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The Wet Tropics (WT) population of the yellow-bellied glider Petaurus australis Shaw, 1791 in North Queensland is listed as Endangered at the state and national level, but its taxonomic classification is currently uncertain. Here we expand on previous genetic and morphological analyses of the WT population with additional samples and genetic loci to re-assess its subspecific status. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) gene showed that the WT population formed a reciprocally monophyletic group relative to a group comprising P. australis from its remaining distribution in Australia. The genetic distinction of the WT population was further corroborated by analyses of the nuclear gene von Willebrand factor. Molecular clock analyses of combined ND2–ND4 data suggested that the WT population has been isolated from neighbouring populations in southern Queensland over multiple ice age cycles. Morphological analyses show that the WT gliders are smaller, with proportionally shortened faces, and have paler bellies compared to southern yellow-bellied gliders. We, therefore, propose that the WT population be recognised as a distinct subspecies which we herein describe. This taxonomic reassessment of P. australis has important implications for the ongoing conservation management of the WT population and yellow-bellied gliders throughout Australia.

Dynamic rupture models are physics-based simulations that couple fracture mechanics to wave propagation and are used to explain specific earthquake observations or to generate a suite of predictions to understand the influence of frictional, geometrical, stress, and material parameters. These simulations can model single earthquakes or multiple earthquake cycles. The objective of this article is to provide a self-contained and practical guide for students starting in the field of earthquake dynamics. Senior researchers who are interested in learning the first-order constraints and general approaches to dynamic rupture problems will also benefit. We believe this guide is timely given the recent growth of computational resources and the range of sophisticated modeling software that are now available. We start with a succinct discussion of the essential physics of earthquake rupture propagation and walk the reader through the main concepts in dynamic rupture model design. We briefly touch on fully dynamic earthquake cycle models but leave the details of this topic for other publications. We also highlight examples throughout that demonstrate the use of dynamic rupture models to investigate various aspects of the faulting process.

Smoke generated by cautery devices used during surgery may contain infective particles and may cause transmission of airborne viruses. This study determines whether live viruses are present in surgical smoke and evaluates the effectiveness of several proposed methods of removal so as to improve safety of healthcare workers.

Little is known about the diets and ecology of New Guinea’s 14 bandicoot species. In order to better understand the diet and digestive morphology of these marsupials, we reviewed the literature, studied the dental morphology, conducted analysis of gastrointestinal contents, and measured the digestive tracts of: Echymipera clara, E. davidi, E. kalubu, E. rufescens, Isoodon macrourus, Microperoryctes ornata, M. papuensis and Peroryctes raffrayana. These species consume a mix of fungi, insects and plant material that is broadly consistent with the omnivorous diet characteristic of most Australian bandicoots; however, morphological observations reveal variation between species that likely reflect finer-scale differences in diet. Dental morphology suggests a wider variety of diets (insectivore, omnivore, frugivore) than on the Australian mainland (mostly omnivore). Dissections and measurements of the digestive tract of seven New Guinean species indicate variation linked to diet. The relatively short caecum in all New Guinean species, but especially in E. clara and E. kalubu, is particularly suggestive of limited consumption of fibrous plant material; the relative length of the large intestine suggests variable capacity for water reabsorption. Our dietary data also suggest that some of these species also play an important role in the dispersal of hypogeous fungi.

Bandicoots and bilbies (Order Peramelemorphia) occupy a broad range of habitats across Australia and New Guinea, from open, arid deserts to dense forests. This once diverse group has been particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and introduced eutherian predators, and numerous species extinctions and range retractions have occurred. Understanding reasons for this loss requires greater understanding of their biology. Morphology of the pinnae and tympanic bullae varies markedly among species. As hearing is important for both predator avoidance and prey location, the variability in ear morphology could reflect specialization and adaptation to specific environments, and therefore be of conservation relevance. We measured 798 museum specimens representing 29 species of Peramelemorphia. Controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and head length, pinna surface area was weakly negatively correlated with average precipitation (rainfall being our surrogate measure of vegetation productivity/complexity), and there were no environmental correlates with effective diameter (pinna width). Controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and skull length, tympanic bulla volume was negatively correlated with precipitation. Species that inhabited drier habitats, which would be open and allow sound to carry further with less obstruction, had relatively larger pinnae and tympanic bullae. In contrast, species from higher rainfall habitats, where sounds would be attenuated and diffused by dense vegetation, had the smallest pinnae and bullae, suggesting that low-frequency hearing is not as important in these habitats. Associations with temperature did not reach statistical significance. These findings highlight linkages between hearing traits and habitat that can inform conservation and management strategies for threatened species.

Landscape-scale conservation that considers metapopulation dynamics will be essential for preventing declines of species facing multiple threats to their survival. Toward this end, we developed a novel approach that combines occurrence records, spatial-environmental data, and genetic information to model habitat, connectivity, and patterns of genetic structure and link spatial attributes to underlying ecological mechanisms. Using the threatened northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) as a case study, we applied this approach to address the need for conservation decision-making tools that promote resilient metapopulations of this threatened species in the Pilbara, Western Australia, a multiuse landscape that is a hotspot for biodiversity and mining. Habitat and connectivity were predicted by different landscape characteristics. Whereas habitat suitability was overwhelmingly driven by terrain ruggedness, dispersal was facilitated by proximity to watercourses. Although there is limited evidence for major physical barriers in the Pilbara, areas with high silt and clay content (i.e., alluvial and hardpan plains) showed high resistance to dispersal. Climate subtlety shaped distributions and patterns of genetic turnover, suggesting the potential for local adaptation. By understanding these spatial-environmental associations and linking them to life-history and metapopulation dynamics, we highlight opportunities to provide targeted species management. To support this, we have created habitat, connectivity, and genetic uniqueness maps for conservation decision-making in the region. These tools have the potential to provide a more holistic approach to conservation in multiuse landscapes globally.La conservación a nivel del paisaje que incluye las dinámicas metapoblacionales será esencial para prevenir la declinación de especies con múltiples amenazas a su supervivencia. Enfocados en este fin, desarrollamos una estrategia novedosa que combina los registros presenciales, datos espacio-ambientales e información genética para modelar la conectividad de hábitat y los patrones de estructura genética y conectar los atributos espaciales con los mecanismos ecológicos subyacentes. Usamos al cuol del norte (Dasyurus hallucatus) como estudio de caso para aplicar esta estrategia y abordar la necesidad de herramientas de decisión en la conservación que promuevan metapoblaciones resilientes de esta especie en la Pilbara de Australia Occidental, un paisaje multiusos que es un punto caliente para la biodiversidad y la minería. Diferentes características del paisaje pronosticaron la conectividad y el hábitat. Mientras que la escabrosidad del terreno causó enormemente la idoneidad del hábitat, la dispersión estuvo propiciada por la proximidad a los cauces. Aunque hay evidencias limitadas de barreras físicas importantes en la Pilbara, las áreas con un contenido elevado de limo y arcilla (es decir, planicies aluviales y de alio) mostraron una gran resistencia a la dispersión. La matización climática determinó la distribución y los patrones del recambio genético, lo que sugiere un potencial para la adaptación local. Si entendemos estas asociaciones espacio-ambientales y las conectamos con las dinámicas metapoblacionales y de historia de vida, podemos resaltar las oportunidades para proporcionar un manejo focalizado de la especie. Para respaldar esto hemos creado mapas de hábitat, conectividad y singularidad genética para las decisiones de conservación en la región. Estas herramientas tienen el potencial de proporcionar una estrategia más holística para la conservación en los paisajes multiusos de todo el mundo.

Little is known about how the large brains of mammals are accommodated into the dazzling diversity of their skulls. It has been suggested that brain shape is influenced by relative brain size, that it evolves or develops according to extrinsic or intrinsic mechanical constraints, and that its shape can provide insights into its proportions and function. Here, we characterise the shape variation among 84 marsupial cranial endocasts of 57 species including fossils, using 3D geometric morphometrics and virtual dissections. Statistical shape analysis revealed four main patterns: over half of endocast shape variation ranges between elongate and straight to globular and inclined; little allometric variation with respect to centroid size, and none for relative volume; no association between locomotion and endocast shape; limited association between endocast shape and previously published histological cortex volumes. Fossil species tend to have smaller cerebral hemispheres. We find divergent endocast shapes in closely related species and within species, and diverse morphologies superimposed over the main variation. An evolutionarily and individually malleable brain with a fundamental tendency to arrange into a spectrum of elongate-to-globular shapes – possibly mostly independent of brain function - may explain the accommodation of brains within the enormous diversity of mammalian skull form.

Thiele, Kevin R., Harvey, Mark S., Hutchings, Pat, May, Tom W., Melville, Jane, Travouillon, Kenny J. (2022): Introducing the Australian Journal of Taxonomy, a new, fully-online, fully open-access journal for the rapid publication of new Australian species and other taxa. Australian Journal of Taxonomy 1: 1-7, DOI: 10.54102/ajt.qxi3r, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.54102/ajt.qxi3r

Recent developments in aerobiology have enabled the investigation of airborne biomass with high temporal and taxonomic resolution. In this study, we assess the contributions of local sources to ambient air within a 160,000 m2 tropical avian park (AP). We sequenced and analyzed 120 air samples from seven locations situated 160 to 400 m apart, representing distinct microhabitats. Each microhabitat contained a characteristic air microbiome, defined by the abundance and richness of its airborne microbial community members, supported by both, PCoA and Random Forest analysis. Each outdoor microhabitat contained 1% to 18.6% location-specific taxa, while a core microbiome of 27.1% of the total taxa was shared. To identify and assess local sources, we compared the AP dataset with a DVE reference dataset from a location 2 km away, collected during a year-round sampling campaign. Intersection of data from the two sites demonstrated 61.6% of airborne species originated from local sources of the AP, 34.5% from ambient air background, and only 3.9% of species were specific to the DVE reference site. In-depth taxonomic analysis demonstrated association of bacteria-dominated air microbiomes with indoor spaces, while fungi-dominated airborne microbial biomass was predominant in outdoor settings with ample vegetation. The approach presented here demonstrates an ability to identify local source contributions against an ambient air background, despite the prevailing mixing of air masses caused by atmospheric turbulences.

BackgroundAntiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased life expectancy and consequently the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults living with HIV. We investigated the levels and predictors of arterial stiffness in young people (YP) living with perinatal HIV (PHIV) and HIV negative YP in the Adolescents and Adults Living with Perinatal HIV (AALPHI) study.MethodsAALPHI was a prospective study evaluating the impact of HIV infection and exposure to ART on YP living with PHIV (aged 13–21 years) who had known their HIV status for at least 6 months, and HIV negative YP (aged 13–23 years) who either had a sibling, friend or parent living with HIV. Participants were enrolled from HIV clinics and community services in England. Two hundred and thirteen PHIV and 65 HIV negative YP (42% siblings of PHIV) had pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements taken (Vicorder software) from the supra-sternal notch to the middle of the thigh cuff, at their second interview in the study between 2015 and 2017. Average PWV was calculated from the three closest readings (≥3 and ≤ 12 m/s) within 0.6 m/s of each other. Linear regression examined predictors of higher (worse) PWV, including age, sex, HIV status and height as a priori, ethnicity, born outside UK/Ireland, alcohol/nicotine/drug use, weight, waist-to-hip-ratio, mean arterial pressure (MAP), caffeine 2 h before PWV and nicotine on day of PWV. A separate PHIV model included CD4, viral load, years taking ART and ART regimen.FindingsOne hundred and twenty eight (60%) PHIV and 45 (69%) HIV negative YP were female (p = 0.18), with median (IQR) age 18 (16, 20) and 18 (16, 21) years (p = 0.48) respectively. Most PHIV were taking a combination of three ART drugs from two classes. There was a trend toward higher (worse) mean PWV in the PHIV group than the HIV negative group [unvariable analysis 6.15 (SD 0.83) m/s vs. 5.93 (0.70) m/s, respectively, unadjusted p = 0.058], which was statistically significant in the multivariable analysis [adjusted p (ap) = 0.020]. In multivariable analysis being male (ap = 0.002), older age (ap < 0.001), higher MAP (ap < 0.001) and nicotine use on day of measurement (ap = 0.001) were also predictors of higher PWV. The predictors were the same in the PHIV model.InterpretationBy late adolescence PHIV had worse PWV in comparison to HIV negative peers, and traditional risk factors for CVD (higher arterial pressure, being male and older age) were associated with higher PWV values. Regular detailed monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors should become standard of care for every young person with PHIV worldwide.

Increasing prevalence of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant gram-negative bacteria represents a global health crisis, and while several novel therapies that target various aspects of antimicrobial resistance have been introduced in recent years, few are currently approved for children. Ceftazidime-avibactam is a novel β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor combination approved for adults and children 3months and older with complicated intra-abdominal infection, and complicated urinary tract infection or hospital-acquired ventilator-associated pneumonia (adults only in the United States) caused by susceptible gram-negative bacteria. Extensive population pharmacokinetic (PK) data sets for ceftazidime and avibactam obtained during the adult clinical development program were used to iteratively select, modify, and validate the approved adult dosage regimen (2,000-500mg by 2-hour intravenous (IV) infusion every 8hours (q8h), with adjustments for renal function). Following the completion of one phase I (NCT01893346) and two phase II ceftazidime-avibactam studies (NCT02475733 and NCT02497781) in children, adult PK data sets were updated with pediatric PK data. This paper describes the development of updated combined adult and pediatric population PK models and their application in characterizing the population PK of ceftazidime and avibactam in children, and in dose selection for further pediatric evaluation. The updated models supported the approval of ceftazidime-avibactam pediatric dosage regimens (all by 2-hour IV infusion) of 50-12.5mg/kg (maximum 2,000-500mg) q8h for those ≥6months to 18years old, and 40-10mg/kg q8h for those ≥3 to 6months old with creatinine clearance > 50mL/min/1.73 m2 .

Price, Gilbert J., Cramb, Jonathan, Louys, Julien, Travouillon, Kenny J., Pease, Eleanor M. A., Feng, Yue-Xing, Zhao, Jian-Xin, Irvin, Douglas (2020): Late Quaternary Fossil Vertebrates of the Broken River Karst Area, Northern Queensland, Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 72 (5): 193-206, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1723, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1723

Travouillon, Kenny J., Parnaby, Harry, Ingleby, Sandy (2020): Neotype Designation for the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838. Records of the Australian Museum 72 (3): 77-80, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1761

Understanding feeding ecology of extinct kangaroos is fundamental to understanding the evolution of kangaroos and the Australia paleoenvironment during the Oligo-Miocene. Comparisons with extant species have suggested that the macropodiforms of the Oligo/Miocene (kangaroos and allies) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northern Australia, were predominantly folivorous browsers or fungivores, unlike the majority of extant species. To further test this hypothesis, we investigate the relationship between variation in cranial and mandibular shape of extant and extinct macropodiforms and ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and body mass using 3D geometric morphometric analysis of 42 living species and eight extinct species from two radiations (the extinct clade of Balbaridae and some early representatives of the extant Macropodidae. Dietary class (fungivore, browser, grazer, and mixed feeder) correlated strongly with variation in cranial shape (20–25% of variance explained). There was also significant association between cranial shape, and both locomotor mode and body mass. In a principal component analysis of shape variation for crania (including the shape of the molar row), Riversleigh macropodiforms cluster with extant folivorous browsers on principal components (PC) 1 and 3, providing support for previous interpretations of these species as browsing kangaroos. However, as a group and regardless of phylogenetic association, the shape centroid of extinct species differs significantly from that of extant species. Riversleigh macropodiforms cluster with regular hoppers or arboreal tree kangaroos, but this may be a result of the correlation between diet and locomotor mode in kangaroos. Their similarity to extant browsers supports previous interpretations of rainforest and woodland environments at Riversleigh during the early and middle Miocene, respectively. Procrustes ANOVA Analysis of the full shape dataset and diet also shows that diet accounts for a significant portion of variation; however, when phylogeny is taken into account these results become nonsignificant. In analyses of dentary shape, some balbarid species cluster with extant mixed feeders, although this may reflect phylogenetic differences rather than ecological signal.

Two new species of the fossil macropodiform genus Gumardee are described that provide insights into the evolution of early kangaroos. Gumardee has a continuous record from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene and is likely to have become extinct before the middle Miocene. The two new species are the most derived members of the genus. They exhibit some dental size variation, especially in P3/p3, which we interpret as evidence for sexual dimorphism. From the stratigraphically oldest species of Gumardee to the youngest, the dental morphology also shows a progression from bunolophodont to increasingly bilophodont. This trend appears to have occurred in at least four different lineages of macropodoids; however, a fully bilophodont condition was achieved only twice, once in the ancestral lineage of balbarids, and again in ancestral radiation of modern macropodids as implied by the species of Gumardee. Kenny. J. Travouillon[Kenny.Travouillon@museum.wa.gov.au], Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986 Australia; Kaylene Butler[kaylene.butler@uqconnect.edu.au], School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Michael Archer[m.archer@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Suzanne J. Hand[s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia.

Many mammals dig, either during foraging to access subsurface food resources, or in creating burrows for shelter. Digging requires large forces produced by muscles and transmitted to the soil via the skeletal system; thus fossorial mammals tend to have characteristic modifications of the musculoskeletal system that reflect their digging ability. Bandicoots (Marsupialia: Peramelidae) scratch-dig mainly to source food, searching for subterranean food items including invertebrates, seeds, and fungi. They have musculoskeletal features for digging, including shortened, robust forelimb bones, large muscles, and enlarged muscle attachment areas. Here, we compared changes in the ontogenetic development of muscles associated with digging in the Quenda (Isoodon fusciventer). We measured muscle mass (m m ), pennation angle, and fiber length (FL) to calculate physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA; a proxy of maximum isometric force) as well as estimate the maximum isometric force (Fmax) for 34 individuals ranging in body size from 124 to 2,390 g. Males grow larger than females in this bandicoot species, however, we found negligible sex differences in mass-specific m m , PCSA or FL for our sample. Majority of the forelimb muscles PCSA showed a positive allometric relationship with total body mass, while m m and FL in the majority of forelimb muscles showed isometry. Mechanical similarity was tested, and two thirds of forelimb muscles maximum isometric forces (Fmax) scaled with isometry; therefore the forelimb is primarily mechanical similar throughout ontogeny. PCSA showed a significant difference between scaling slopes between main movers in the power stroke, and main movers of the recovery stroke of scratch-digging. This suggests that some forelimb muscles grow with positive allometry, specially these associated with the power stroke of digging. Intraspecific variation in PCSA is rarely considered in the literature, and thus this is an important study quantifying changes in muscle architectural properties with growth in a mammalian model of scratch-digging.

BackgroundWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-confirmed cases can provide insights into viral transmission and genetic diversity at a population level. However, less is known about the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including ‘lockdowns’, on circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages and variants of concern, the relative contribution of travel to re-emergence of pandemic waves within communities or how different lineages and variants contribute to disease severity.MethodsWe have conducted an analysis within a prospective, multicentre observational study of individuals attending four hospitals in the South-East of Ireland with COVID-19. Samples underwent WGS from which lineages and variants were assigned, lineage frequency was plotted over time and phylogenetic analysis was employed to determine the origin of variants detected post-lockdown. Univariate and multivariate analyses assessed relationships between viral lineage/variant and COVID-19 disease severity.ResultsWe analysed 225 genome sequences across two SARS-CoV-2 waves, 134 (59.6%) from wave 1 (March to June) and 91 (40.4%) from wave 2 (July to December), representing 15.2% of COVID-19 admissions to these hospitals during the sampling periods. Four variants (B.1.1.162, B1.1.70, B.1.1.267 and B.1.1) comprised 68% of variants detected during wave 1. Of these variants, only a single B.1.1.70 sequence was detected in wave 2, while the B.1.177 lineage emerged and contributed to 82.3% of lineages detected. Phylogenetic analysis suggested multiple introductions of wave 2 variants from outside Ireland. We found no consistent association between SARS-CoV-2 lineages and disease severity.ConclusionsThese data suggest elimination of common SARS-CoV-2 lineages from hospitalised cases associated with effective NPIs and that importation of new viral variants through travel was a significant contributor to the re-emergence of the pandemic in the second wave in Ireland. Our findings highlight the importance of genomic surveillance in identifying circulating viral genetic diversity and variants of concern and, also, modelling the disease burden of SARS-CoV-2.

Chaeropus ecaudatus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 Fig. 1 Neotype. Australian Museum PA422, juvenile male skull and the associated partial skeleton (Fig. 1), collector and date of collection unknown. Type locality. The onlY localitY information entered bY SecretarY Palmer in the PA catalogue is ���MurraY River���. Remarks. The skull is clearlY that of a juvenile, with deciduous premolars still being in place and incompletelY erupted upper 4th molars. The skeleton also shows evidence of being that of a juvenile, with incomplete fusion of the epiphYses of the long bones of the limbs. This is most obvious in the humerus. The skeleton has 4 cervical vertebrae represented including the axis (C2) and C3 to C5. The atlas (C1) and C6 are missing. A total of 10 thoracic vertebrae are present, though it is difficult to be certain which one is missing as onlY the last 4 are still articulated. All 6 lumbar vertebrae are present, as well as the first sacral vertebra. Some of the caudal vertebrae are preserved with 6 chevrons and includes Ca01���Ca13, though onlY the anterior half of Ca13 is present. The right scapula, humerus and ulna are present, but onlY the left ulna is present. Two thoracic bones are present. The fused left and right tibia and fibula are present, as well as all bones of the left and right pes. Australian Museum PA422 was selected as the neotYpe because it is the onlY sexed specimen displaYing keY diagnostic dental criteria, some of which are onlY seen in unworn teeth. OnlY two specimens are complete enough to be considered for neotYpe selection, AM PA422 and NMV C2900. The latter is an unsexed adult with teeth that are too worn to reveal keY diagnostic characters. As a result, the juvenile dentition of the sexed AM PA422 is taxonomicallY more informative as a neotYpe than NMV C2900.AM PA422 has been fullY described in Travouillon et al. (2019) and was the principal comparative specimen used in the species diagnosis of Chaeropus yirratji Travouillon et al. (2019)., Published as part of Travouillon, Kenny J., Parnaby, Harry & Ingleby, Sandy, 2020, Neotype Designation for the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838, pp. 77-80 in Records of the Australian Museum 72 (3) on page 78, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1761, http://zenodo.org/record/4654403, {"references":["OgilbY, W. 1838. On a new species of marsupial animal bY Major Mitchell on the banks of the MurraY River in New South Wales. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 6: 25 - 27.","Travouillon, K. J., B. F. Simoes, R. Portela Miguez, S. Brace, P. Brewer, D. Stemmer, G. J. Price, J. Cramb, and J. LouYs. 2019. Hidden in plain sight: reassessment of the pig-footed bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus (Peramelemorphia, Chaeropodidae), with a description of a new species from central australia, and use of the fossil record to trace its past distribution. Zootaxa 4566 (1): 1 - 69. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4566.1.1"]}

The generic and specific status of fossil kangaroo specimens attributed to Nambaroo and Ganawamaya from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia, are revised and new material is described. Results indicate that the previously proposed 12 species (eight of Nambaroo and four of Ganawamaya) represent four species from a single genus (Ganawamaya). Previous studies distinguished species of Ganawamaya from Nambaroo in lacking a protostylid on the lower first molar. However, our analyses indicate that the apparent presence/absence of the protostylid is related to the degree of dental wear, being totally worn in older individuals. Unworn specimens from Riversleigh were previously typically attributed to Nambaroo, while worn specimens were most commonly attributed to Ganawamaya. With support from phylogenetic analyses, we refer Riversleigh's N. couperi and N. gillespieae to Ganawamaya. The diagnoses of both genera are revised. We also assign undescribed specimens from the Ngapakaldi Quarry and Leaf Locality, South Australia, to Gan. couperi comb. nov. and Gan. acris, respectively, and describe new material of Gan. acris and Gan. aediculis.

The Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, Australia, contains numerous Oligo-Miocene and Pleistocene fossil bearing deposits. Species of the suborder Macropodiformes (kangaroos and allies) described from Oligo-Miocene sediments at Riversleigh include representatives of all three macropodiform families: Macropodidae, Hypsiprymnodontidae and Balbaridae, a family of extinct fanged kangaroos. Despite extensive taxonomic study, few studies have focused on the ecology of balbarids that are present in Late Oligocene to Late Miocene faunal assemblages. Recently, several macropodiform species from Riversleigh have been described or revised that significantly alter previous interpretations of species richness and abundance at Riversleigh. In this study, Riversleigh macropodiform species richness and relative abundance is explored against a framework of recently revised taxonomic interpretations and biostratigraphy. With the exception of the Early Miocene, our results suggest that balbarids were less abundant than macropodids at Riversleigh. Balbarid species richness declined by the Early Miocene while macropodid species diversity declined from the Early Miocene to Middle Miocene and again in the Late Miocene. We also estimate body mass for macropodiform taxa throughout the Oligo-Miocene. A statistically significant increase in body mass is evident for most taxa through time. A number of ancestral macropodid genera suffer extinction in the Middle Miocene and are replaced by larger sthenurine macropodids around the time of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. Trends in faunal turnover (extinction and replacement of several macropodiform species) in the Middle Miocene are consistent with trends for other mammalian groups both from Riversleigh and globally.

This paper uses panel survey data from 2002 to 2008 – covering a period of economic prosperity and intense economic difficulties – to analyse the impact of changing levels of economic and financial security from the 2008 economic crisis on individuals’ environmental protection preferences. Declining economic conditions in the aftermath of the crisis have been thought to produce lower levels of support for environmental protection and previous literature has predominantly supported this claim. Due to the availability of data, most analyses undertaken to date have focused on aggregate changes using repeated cross-sectional data and various economic indicators. Research looking at individual-level change and how individuals’ perceptions of changing economic conditions may affect their prioritization of environmental protection has however been lacking. This paper finds that neither changing economic perceptions nor changing household financial circumstances can account for the decline in environmental protection prioritization witnessed in the aftermath of the great recession.

Starting from sodium azide, methyl-bromoacetate, and 3-methylbut-1-yne, a safe and efficient three-step continuous process was developed to obtain 2-(4-isopropyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)acetic acid. Isolation of hazardous intermediates was avoided, and by using FT-IR in-line monitoring of the azides involved, risks associated with these components were minimized. Furthermore, the use of FT-IR as a tool for optimization in real time facilitated the understanding of the kinetics of the reaction steps and resulted in a rapid optimization of parameters. The continuous method was used for multihundred grams manufacturing of the triazole which was used as a key building block in one of our drug development projects.

The development of the rate- and state-dependent friction framework (Dieterich Appl Geophys 116:790–806, 1978; J Geophys Res 84, 2161–2168, 1979; Ruina Friction laws and instabilities: a quasistatic analysis of some dry friction behavior, Ph.D. Thesis, Brown Univ., Providence, R.I., 1980; J Geophys Res 88:10359–10370, 1983) includes the dependence of friction coefficient on normal stress (Linker and Dieterich J Geophys Res 97:4923–4940, 1992); however, a direct dependence of the friction law on time-varying normal stress in dynamic stepover and dip-slip fault models has not yet been extensively explored. Using rate- and state-dependent friction laws and a 2-D dynamic finite element code (Barall J Int 178, 845–859, 2009), we investigate the effect of the Linker–Dieterich dependence of state variable on normal stress at stepovers and dip-slip faults, where normal stress should not be constant with time (e.g., Harris and Day J Geophys Res 98:4461–4472, 1993; Nielsen Geophys Res Lett 25:125–128, 1998). Specifically, we use the relation dψ/dt = −(α/σ)(dσ/dt) from Linker and Dieterich (J Geophys Res 97:4923–4940, 1992), in which a change in normal stress leads to a change in state variable of the opposite sign. We investigate a range of values for alpha, which scales the impact of the normal stress change on state, from 0 to 0.5 (laboratory values range from 0.2 to 0.56). For stepovers, we find that adding normal-stress dependence to the state variable delays or stops re-nucleation on the secondary fault segment when compared to normal-stress-independent state evolution. This inhibition of jumping rupture is due to the fact that re-nucleation along the secondary segment occurs in areas of decreased normal stress in both compressional and dilational stepovers. However, the magnitude of such an effect differs between dilational and compressional systems. Additionally, it is well known that the asymmetric geometry of reverse and normal faults can lead to greater slip and a greater peak slip rate on reverse faults than on normal faults, given the same initial conditions for each (Nielsen Geophys Res Lett 25:125–128, 1998; Oglesby et al. Science 280:1055–1059, 1998; Oglesby and Archuleta J Geophys Res 105:13643–13653, 2000; Oglesby et al. Bull Seismol Soc Am 90:616–628, 2000). For dip-slip models, we find that adding the Linker–Dieterich normal stress dependence to the state variable serves to mitigate differences in peak slip rate between reverse and normal fault models. However, differences in total slip among reverse and normal fault models remain relatively unchanged. We also examine effects from initial shear stress (loading stress) and effects from incorporating a rate-strengthening zone on the uppermost portion of a reverse and a normal fault.

