Dorcopsoides

Dorcopsoides is a genus of extinct kangaroo from the Late Miocene of Australia and Late Pliocene of Papua New Guinea.^[2][3]

Dorcopsoides Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Macropodidae
Genus:	†Dorcopsoides Woodburne, 1967
Type species
†Dorcopsoides fossilis Woodburne, 1967
Other species
†D. buloloensis (Plane, 1967) †D. cowpatensis Kerr & Prideaux, 2025[1]
Synonyms
Protemnodon buloloensis Plane, 1967 Silvaroo buloloensis Dawson, 2004

Description

The genus Dorcopsoides was described in 1967 from a well-preserved lower jaw, skull fragments, and occipital found in the Upper Miocene Alcoota Fossil Beds north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. It was part of the Alcoota local fauna, which also included zygomaturine diprotodonts, a type of mihirung (Ilbandornis), a crocodile (Baru) and the giant thylacine, Thylacinus potens.^[4]

It was about the size of a gray and black four-eyed opossum. The generic name, Dorcopsoides, indicates a resemblance to forest wallabies (Dorcopsis) now living in New Guinea and neighboring islands.^[5]