A REVISION OF AUSTRALIAN MESOZOIC AND CENOZOIC LUNGFISH OF THE FAMILYNEOCERATODONTIDAE (OSTEICHTHYES, DIPNOI), WITH A DESCRIPTION OF 4 NEWSPECIES

The taxonomy of the predominantly Australian fossil dipnoan genus, Neo ceratodus, is revised and the Recent Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, and two fossil species, Neoceratodus eyrensis and Neocerato dus nargun, are redefined. Two new species of the related Tertiary gen us, Mioceratodus, are described on the basis of tooth plates from cent ral and northern localities in Australia. These are Mioceratodus diaph orus and Mioceratodus poastrus. A new genus, Archaeoceratodus, is erec ted to include three rare Tertiary species and one Mesozoic species. T he Tertiary members of this genus are the type species, Archaeoceratod us djelleh, described originally as Neoceratodus djelleh, and two new species, Archaeoceratodus rowleyi and Archaeoceratodus theganus. The M esozoic species is Archaeoceratodus avus from Triassic and Cretaceous deposits in southeastern Australia, described originally as Ceratodus avus. All three genera belong in the family Neoceratodontidae.