''Naraboryctes philcreaseri'' is a fossil species of

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

found at early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

deposits of

Boodjamulla National Park Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park. The park lies on the traditiona ...

of Riversleigh area, northwestern Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Taxonomy

It was first named by Michael Archer, Robin Beck, Miranda Gott,

Suzanne Hand Suzanne J. Hand (born 1955) is an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, a teacher of geology and biology, who has a special interest in vertebrate palaeontology and modern mammals. Her research has been published in over a hund ...

, Henk Godthelp and

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

and is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of genus ''Naraboryctes''. The generic name means "to drink" (naraba in Garrawa and

Waanyi The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Language The Waanyi language, although earlier thought to be extinct, wa ...

languages of northwestern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

) in reference to its

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

palaeohabitat + "digger" (oryctes in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

) in reference to its

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

specializations and close relationship to the extant species of genus ''

Notoryctes Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae , are highly specialized marsupial mammals, known from two species found at the Australian interior. * ''Notoryctes typhlops'' (southern marsupial mole, known as the ''itjaritjari'' by the Pitjantjatjara and Yan ...

''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

honors Phil Creaser, and is referred to as "Phil Creaser's Drinking Digger". The genus is allied to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of modern 'marsupial moles',

Notoryctidae Notoryctidae is a family of mammals, allying several extant and fossil species of Australia. The group appear to have diverged from other marsupials at an early stage and are highly specialised to foraging through loose sand; the unusual feature ...

, two or three species of the extant genus ''Notoryctes''. However, a more recent study showscases that it lacked many of the synapomorphies associated with marsupial moles, and may belong to a previously unknown lineage of metatherians. Researchers working to resolve the phylogeny have placed the taxon in a unique order of Mammalia as

Notoryctemorphia Notoryctidae is a family of mammals, allying several extant and fossil species of Australia. The group appear to have diverged from other marsupials at an early stage and are highly specialised to foraging through loose sand; the unusual feature ...

Description

''Naraboryctes philcreaseri'' describes an animal known from specimens of fossil material that includes fragments of maxillary and jaw bones and teeth. The recognised fossil specimens also some post-cranial skeletal remains. ''N. philcreaseri'' is regarded as a

transitional fossil A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group. This is especially important where the descendant group is sharply differentiated by gross a ...

of mammal, with evidence of characteristics suited to foraging or inhabiting a subterranean environ with the dominating rainforest. The weight is estimated to have been approximately 200 grams. The diet is presumed to resemble the modern marsupial mole, which is insectivorous.

Distribution

''Naraboryctes philcreaseri'' is a species of the

Riversleigh fauna Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Faunal zones The presence of the Riversleigh in the Oligo-Miocene has been exceptionally well preserved ...

, discovered at three locations— Camel Sputum Site, Upper Site, Wayne's Wok Site—in the

Riversleigh World Heritage Area Riversleigh World Heritage Area is Australia's most famous fossil location, recognised for the series of well preserved fossils deposited from the Late Oligocene to more recent geological periods. The fossiliferous limestone system is located ne ...

and dated to the

early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was prece ...

(Faunal Zone B, circa 23-16 million years ago); the type locality is Upper Site on Godthelp hill. The Riversleigh area in this period was a permanently wet and closed canopy rainforest environment, a stark contrast to the central deserts of Australia favoured by their sand-swimming modern descendants. The species is the earliest discovery of the family's ancestral lineage.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15732751 Notoryctidae Miocene marsupials Prehistoric mammals of Australia Mammals of Queensland Fossil taxa described in 2011 Riversleigh fauna Prehistoric marsupial genera