The mammalian fauna of Madura Cave, Western Australia.
By: Ernest L. Lundelius, Jr. -- William D. Turnbull --.
Contributors: Turnbull, William D. joint author; Field Museum of Natural History.
Series: Fieldiana -- new ser., no. 17; Publication -- 1399; Publication (Field Museum of Natural History) -- 1399.
Publisher: Field Museum of Natural History
Published: 1989
Place of publication: Chicago
Subjects: Paleontology -- Holocene.; Kangaroos; Paleontology -- Pleistocene; Australia -- Paleontology -- Madura Cave.
Other titles: Madura Cave. Part VII.
Description: The Sthenurinae and Macropodinae from Madura Cave consist of Sthenurus (Simosthenurus) near S. oreas and S. gilli, Lagorchestes hirsutus, Lagostrophus fasciatus, Onychogalea lunata, Protemnodon near P. brehus and P. roechus, Petrogale sp., Macropus fuliginosus, Macropus titan, and Macropus robustus. with the exception of Macropus robustus and M. fuliginosus, which occur only in Units 2-7, all the extant species are found in all units of the deposit. -- The marsupial fauna from the Pleistocene Units 2-7 is more diverse than that of the Holocene Unit 1, and contains species that are found today in more mesic areas to the east and est of the Nullarbor Plain. These Pleistocene units also contain numerous disharmonious pairs of species that indicate a more equable climate than that of the present. The assemblage from Unit 1 more closely approximates the present fauna of the region, but retains a few taxa now found to the east and west.