEW, GIANT PLATYPUS, OBDURODON THARALKOOSCHILD, SP NOV (MONOTREMATA, ORNITHORHYNCHIDAE), FROM THE RIVERSLEIGH WORLD HERITAGE AREA, AUSTRALIA
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DOI：
10.1080/02724634.2013.782876
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发表时间：
2013-11-01
影响因子：
1.4
通讯作者：
Hand, Suzanne J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Pian, Rebecca;Archer, Michael;Hand, Suzanne J.
描述了一种新的有齿鸟喙类单孔目动物，产于澳大利亚昆士兰州西北部的里弗斯利世界遗产区的两棵树遗址。该物种是已知的最大的鸟喙类，化石或现存，第四个灭绝的鸭嘴兽描述，和第二个物种发现在里弗斯利。它表现出独特的臼齿形态，显着拓宽了对这组单孔目动物之间差异的理解，并挑战了以前的假设，即Obdurodon的化石物种形成了一个直接导致生活的牙齿退化的Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus的anagenetic谱系。它牙齿上的尖齿磨损表明它是在压碎而不是切割坚硬的猎物。它的相对衍生特征也增加了越来越多的证据，表明含有几个独特分类群的两棵树存款可能比周围的中新世中期化石沉积更年轻，可能是中新世晚期甚至上新世的年龄，以前没有鸟喙类的时间间隔。
A new, toothed ornithorhynchid monotreme from Two Trees Site in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, Australia, is described. This species is the largest known ornithorhynchid, fossil or extant, the fourth extinct platypus described, and the second species discovered at Riversleigh. It exhibits a unique molar morphology that significantly broadens understanding about disparity within this group of monotremes and challenges a previous presumption that fossil species of Obdurodon form an anagenetic lineage leading directly to the living dentally degenerate Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Apical cusp wear on its teeth suggests that it was crushing rather than cutting hard prey items. Its relatively derived features also adds to mounting evidence that the Two Trees deposit that contains several unique taxa may be younger than the surrounding middle Miocene fossil deposits, possibly late Miocene or even Pliocene in age, intervals of time previously unrepresented by ornithorhynchids.