Australidelphia

Australidelphia is a superorder of marsupials encompassing about three-quarters of all living marsupial species, including all those native to Australasia and one South American species, the monito del monte. Unlike other American marsupials, which belong to the Ameridelphia, Australidelphia’s lineage emerged in South America, with genetic evidence (retrotransposon insertion sites) showing the monito del monte as its most ancient branch.^[3][4]

Australidelphia Temporal range: 61.6–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early Paleocene to present[1]
A swamp wallaby
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Superorder:	Australidelphia Szalay 1982
Orders
Microbiotheria †Polydolopimorphia? Eomarsupialia Archer, 1984[2] Diprotodontia Agreodontia Beck et al., 2014[2] Dasyuromorphia Notoryctemorphia Peramelemorphia

Within this superorder, the Australian members form a distinct group (clade) named Eomarsupialia,^[2] though their internal relationships (branching order) is yet to be determined.^[4] Studies suggest Australidelphia originated in South America alongside other major marsupial groups, likely dispersing to Australia via Antarctica in a single event after the monito’s lineage (Microbiotheria) diverged, leaving other South American orders (Didelphimorphia and Paucituberculata) as more basal.^[3][4]

Phylogeny

The following cladogram is a phylogeny of Australidelphia based on the work of May-Collado, Kilpatrick & Agnarsson 2015,^[5] with extinct clades from Black et al. 2012.^[6]

Australidelphia

Microbiotheria †Woodburnodontidae Microbiotheriidae Eomarsupialia Agreodontia Notoryctemorphia Notoryctidae Peramelemorphia †Yaraloidea †Yaralidae Perameloidea Thylacomyidae Peramelidae †Chaeropodidae Peroryctidae Dasyuromorphia †Thylacinidae Myrmecobiidae Dasyuridae Diprotodontia Vombatiformes Phascolarctimorphia Phascolarctidae Vombatimorphia †Thylacoleonidae ?†Wynyardiidae †Ilariidae †Maradidae Vombatidae †Palorchestidae †Diprotodontidae Phalangerida Phalangeriformes Burramyoidea Burramyidae Phalangeroidea Phalangeridae ?†Pilkipildridae †Ektopodontidae †Miralinidae Macropodiformes Petauroidea Acrobatidae Tarsipedidae Petauridae Pseudocheiridae Macropodoidea ?†Balbaridae Hypsiprymnodontidae Potoroidae Macropodidae

Taxonomy

The orders within this group are listed below:

• Genus †Djarthia Godthelp, Wroe & Archer 1999
• Order Dasyuromorphia (71 species)
  • Family Dasyuridae: antechinuses, quolls, dunnarts, Tasmanian devil, and allies
  • Family Myrmecobiidae: numbat
  • Family †Thylacinidae: thylacine
• Order Diprotodontia (117 species)
  • Family Acrobatidae: feathertail glider and feather-tailed possum
  • Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
  • Family Hypsiprymnodontidae: musky rat-kangaroo
  • Family Macropodidae: kangaroos, wallabies, and allies
  • Family Petauridae: striped possum, Leadbeater's possum, yellow-bellied glider, sugar glider, mahogany glider, squirrel glider
  • Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
  • Family Phascolarctidae: koala
  • Family Potoridae: potoroos, rat kangaroos, bettongs
  • Family Pseudocheiridae: ringtailed possums and allies
  • Family Tarsipedidae: honey possum
  • Family Vombatidae: wombats
  • Family †Diprotodontidae: giant wombats
  • Family †Palorchestidae: marsupial tapirs
  • Family †Thylacoleonidae: marsupial lions
• Order Microbiotheria (1 species)
  • Family Microbiotheriidae: monito del monte
• Order Notoryctemorphia (2 species)
  • Family Notoryctidae: marsupial moles
• Order Peramelemorphia (21 species)
  • Family Peramelidae: bandicoots and allies
  • Family Thylacomyidae: bilbies
  • Family †Chaeropodidae: pig-footed bandicoots
• Order †Yalkaparidontia Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988
  • Family †Yalkaparidontidae Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988