Significance This manuscript describes a precise diel cycle carried out by airborne microbiota in the tropics. 795 metagenomes from air samples taken from a single site show that fungi, bacteria, and plants all adhere to a specific timing for their presence in the near-surface atmosphere. The airborne community composition thereby shows an unexpected robustness, with the majority of the dynamics in taxa composition occurring within 24 h, but not across days, weeks, or months. Environmental parameters are the main drivers for the observed phenomenon, with temperature being the most important one., The atmosphere is vastly underexplored as a habitable ecosystem for microbial organisms. In this study, we investigated 795 time-resolved metagenomes from tropical air, generating 2.27 terabases of data. Despite only 9 to 17% of the generated sequence data currently being assignable to taxa, the air harbored a microbial diversity that rivals the complexity of other planetary ecosystems. The airborne microbial organisms followed a clear diel cycle, possibly driven by environmental factors. Interday taxonomic diversity exceeded day-to-day and month-to-month variation. Environmental time series revealed the existence of a large core of microbial taxa that remained invariable over 13 mo, thereby underlining the long-term robustness of the airborne community structure. Unlike terrestrial or aquatic environments, where prokaryotes are prevalent, the tropical airborne biomass was dominated by DNA from eukaryotic phyla. Specific fungal and bacterial species were strongly correlated with temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, making them suitable biomarkers for studying the bioaerosol dynamics of the atmosphere.

Agrococcus sp. strain SGAir0287 was isolated from tropical air samples collected in Singapore. Assembled using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing and MiSeq reads, the genome consists of one circular chromosome of 3,084,767 bp. The entire genome has 2,870 protein-coding genes, 45 tRNAs, and 3 rRNAs.

The close association between muscle and bone is broadly intuitive; however, details of the covariation between the two has not been comprehensively studied. Without quantitative understanding of how muscle anatomy influences bone shape, it is difficult to draw conclusions of the significance of many morphological traits of the skeleton. In this study, we investigated these relationships in the Quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), a scratch-digging marsupial. We quantified the relationships between forelimb muscle anatomy and bone shape for animals representing a range of body masses (124-1,952 g) using two-block partial least square analyses. Muscle anatomy was quantified as muscle mass and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), and we used two morphometric methods to characterize bone shape: seven indices of linear bone proportions, and landmarks analysis. Bone shape was significantly correlated with body mass, reflecting allometric bone growth. Of the seven bone indices, only shoulder moment index (SMI) and ulna robustness index (URI) showed a significant covariation with muscle anatomy. Stronger relationships between muscle anatomy and forelimb bone shape were found using the landmark coordinates: muscle mass and PCSA were correlated with the geometric shape of the scapula, humerus, and third metacarpal, but to a lesser extent with shape of the ulna. Overall, our data show that landmark coordinates are more sensitive than bone indices to capturing shape changes evident throughout ontogeny, and is therefore a more appropriate method to investigate covariation with forelimb muscle anatomy. Single-species studies investigating ontogeny require refined methods to accurately develop understanding of the important relationships between muscle force generation and bone shape remodeling. Landmark analyses provide such a method.

