Durudawirines, a new group of phalangeroid marsupials from the miocene of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland

The early Miocene Durudawiri inusitatus new genus and species (Marsupialia: Phalangeroidea) is described from the Riversleigh World Heritage Property in northwestern Queensland. It appears to represent the plesiomorphic siste r group of the late Oligocene species of Miralina from South Australia. Its molar morphology is not as complex as that of species of Miralina or ektop odontids, bur it is more complex than that of phalangerids. Thr degree of m orphological difference between species of Durudawiri and,Miralina suggests subfamilial distinction for the two groups. Strange cusps on the upper mol ars could be interpreted as either large neometaconules and paraconules, or lingually-displaced metacones and paracones with very large stylar cusps o n the buccal shelf.