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Abstract
Louys, J., 23.3.2015. Wombats (Vombatidae: Marsupialia) from the Pliocene Chinchilla Sand, southeast Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa 39, XXX–XXX. ISSN 0311-5518
The Chinchilla Local Fauna is one of the richest Pliocene vertebrate fossil assemblages in Australia. However, Vombatidae material preserved in the Chinchilla Sand is very poorly known, and no systematic examination of the wombats from Chinchilla has been conducted. Here I review the cranio-dental and mandibular wombat remains derived from Chinchilla. This material includes both adults and pouch-young specimens. At least five species of wombats are preserved in the fluviatile Chinchilla deposits, although a lack of stratigraphically controlled excavations makes it impossible to determine whether all five species were sympatric. Several wombat taxa are revised: Sedophascolomys gen. nov. is formally erected to replace the invalid ‘Phascolomys’; Vombatus mitchelli (Owen) is recognized as a species distinct from Vombatus ursinus (Shaw), and is recorded for the first time from Chinchilla. In addition to Vombatus mitchelli, the Chinchilla Sand also preserves evidence of Phascolonus gigas, Ramsayia magna, Ramsayia lemleyi and Sedophascolomys medius.
Julien Louys [[email protected]], Department of Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History, and Languages, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
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Acknowledgements
Ces and Doris Wilkinson kindly donated several wombat specimens to the Queensland Museum, and their continued contribution and assistance in understanding the Chinchilla Local Fauna are much appreciated. Karen Black, Gilbert Price and the editors are thanked for their careful reading of, and helpful comments on previous versions of this manuscript. Support from ARC Laureate Project FL120100156 is gratefully acknowledged.