Chaeropus ecaudatus ecaudatus Ogilby 1838 new status (Figs. 2–4) Holotype. AM PA422 (previously AM Bennett’s Cat. 35), juvenile female skull, collected by Sir Thomas Mitchell on the Murray River, New South Wales. Referred specimens (modern). AM PA421, adult male, taxidermy; NHMUK ZD 1842.2.1.33, holotype of C. castanotis, study skin with associated partial skull and dentaries; NHMUK ZD 1847.8.14.12, female, study skin with associated skull and dentaries (NHMUK ZD 1848.1.27.41); NHMUK ZD 1847.8.14.13, study skin with associated skull (NHMUK ZD 1848.1.27.40); NHMUK ZD 1847.8.14.46, postcranial material; NMV C2900, skull with associated dentaries; NMV C5886, juvenile, taxidermy; NMV C5887, adult male, taxidermy; NMV C5889, adult female, taxidermy; NMV C27998, adult female, taxidermy; NMV C36365, taxidermy. Referred specimens (fossil). From late Pleistocene of Lake Menindee, New South Wales, Site 3, V67186; UCMP 52667, two left dentaries, one with m2, other with m2–4; UCMP 52668, right dentary with m2–4; from middle to late Pleistocene Mt Etna, Queensland, QML1312; QMF51637, right maxilla with M2– 4; QMF51638, right M2; QMF51639, right M3; QMF51640 -51641 (specimens from the Queensland Museum were not directly examined but identified from photos in Hocknull 2005). Emended diagnosis. Chaeropus ecaudatus ecaudatus differs from C. e. occidentalis in having beige fur ventrally; shorter ears (50–56 mm versus 60mm in C. e. occidentalis); shorter medial accessory palatal fenestrae; thick bridge between the maxillopalatine fenestrae and maxillary fenestrae; and larger upper and lower premolars and molars (see result section). C. e. ecaudatus differs from C. yirratji sp. nov. in having shorter hindfeet and tail; having maxillary fenestrae; having distinct medial accessory palatal fenestrae; having the paracone connecting to both StA and StB on M1 (in unworn teeth); having a reduced metaconule on M1–3, making the molars more triangular in shape (most noticeable on M3); carotid foramen opens ventrally (versus ventrolaterally in C. yirratji sp. nov.); StD1 absent on M1; metacone of M4 is distinctively larger; and the paracristid on m1 is continuous. Remarks. The holotype, AM Bennett’s Cat. 35, has been noted as missing from the Australian Museum collections for quite some time (e.g. Mahoney & Ride 1988; Parnaby et al. 2017). Parnaby et al. 2017, who discuss the history of the missing specimen, mention that Krefft (1864) lists two specimens from the Australian Museum, an adult male from “Gall Gall Creek”, which originally came from Museum Victoria, which matches specimen AM PA421, and a skull from lower Murray, Sir Thomas Mitchell’s original specimen, which is most likely AM PA422. Krefft (1870) also mentions finding the skull “ten years ago” and thought the skin may have been disposed of. Even though Troughton (1932) believed the holotype missing from the collection, he may have been referring to the skin. AM PA421 is an adult male collected on the Blandowski expedition (Wakefield 1966), and as is the case for all of the taxidermy prepared at Museum Victoria (NMV C5887, C5889 and C27998), the skulls were not kept (Krefft 1864). As a result, AM PA422 cannot be associated with AM PA421, and is most likely Sir Thomas Mitchell’s original specimen as Krefft (1864) suggested. Specimens from Mt Etna are tentatively placed in this subspecies due to the presence of the maxillary fenestrae below M1–2, and closer proximity to the type locality than the other subspecies. However, the M2 has a more developed metaconule and the postmetaconulecrista extends further posteriorly on the tooth relative to other specimens of Chaeropus ecaudatus ecaudatus and in this respect is similar to C. yirratji sp. nov. Distribution. Arid zone of western New South Wales, northern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia (Fig. 1). Description. The following description is based on the holotype (AM PA422) and the referred specimen (AM PA421), unless otherwise specified. The holotype is a skull of a juvenile female, nearly adult, with dP3/dp3 still present, M4 not erupted, but m4 erupted. The referred specimen is a taxidermied adult male. Pelage is chestnut dorsally, gradually becoming more ochre laterally and beige ventrally. The pelage is similar in specimens from Museum Victoria (prefix NMV), but other specimens from the NHM (e.g. NHMUK ZD 1842.2.1.33, 1847.8.14.12, 1847.8.14.13) are often much darker in colour (perhaps less faded due to the way specimens were treated or stored), with a darker chestnut dorsally, light brown or grey laterally, and light brown to grey ventrally. Head is rounded, with short pointed snout. Ears are c. 50 mm long (about as high as the height of the skull). Forelimbs are shorter than the hindlimbs. On the forefeet, digit II and III are well developed with an ovoid foot pad. Digit IV is heavily reduced, located more posterior to digit II and III on the feet, and clawless. Digits I and V are not present. On the hindfeet, digit IV is well-developed with a large foot pad. Digit I is not present, and the syndactylous digits II and III, and digit V are heavily reduced and located more posterior to digit II and III on the feet. Tail is shorter than the body (190 mm in length), and crested. The holotype skull is 48 mm long and 25 mm wide. In dorsal view, the nasals increase in width posteriorly, and the posterior edge of the nasal bones is located just anterior to the anterior margin of the orbits. The nasals do not extend anteriorly much further than the premaxillary-nasal suture. The maxilla contributes to a large portion of the ventral margin of the orbit. The parietals are fused at their dorsal margin as in all peramelemorphians. The anterodorsal margin of the orbits are formed by the lacrimals and are heavily crested (seen in both dorsal and lateral view), with a single lacrimal foramen sandwiched between the lacrimal crest and the lacrimal-maxillary suture. In lateral view, the auditory bullae are large (6.3 mm in height), rounded anteriorly but more pointed ventrally. The infraorbital foramen is located just above the anterior of M1, with an ovoid incisivomaxillary canal just anterior to it, which pierces the maxilla anteromedially. The anterior margin of the premaxilla, bordering the nasal cavity is straight in lateral view. The zygomatic arch thins to a minimum midway along its length, but is much thicker in dorsoventral height at its anterior and posterior ends. The antorbital fossa is wide and deep, extending anteriorly from a point just posterior to the infraorbital foramen to just posterodorsal to the posterior edge of M3 (on the zygomatic arch). A distinct ventral crest, continuous with the ventral edge of the zygomatic arch, separates the antorbital fossa from the tooth row. In ventral view, the palate is marked by having a number of vacuities. The incisive foramina taper anteriorly and are widest near their posterior edge. They extend from the anterior of I3 to the anterior of C1. The premaxilla borders the incisive foramina, except at their medial and posterior most margins, which are bordered by the maxilla. The accessory palatal fenestrae are large and represent two pairs of fenestrae, bordered entirely by the maxilla. The larger lateral pairs extend from the anterior of P1 to the middle of P2. The medial pair is smaller, about half the size of the lateral pair, and level with the posterior half of the lateral pair. In NMV C2900 and NHMUK ZD 1848.1.27.41, two additional small fenestrae (anterior medial accessory palatal fenestrae) are present anterior to the medial fenestra, but only one is present in NHM 1848.1.27.40. The maxillopalatine fenestrae are much larger than the accessory palatal fenestrae but are heavily damaged in the holotype, so only the anterior and lateral margins are visible. The anterior margins are concave posteriorly, and level with the dP3 (with P 3 in adults). The lateral margins are relatively straight for most of their length, ending roughly level with the posterior of M1. Maxillary fenestrae are present lateral to the maxillopalatine fenestrae and medial to M1–2. They are oval in shape and extend from the metaconule of M1 to just anterior to the metaconule of M2. The palatine fenestrae are not preserved in the holotype. They are only completely preserved in NMV C2900, but they seem to be variable in shape and size. Additional small vacuities are present throughout the palate, but these are likely to be the result of the fact that the palate was still developing in the holotype at the time of death, and these are not present in any of the adult specimens. There is a clear gap between the presphenoid and the basisphenoid, and the palatine does not form a wall at the presphenoid-basisphenoid suture (it completely encloses that suture in Macrotis, Isoodon and Perameles), but instead opens up as a large transverse foramen. The carotid foramen is oval in dorsal view, opening ventrally, lacking a distinct ventral wall (opens laterally in all other peramelemorphians). A distinct groove occurs in the basisphenoid directly posterolateral to the carotid foramen, likely for the attachment of nerve and blood vessels. The transverse foramen is directly lateral to the carotid foramen and more circular in shape. The primary foramen ovale is oval in shape and located medial to the anteromedial ‘corner’ of the auditory bullae and is completely enclosed by the alisphenoid. The secondary foramen ovale is slightly anterolateral to the primary foramen ovale, and opens anteriorly. An additional smaller foramen is present just lateral to the secondary foramen ovale (also present in Isoodon, but absent in Perameles). The promontorium of the petrosal is marked by a high crest, oriented anteromedial-posterolateral. The dentary has a unique feature (not present in any other marsupial) on the base of the ascending ramus (in lateral view), a triangular shaped process, which would have been used for additional attachment for the masseter muscle. The five upper incisors are rhomboidal in shape, increasing in size from I1 to I3 then decreasing in size from I3 to I5. A short diastema (shorter than the length of C1) is present between I5 and C1. The C1 is premolariform, double rooted, with distinct anterior and posterior cusps. C1 is smaller than P1. A short diastema separates C1 from P1, and a shorter diastema separates P1 and P2. P1 and P2 are similar in shape, with a large central cusp, a small anterior cusp, and a larger posterior cusp connected to the large central cusp by a blade. P2 is larger (longer, wider and taller) than P1. The dP3 is a small rounded tooth, with a central cusp and two blades descending the crown, one laterally, and the other posterolaterally. The P3 is preserved in adult specimens (e.g., NMV C2900). It is longer and much wider than P2, with a large buccal cusp and a posterolateral shelf with a large cusp. The M1 is the longest molar on the tooth row; it is less wide and less high crowned than the posterior molars. StA is very large and connects via the preparacrista posteromedial surface of the paracone. The paracone is also connected to StB, an ovoid crested cusp. A small StC is visible posterior to StB in buccal view. The postparacrista is oblique and ends posterolingual to StB. The metacone is posterior to the paracone and connects to the base of StD via the premetacrista and to the tip of the metastyle via the postmetacrista. A remnant of StE is present posterior to the metastyle as a short crest. No crest connects StD to the metastyle. StD1 is absent. The protocone is lateral to the paracone, and a very low talon. The preprotocrista ends just anterior to the base of the paracone. The postprotocrista is long and extends into the valley between the paracone and metacone as a tall crest. The metaconule is smaller than the protocone and directly posterior to it. The premetaconulecrista is well-developed and distinct to the postprotocrista. The postmetaconulecrista is short and ends at the lingual flank of the metacone. The M2 and M3 are similar in shape and only differ from the M 1 in the morphology of the parastylar shelf. StA is small and more posteriorly positioned, lengthening the preparacrista and changing its direction (from that of the M1) to perpendicular to the tooth row. The postparacrista connects to StB. The metaconule is smaller in M2 than in M1, and even smaller in M3, making the teeth more triangular in shape. The M4 isn’t preserved in the holotype and was unlikely to have been fully erupted. Adult specimens conserve the M4. The parastylar shelf is longer and narrower than on M3. The postparacrista does not connect to StB, but instead curves posteromedially at the base of StB and joins to an extremely reduced metacone. The protocone is smaller and the talon is reduced, ending just below StB. The three lower incisors increase in size posteriorly, with the i3 being bilobed as in all peramelemorphians. The crowns are flat and bladed. The c1 is directly posterior to i3, and premolariform, with large anterior and posterior cuspids on either side of the central cusp, but the tooth is shorter than the p1. Very short diastemata are present between the c1, p1 and p2. The p1 and p2 are similar to the c1, increasing in size posteriorly. The anterior cuspid on p1 and p2 is larger than the posterior cuspid, and with its own blade. The dp3 is a very small tooth, with a small anterior cusp, and a concave posterior blade running along the edge of the tooth. In adult specimens, the p3 is present and is shorter than the p2, but wider. The m1 is longer than it is wide, with a higher crown on the buccal side compared to the lingual side of the tooth. The trigonid is wider than it is long, with a small paraconid connected to the protoconid by a continuous paracristid. The protoconid connects to a large metaconid via the metacristid. The hypoconid is positioned more buccal than the protoconid. Cristid obliqua ends directly posterior to the metaconid. The posthypocristid is straight and ends at the very small hypoconulid. The entoconid is triangular in shape, with a preentocristid descending anteriorly, and a postentocristid descending buccally. The m2 and m3 are similar to one another and only differ from the m 1 in having a wide anterior cingulum, a wider trigonid and a larger entoconid. The m4 is similar to the m2 and m3 except the trigonid is longer and less wide, and the talonid is heavily reduced in size. In NMV C2900, the posthypocristid of the m4 is further reduced and ends posterobuccal to the entoconid., Published as part of Travouillon, Kenny J., Simões, Bruno F., Miguez, Roberto Portela, Brace, Selina, Brewer, Philippa, Stemmer, David, Price, Gilbert J., Cramb, Jonathan & Louys, Julien, 2019, Hidden in plain sight: reassessment of the pig-footed bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus (Peramelemorphia, Chaeropodidae), with a description of a new species from central australia, and use of the fossil record to trace its past distribution, pp. 1-69 in Zootaxa 4566 (1) on pages 8-15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4566.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2593630, {"references":["Ogilby, W. (1838) On a new species of marsupial animal by Major Mitchell on the banks of the Murray River in New South Wales. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 6, 25 - 27.","Hocknull, S. A. (2005) Late Pleistocene-Holocene occurrence of Chaeropus (Peramelidae) and Macrotis (Thylacomyidae) from Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 51, 38.","Mahoney, J. A. & Ride, W. D. L. (1988) Peramelidae. In: Walton, D. W. (Ed), Zoological Catalogue of Australia Fol. 5 Mammalia. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, pp. 36 - 42.","Parnaby, H. E., Ingleby, S. & Divljan, A. (2017) Type Specimens of Non-fossil Mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Records of the Australian Museum, 69 (5), 277 - 420. https: // doi. org / 10.3853 / j. 2201 - 4349.69.2017.1653","Krefft, G. (1864) Cataloque of Mammalia in the collection of the Australian Museum. Australian Museum Catalogue No. 2. Trustees of the Australian Museum, Sydney. 2 + 134 + 2 pp.","Krefft, G. (1870) Letter to the Editor (re Chaeropodus Ecaudatus). Australian Town and Country Journal, II (42), 17, col. 1, 22 October.","Throughton, E. L. G. (1932) Australian furred animals, their past, present and future. Australian Zoologist, 7, 173 - 193.","Wakefield, N. A. (1966) Mammals of the Blandowski Expedition to north-western Victoria, 1856 - 1857. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Fictoria, 79, 371 - 391."]}

The Pig-footed Bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus, an extinct arid-adapted bandicoot, was named in 1838 based on a specimen without a tail from the Murray River in New South Wales. Two additional species were later named, C. castanotis and C. occidentalis, which have since been synonymised with C. ecaudatus. Taxonomic research on the genus is rather difficult because of the limited material available for study. Aside from the types of C. castanotis and C. occidentalis housed at the Natural History Museum in London, and the type of C. ecaudatus at the Australian Museum in Sydney, there are fewer than 30 other modern specimens in other collections scattered around the world. Examining skeletal and dental characters for several specimens, and using a combination of traditional morphology, morphometrics, palaeontology and molecular phylogenetics, we have identified two distinct species, C. ecaudatus and C. yirratji sp. nov., with C. ecaudatus having two distinct subspecies, C. e. ecaudatus and C. e. occidentalis. We use palaeontological data to reconstruct the pre-European distribution of the two species, and review the ecological information known about these extinct taxa.

