The Pwerte Marnte Marnte Local Fauna: a new vertebrate assemblage of presumed Oligocene age from the Northern Territory of Australia

Abstract

A newly discovered vertebrate fossil locality near Pwerte Marnte Marnte, southern Northern Territory of Australia, contains representatives of Agamidae (Lacertilia), Crocodylia, Dromornithidae (Aves) and a diversity of marsupials including representatives of Thylacinidae, Peramelidae, Diprotodontidae, Ilariidae, ?Wynyardiidae, a possible new family of Vombatimorphia, and Potoroidae. Although none of the material can be assigned to previously described species, the affinities of the Pwerte Marnte Marnte Local Fauna are with Late Oligocene vertebrate assemblages from lower parts of the Etadunna and Namba Formations of the Lake Eyre Basin, but possibly represent an older biochron. The diversity of taxa recovered from a relatively small sample is high in proportion to the small number of determinable specimens, and both large and small animals are represented. The deposit, therefore, has the potential to provide a wealth of new material for phylogenetic and biochronological investigations across several major lineages of Australian marsupials.

Key words:

• Pwerte Marnte Marnte
• Northern Territory
• Australia
• vertebrate fossils
• Lake Eyre Basin
• Oligocene