New Records of Plio-Pleistocene Koalas from Australia: Palaeoecological and Taxonomic Implications
Author
Price, Gilbert J.
Author
Zhao, Jian-xin
Author
Feng, Yue-xing
Author
Hocknull, Scott A.
text
Records of the Australian Museum
2009
2009-05-27
61
1
39
48
http://dx.doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.61.2009.1518
journal article
10.3853/j.0067-1975.61.2009.1518
2201-4349
5297884
Genus
Phascolarctos
Blainville (1816)
Diagnosis
. Upper molars of
Phascolarctos
differ from all other phascolarctids (excepting
Cundokoala
(
?Ph.
)
yorkensis
) and the koala-like
Koobor
by: (
a
) being larger; (
b
) being relatively higher crowned; (
c
) by possessing well-developed molar crenulations; and (
d
) possessing well-developed ribs on lingual portion of paracone and metacone.
Phascolarctos
differs from
Madakoala
,
Nimiokoala
and
Koobor
by possessing a lingual cingulum or pocket on upper molars at the crown base between the protocone and metaconule.
Phascolarctos
differs from
Litokoala
and
Nimiokoala
by possessing relatively smaller neometaconules and paraconules.
Phascolaractos
differs from
Madakoala
,
Perikoala
,
Cundokoala
and
Koobor
by possessing relatively smaller or weakly expressed stylar cusps, and in the case of
Cundokoala
, by possessing a relatively less-developed associated stylar shelf.
Phascolarctos
differs from
Cundokoala
in being smaller and by possessing lesser-developed molar crenulations.
Phascolarctos
differs from
Koobor
by: (
a
) having a square- to trapezoidal-shaped, rather than rectangularshaped, occlusal outline; (
b
) possessing relatively longer anterior and posterior cingula; and (
c
) lacking a buccal ectoloph on the paracone.