The extinct Thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus, also known as the marsupial wolf or Tasmanian Tiger, is an iconic part of Australia’s natural history. The latest surviving member of the diverse family Thylacinidae, the thylacine was widespread across mainland Australia during the Pleistocene but by 3200 ybp it was restricted to Tasmania. Persecuted by farmers, thylacines are thought to have gone extinct in the wild by the 1930s, and the last surviving captive animal died in 1936. Despite much public interest and numerous popular accounts, the ecology of this iconic Australian species is not well known. Though huge numbers of animals were killed during the extermination of thylacines from Tasmania, very few useful specimens exist in collections. For palaeontologists, access to comparative material is important but not always practicable. The purpose of this atlas is to provide a comprehensive record of the skeletal anatomy of the Thylacine to provide researchers a useful reference for comparative studies.

Ecological processes operating across the spatial scale can be equivalently found operating across the temporal scale. Such processes may affect community structure and species richness relationships in ways that can be analysed using the fossil record. The best studied involve the combination of the Species-Area-Relationship and the Species-Time-Relationship into a single space-time equivalence of species richness. This equivalence has been recorded in modern and fossil systems, providing insights into underlying ecological processes controlling species turnover through space and time. The analysis of space-time equivalence has received less attention for community structure, and we outline a framework wherein this could be examined. The inclusion of fossil data to investigations into space-time equivalence are important for revealing emergent properties of ecosystems that are not possible using only modern ecological data. They reveal complexities in the nature of the equivalence across distinct geographical and temporal thresholds and are impacted by environmental heterogeneity. In particular, the examination of space-time equivalence for Quaternary systems highlights the uniqueness of the Holocene with respect to the Pleistocene. Understanding how and why species are found together across large spatial and temporal scales can provide information important for conservation efforts; however, the few cases of space-time equivalence reported using fossil records indicates that this remains a poorly studied area in palaeoecology.

The precipitation history of south-west Australia since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has important implications for understanding southern hemisphere climate dynamics. Previously reported environmental records indicating more open vegetation during the LGM have been interpreted in terms of aridity, but such changes can be explained by alternative mechanisms. To provide new evidence concerning the region's Quaternary precipitation history, we examine temporal changes in large mammal richness at four south-west Australian fossil sites: Devil's Lair, Tunnel Cave, Witchcliffe Rock Shelter and Rainbow Cave. Large mammal richness is correlated strongly with mean annual precipitation across 53 modern Australian communities. Extending this relationship to the fossil record, a steady increase in richness from the LGM to the onset of the Holocene at both Devil's Lair and Tunnel Cave is consistent with increased precipitation through time. This supports previous interpretations of a more arid LGM and implies regional heterogeneity in the position of the southern hemisphere westerlies. A reduction in richness during the last ∼1000 years is unlikely to be the result of precipitation change and may be related to more frequent burning of the landscape by hunter-gatherers in an effort to increase availability of large prey.

Lineage zones within nine contemporaneous mammalian lineages represented in the Cenozoic fossil vertebrate record from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in northern Australia are used to resolve a series of faunal intervals from the Late Oligocene to Late Miocene. The results agree with previous interpretations of Cenozoic biostratigraphy, provide evidence for the presence of time horizons subdividing some of the four previously recognized Riversleigh biochrons A–D and also provide evidence supporting the allocation of a greater number of Riversleigh faunas to intervals within the Riversleigh biochronology than other methods in previous work. This approach demonstrates the biostratigraphical potential of evolutionary lineages.

New specimens of the late Oligocene macropodiform, Gumardee pascuali, are described, as well as two new late Oligocene to early Miocene species, G. springae sp. nov. and G. richi sp. nov. Species of Gumardee exhibit a unique combination of features, including very long upper and lower third premolars, partially lophodont molars and, in dorsoventral plane, concave lower molar row and convex upper molar row. We combined two morphological matrices to assess the phylogenetic relationships of these species. Our analysis recovered species of Gumardee as a well-supported monophyletic group, nested within Potoroinae. Gumardee richi and G. pascuali appear to be more derived than G. springae in having a more strongly developed posthypocristid that is almost hypolophid-like.

IntroductionAllergic sensitisation to fungi such asAspergillusare associated to poor clinical outcomes in asthma, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis; however, clinical relevance in COPD remains unclear.MethodsPatients with stable COPD (n=446) and nondiseased controls (n=51) were prospectively recruited across three countries (Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong) and screened against a comprehensive allergen panel including house dust mites, pollens, cockroach and fungi. For the first time, using a metagenomics approach, we assessed outdoor and indoor environmental allergen exposure in COPD. We identified key fungi in outdoor air and developed specific-IgE assays against the top culturable fungi, linking sensitisation responses to COPD outcomes. Indoor air and surface allergens were prospectively evaluated by metagenomics in the homes of 11 COPD patients and linked to clinical outcome.ResultsHigh frequencies of sensitisation to a broad range of allergens occur in COPD. Fungal sensitisation associates with frequent exacerbations, and unsupervised clustering reveals a “highly sensitised fungal predominant” subgroup demonstrating significant symptomatology, frequent exacerbations and poor lung function. Outdoor and indoor environments serve as important reservoirs of fungal allergen exposure in COPD and promote a sensitisation response to outdoor air fungi. Indoor (home) environments with high fungal allergens associate with greater COPD symptoms and poorer lung function, illustrating the importance of environmental exposures on clinical outcomes in COPD.ConclusionFungal sensitisation is prevalent in COPD and associates with frequent exacerbations representing a potential treatable trait. Outdoor and indoor (home) environments represent a key source of fungal allergen exposure, amenable to intervention, in “sensitised” COPD.

The presence of the spinifex hopping mouse Notomys alexis in the diet of lesser salmon catfish Neoarius graeffei from the Ashburton River, Western Australia, is reported for the first time. The consumption of terrestrial mammals by Australian freshwater fishes is widely considered to be an infrequent occurrence, of limited importance to aquatic food webs. However, remains of N. alexis were present within the stomachs of 44% of N. graeffei sampled, constituting approximately 95% of the total stomach contents. These findings suggest that N. graeffei will consume large quantities of terrestrial vertebrates when available, and may represent a valuable energy source for this ecologically important species in dryland rivers.

Objective Immune activation is associated with morbidity/mortality in HIV-infection despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated whether microbial translocation drives immune activation in HIV-infected Ugandan children. Methods Nineteen markers of immune activation/inflammation were measured over 96 weeks in HIV-infected Ugandan children in CHAPAS-3 (ISRCTN69078957) and HIV-uninfected age-matched controls. Microbial translocation was assessed using molecular techniques including next-generation sequencing. Results Of 249 children included, 120 were HIV-infected ART-naïve and 22 ART-experienced (median (IQR) age 2.8(1.7-4.0) and 6.5(5.9-9.2) years; median baseline CD4% 20(14-24) and 35(31-39)). 107 were HIV-uninfected controls. Median (IQR) CD4% increase was 17(12-22) at week-96 in ART-naïve children, and viral load was Conclusion Immune activation decreased with ART, with marker-clustering indicating different activation patterns by HIV/ART status. Levels of bacterial DNA in blood were low regardless of HIV/ART/immune activation status. Microbial translocation did not drive immune activation in this setting.

A series of representative late d-block metal complexes bearing a rigid bis(phosphine) ligand, iPr

Perameles papillon sp. nov. Figs. 5–7 Holotype. WAM M571, skin and skull, female. Type locality. Ooldea, South Australia (SA). Paratypes. WAM M126, skull, sex unknown, Eucla Pass, Western Australia (WA); WAM M570, skin and skull, female, Ooldea (SA); WAM M572, skin and skull (juvenile), male, Ooldea (SA); WAM M574, skin and skull (Juvenile), male, Ooldea (SA); WAM M576, skin and skull, female, Ooldea (SA); WAM M577, skin and skull, female, Ooldea (SA); AM M4352, Skin and skull, female, Rawlinna (WA); AM M31547, alcohol specimen, male, Ooldea (SA); BMNH 1925.10.8.26, skin, male, Ooldea (SA); BMNH 1925.10.8.27, skin, female, Ooldea (SA); SAM M3973, alcohol specimen and skull, female, collected between Ooldea and Tallaringa (SA); SAM M4640, skin and skull, male, Ooldea (SA). Referred specimens. AMNH 196371, 2 left subfossil dentaries, Horseshoe Cave, Nullarbor (WA); AMNH 220153 and AMNH 220154, juvenile subfossil skulls, south west Loongana, Nullarbor (WA); AM S1821, skull, juvenile, Rawlinna (WA); AM M2986, skin and skull, female, Fisher, Nullarbor (SA); AM M4353, skin and skull, juvenile female, Rawlinna (WA); AM M4850, skin and skull, male, Ooldea (SA); AM M4851 and M4852, skin and skull, female, 9 miles west of Ooldea (SA); AM M3049, alcohol specimen, juvenile female, Ooldea (SA); AM M4368–M4369, alcohol specimen, juvenile female, Rawlinna (WA); AM M4370–M4371, alcohol specimen, juvenile male, Rawlinna (WA); AM M4939 and M4941, alcohol specimen, pouch young male, Ooldea (SA); AM M4940, alcohol specimen, pouch young female, Ooldea (SA); AM M4942–4943, alcohol specimen, male, East West Line (SA); AM M4944–4945, alcohol specimen, female, East West Line (SA); AM M4978–4979, alcohol specimen, pouch young female of M4852, 9 miles west of Ooldea (SA); AM M31545, alcohol specimen, juvenile male, Ooldea (SA); AM M31548, alcohol specimen, male, Ooldea? (SA); MAGNT U7605, skull, specimen bred in Adelaide in 1926 (original locality unknown); NMV C7173 and C7174, subfossil skulls, N11 Cave, Nullarbor East (SA); NMV C7175 and C7176, subfossil skulls, Weebubbie Cave, Nullarbor (WA); NMV C7177 and C7178, subfossil skulls, Weekes Cave, Nullarbor (SA); NMV C7180, 2 subfossil dentaries, Koonalda Cave, Nullarbor (SA); QM J5028, alcohol specimen, female, Nullarbor (SA); SAM M846, alcohol specimen and skull, juvenile female, Ooldea (SA); SAM M1394, mount, male, Ooldea (SA); SAM M1395, mount, Ooldea (SA); SAM M1396, mount, female, Ooldea (SA); SAM M1397, skin, male Ooldea (SA); SAM M1398, skin, female Ooldea (SA); SAM M3926–3927, M3976, M3981–3982, M3984, M3987–3988, alcohol specimen and skull, female, no location data; SAM M3977, M3983, M3985–3986, alcohol specimen, juvenile, no location data; SAM M3980, M3989, alcohol specimen and skull, male, no location data; SAM M4639, skin and skull, juvenile female, Ooldea (SA); SAM M5226, mount, no data; SAM M6302, many subfossil skulls, Weebubbie Cave, Nullarbor (WA); SAM M6303, many subfossil skulls, Weekes Cave, Nullarbor (SA); SAM M6304, many subfossil skulls, N11 Cave, Nullarbor East (SA); SAM M6305, many subfossil skulls, Koonalda Cave, Nullarbor (SA); WAM 76.4.21, skull, Abrakurrie Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.4.114–116, 67.10.305–307, skulls, Homestead Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 66.6.45–53, 66.1.54, 68.3.63–67, 69.5.17, skulls, Murra-el-elevyn Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 69.7.557– 559, skulls, Kjeldahl Cave, Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 73.1.107, 74.5.39, skulls, Webbs Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.5.128, 67.5.130, skulls, Warbla Cave, Nullarbor (SA); WAM 67.10.420–421, 68.3.118, skulls, Blowhole, Eucla, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.4.250, 72.1.8, 72.1.1088–1089, skulls, Horseshoe Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 66.6.45–53, skulls, Graham’s Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 68.3.51, skull, cave 3 3/ 4 mile South of Cocklebiddy Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 68.3.33, skull, Mullamullang Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.11.32, skull, Capstan Cave, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.4.343, skull, cave 23 miles west of Eucla, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 68.3.20, skull, cave 6 miles south of Madura, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 67.9.134, cave near Madura, in doline, Dingo Douga, Nullarbor (WA); WAM 66.3.14–16, 67.10.177–182, skulls, Firestick Cave, Nullarbor (WA); Nullarbor (WA). Diagnosis. Perameles papillon sp. nov. differs from other species of Perameles in having a dark horizontal bar on its ears, a bracelet of light brown fur around its wrists and covering the heel of the foot and the posterior edges of the footpad, a dark butterfly pattern on its rump, shorter pes and tail (see results), enlarged lacrimal crest (except for P. gunnii), enlarged bullae (largest of any Perameles), accessory fenestrae extending anteriorly to the canine, maxillopalatine fenestrae extending posteriorly to the M3, well-developed squamosal epitympanic sinus. Perameles papillon sp. nov. differs from all members of Peramelemorphia (except P. myosuros) in having females distinctively larger than males. Etymology. Papillon, French for butterfly, in reference to the butterfly shaped pattern on its rump. Remarks. Westerman et al. (2012) subsampled specimen AM M31545 from the Australian Museum, which was attributed to Perameles b. notina, from Ooldea in South Australia. After scoring specimens from this region, including the rest of the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia, and comparing them to the holotype of Perameles b. notina (then named Perameles myosura notina) BMNH 43.8.12.21 from the head of St Vincent Gulf in South Australia, it became evident that they did not match in morphology, the type being much larger and several features on the skin and skull did not match any of the specimens recovered from the Nullarbor region. As a result, AM M31545 and all specimens found in the Nullarbor regions (present in collections in various museums) are considered here a new species. The results of our analysis also show that Perameles papillon sp. nov. is distinct morphologically from Perameles bougainville and P. eremiana, but also distinct to the currently unrecognised P. myosuros, P. notina and P. fasciata. Our results further suggest that the latter three taxa are distinct taxa and should no longer be subsumed in P. bougainville (see discussion below). Distribution. Collected only in the Nullarbor Plain, on either side of the Western Australian and South Australian border (triangles in Fig. 8). Description. The description of the skin is a comparison of Perameles papillon sp. nov., represented by Holotype WAM M571 (Fig. 5), to P. b. bougainville, represented by WAM M3641 (Suppl. Fig. 2), and P. b. notina, represented by the holotype BMNH 43.8.12.21, unless specified otherwise (Suppl. Fig. 3). P. b. fasciata and P. b. myosuros are not used in the comparison here as they were not sampled by Westerman et al. (2012), though we do suspect they are distinct taxa and will be investigated in future research. P. papillon sp. nov. is similar in size to P. b. bougainville but much smaller than P. b. notina, showing no marked sexual dimorphism between males and females, though females seem to be a little larger (see Table S2 –3 for measurements, Fig. 3 for morphometric analysis). The fur on the dorsal side of the head is a little darker and browner than P. b. bougainville, but lighter than P. b. notina. The ventral side is cream in colour as in P. b. bougainville whereas it is greyer in P. b. notina. The ears have a noticeable dark horizontal bar across them, absent in both P. b. bougainville and P. b. notina or any other known peramelemorphian. Note that none of the wet specimens of P. papillon sp. nov. show this feature (dark bar on ear) but it is present in all dry skins, and this is suspected to be as a result of accelerated fading in alcohol specimens. The ears are long as is P. b. bougainville, but shorter than P. b. notina. There are long dark vibrissae present at the front of the snout, above the eye and on the cheek below the eye. These are also present in P. b. bougainville and P. b. notina, but less obvious in P. b. bougainville. The body is also darker and browner on the dorsal side than in P. b. bougainville but lighter than P. b. notina. Both P. papillon sp. nov. and P. b. bougainville are cream coloured on the ventral side, while P. b. notina is mostly grey except for patches of cream. A complex pattern of different coloured bars is present on the rump (juveniles WAM M574 and M572 show the early stages of the development of this pattern on the rump), which is absent in P. b. bougainville (P. b. bougainville has a single very faint darkish bar across its rump that tapers laterally) but present in P. b. notina, though the holotype is faded, making this pattern less obvious. The pattern resembles that of P. gunnii and P. b. notina but it is less well defined. There isn’t a central dark dorsal bar as in P. gunnii, and most likely in P. b. notina, and the light bars are bicoloured, cream and golden brown (golden brown only in P. gunnii and P. b. notina). The anterior most two dark bars are almost completely black or at least dark brown (specimens are likely faded), and looks like butterfly wings in shape in dorsal view. The posterior darkest bars are much lighter in colour and less well defined, distinguishing P. papillon sp. nov. from P. gunnii and P. b. notina, which have a well-defined posterior bar. The tail is short as in P. b. bougainville (longer in P. b. notina), but it is tricoloured (dark brown dorsally, beige laterally and cream ventrally) instead of bicoloured as in P. b. bougainville (the tail is dark brown dorsally and cream ventrally) or unicoloured as in P. b. notina (the tail is dark grey). The forelimbs are light brown in colour on the dorsal side up to the wrist, where it surrounds the wrist like a bracelet. The manus and the ventral side of the forelimbs are cream in colour. This pattern is different to P. b. bougainville, which lacks the bracelet of brown fur around the wrist, and is lighter in colour dorsally. The forelimbs of P. b. notina are completely grey. The manus has the three large toes (digit II, III and IV), and the typically reduced digits I and V as in all Peramelidae. Compared to P. b. bougainville and P. b. notina, the digits are shorter but have more pronounced toepads as in P. b. notina (the toes of P. b. bougainville more slender). The hindlimbs, in the region of the tibia, are cream in colour anteriorly and greyish brown on the posterior side. The darker colour invades the heel of the cream coloured pes, and the posterior edges of the footpad, unlike in P. b. bougainville where the pes is completely cream in colour and P. b. notina where the pes is completely grey in colour. The footpad is hairless posterior to digit I to the heel as in P. b. notina, while in P. b. bougainville, this area is covered in fur. As in the manus, the pes has shorter toes with thicker toepads than P. b. bougainville and P. b. notina. The description of the skull and teeth is based on paratype WAM M577 for Perameles papillon sp. nov. (Fig. 6), and describes only features that differ from other Perameles, using WAM M6166 for P. b. bougainville, BMNH 43.8.12.21 for P. b. notina, WAM M2629 for P. eremiana, WAM M16590 for P. gunnii (Suppl. Fig. 4), QM JM18575 for P. pallescens and WAM M44421 for P. nasuta (see Travouillon 2016a), unless specified otherwise. The skull of P. papillon sp. nov. is similar in size to P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana (much smaller than P. b. notina, P. gunnii, P. pallescens and P. nasuta) but it is shorter than P. eremiana (nasals shorter in length), and much wider than both P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana. In dorsal view, the lacrimal crest is highly developed, as seen in P. gunnii and P. b. notina, and is visible as a distinct posteriorly orientated process in the orbit. The lacrimal crest is less developed in all other species of Perameles. No sagittal crest is present, as in all Perameles except in males of P. nasuta and P. pallescens. In ventral and lateral view, the alisphenoid tympanic process, or bullae, is highly distinctive in being the most developed (the second largest bullae) within the genus. P. b. bougainville has the smallest bullae, followed by P. nasuta, P. gunnii, P. eremiana, P. papillon sp. nov. and P. b. notina, in increasing order of size. On the palate, accessory fenestrae are present between the incisive fenestrae and the maxillopalatine fenestrae as in all Perameles except P. nasuta and P. pallescens, but they extend anteriorly to the canine, unlike other species of Perameles except P. b. notina where the anterior extension of the accessory fenestrae is posterior to the canines. The maxillopalatine fenestrae also extend further posteriorly than in other Perameles except P. b. notina, from the anterior of the M3 to level with the middle of M3, instead of level with M2. The dividing septa of the maxillopalatine fenestrae are thick anteriorly and posteriorly, thinning centrally, as in Perameles nasuta (very thin in all other Perameles). Palatine fenestrae are present and large as in P. b. bougainville (broken in P. b. notina). In lateral view the orbitosphenoid is identified as a very reduced bone, as in P. nasuta, P. pallescens and P. gunnii (much larger in P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana, broken in P. b. notina). The antorbital fossa is very deep as in all Perameles except in P. nasuta and P. pallescens. The squamosal epitympanic sinus of P. papillon sp. nov. is the most developed of any Perameles (most visible in paratype WAM M126), being wide with a high posterior wall. The I5 is pointed and canine-like as in P. b. bougainville, P. b. notina, P. nasuta and P. pallescens. The canines are small with accessory cusps, in both males and females, as in P. b. bougainville, P. b. notina and P. eremiana (males of P. gunnii, P. nasuta and P. pallescens have an enlarged canine, and males of P. nasuta and P. pallescens generally lack accessory cusps). The canines are entirely bordered by the maxilla as in all Perameles, except P. eremiana (bordered by premaxilla anteriorly). The diastema between the canine and P1 is long (longer than P1) as in all Perameles except P. nasuta and P. pallescens. The P1 is as long as the P2 as in P. gunnii, P. nasuta and P. pallescens (shorter in P. b. bougainville, longer in P. eremiana and P. b. notina), and the P2 is noticeably shorter than the P3, as in P. b. notina, P. nasuta and P. pallescens (subequal in length in all other Perameles). The development of the lingual shelf of P3 is small as in P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana. The major cusp of P3 is similar in shape to all Perameles except P. gunnii (more conical). The upper molars of P. b. notina are completely worn down and the holotype lacks a dentary and therefore these are not used in the comparison following. On the M1, a short stylar crest is present anterior to the metastyle (best seen on juvenile WAM M572) with an associated StE, while StE is a conical cusp with no associated crest in P. b. bougainville (best seen in juvenile WAM M16086). StA is variable in size on M1–2. StB and StC are fused and indistinguishable as in P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana. The preparacrista reconnects with the postparacrista posteriorly on the M1, as in P. eremiana. The postprotocrista on M1 terminates posterior to the metacone as in P. b. bougainville and P. gunnii with no distinct posterior cingulum present (terminates more buccally in all other Perameles, as a posterior cingulum). On the M2, StB is conical as in all Perameles except P. gunnii (oval in shape). No stylar crest is present posterior to the conical StD as seen in P. gunnii and P. b. bougainville (small crest present in all other taxa). The postprotocrista ends posterior to the metacone as in all Perameles, except P. nasuta. StE is present as a distinct large cusp as in P. gunnii (it is reduced in all other species). On the M3, the postprotocrista ends posterior to the metacone as in all Perameles, except P. nasuta. The metaconule is small with only a small shelf separating it from the lingual flank of the metacone, as in P. b. bougainville and P. pallescens (a larger metaconule and shelf is present in all other taxa). StE is absent as in all Perameles except P. gunnii. No anterior cingulum present as in all Perameles except for some specimens of P. pallescens and P. nasuta. On the M4, StB is variable, sometimes absent, sometimes present as a small cusp. This feature is variable across Perameles. The postparacrista is curved, forming a small centrocrista, as in all Perameles, except P. gunnii and P. b. bougainville, where it is straight. The postprotocrista ends anterior to the posterior end of the postparacrista as in all Perameles except P. nasuta. The metacone is small as in all Perameles except P. gunnii and P. nasuta, which have an enlarged metacone. StC/D is absent (sometimes present in P. gunnii and P. nasuta). The lower canine is small and has accessory cuspids as in all Perameles except in males of P. nasuta and P. pallescens, which have enlarged unicuspid canines. The diastema between the canine and p1 is shorter than the length of p1, as in P. pallescens (longer that p1 length in all other taxa). The p1 is as long as the p2 as in P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana (it is shorter in all other taxa). The p2 is longer than the p3 as in P. b. bougainville and P. eremiana (subequal in all other taxa). No cuspid is present on the hypoflexid of the lower molars as in all Perameles except P. nasuta and P. eremiana. On the m1, the paraconid-metaconid distance is equal to the metaconid-protoconid distance as in all Perameles except P. pallescens, which has a longer paraconid-metaconid distance. The posthypocristid is oblique to the tooth row and connects to the hypoconulid as in all Perameles (sometimes perpendicular in P. b. bougainville and connects to entoconid). On the m2, the posthypocristid is also oblique and connects to a large hypoconulid (this feature varies across Perameles). On the m3, the hypoconid is buccal to the protoconid as in all Perameles except P. b. bougainville and some specimens of P. pallescens, which have the two cuspid level with one another.

Peroryctes aruensis Kear et al. 2016 new comb. Lemdubuoryctes aruensis Kear et al. 2016 Holotype. WAM 14.9.6, left maxilla with P3, M1–2. Referred material. WAM 14.9.1–14.9.5 and WAM 14.9.7– 14.9.20, WAM 14.9.51 – 14.9.53. Type locality. Liang Lemdubu cave, Pulau Kobroor, Aru Islands group, Eastern Indonesia. Remarks. Kear et al. (2016) described this taxon, and assigned it to a new genus based on the result of their phylogenetic analysis. This taxon is only represented by heavily worn specimens, and so Kear et al. (2016) scored worn teeth in a matrix that was designed to be scored only on unworn teeth. Their principal character for placing this taxon in a new genus is the presence of a centrocrista in M1–3. This is only seen in unworn Oligo-Miocene bandicoot teeth, but almost every single peroryctid (Peroryctes, Echymipera, Rhnynchomeles and Microperoryctes) do wear their teeth to the point that a centrocrista is formed on M1–3 as a result of wear. The holotype of Peroryctes broadbenti illustrates this morphology, being an adult with worn teeth, and centrocristae are present on M1–3. This does not happen in Peramelidae, Chaeropodidae or Thylacomyidae. As a result, the assessment of this taxon is dubious, and was rescored here, and re-analysed. All characters that can be scored for L. aruensis were identical to that of Peroryctes broadbenti. This does not necessarily suggest that they are the same species. Our analysis suggests that it belongs to the genus Peroryctes, and so we reassigned it here, and provide a new diagnosis, based on features that can be seen on those worn specimens and the results of the morphometric analysis. New diagnosis. Peroryctes aruensis differs from Peroryctes raffrayana in having dimorphic upper and lower third premolars. This feature only occurs in Peroryctes broadbenti, and some Echymipera (most noticeable in E. clara). The third premolars are as long and wide as in P. broadbenti, which are narrower but longer than E. clara. It differs from P. raffrayana in having much larger teeth. It differs from P. broadbenti in having a shorter and less wide M4, having a reduced protocone; longer P2 and longer p1., Published as part of Travouillon, Kenny J. & Phillips, Matthew J., 2018, Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of bandicoots and bilbies (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia): reassessment of two species and description of a new species, pp. 224-256 in Zootaxa 4378 (2) on page 241, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4378.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1169497, {"references":["Kear, B. P., Aplin, K. P. & Westerman, M. (2016) Bandicoot fossils and DNA elucidate lineage antiquity amongst xeric-adapted. Scientific Reports, 6, 37537. https: // doi. org / 10.1038 / srep 37537"]}