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Download Full Article 1.5MB .Pdf File https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1973.34.03 9 May 1973 FOSSIL VERTEBRATE FAUNAS FROM THE LAKE VICTORIA REGION, S.W. NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA By Larry G. Marshall Zoology Department, Monash University, Victoria* Abstract Fossil vertebrate localities and faunas in the Lake Victoria region of S.W. New South Wales, Australia, are described. The oldest fossil bearing deposit, the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene Moorna Formation and associated Chowilla Sand have yielded specimens of Neoceratodus sp., Emydura macquarrii, several species of small dasyurid, specimens of Glaucodon cf. G. ballaratensis, a species of Protemnodon which compares closely with P. cf. P. otibandus from the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene Chinchilla Sand in SE. Queensland, specimens of Lagostrophus cf L. fasciatus, species of Petrogale, Macropus, Osphranter, Sthenurus, Bettongia, Diprotodon, Lasiorhinus, a peramelid, at least two species of pseudomyine rodents and a species of Rattus cf. R. lutreolus. It is shown that the holotype of Zygomaturus victoriae (Owen) 1872 may have been collected from these sediments. The late Pliocene or early Pleistocene Blanchetown Clay has yielded species of Neoceratodus, Thylacoleo, Phas- colonus, Bettongia, Sthenurus, a diprotodontid, and a rodent. The late Pleistocene Rufus Formation has yielded species of Dasycercus, Sarcophilus, Thylacinus, Phascolonus, Lasiorhinus, Bettongia, Procoptodon, Onychogalea, Macropus, and Leporillus. A large species of macropod and a species of Phascolonus were collected from the late Pleistocene Monoman Formation. The lunette on the E. side of Lake Victoria has yielded a large, diverse fauna of late Pleistocene —Holocene age, that includes such extinct species as Protemnodon anak, P. brehus, Procoptodon goliah, Sthenurus andersoni, S. atlas, £. tindalei, Thylacoleo carnifex, Phascolonus gigas, Macropus ferragus, and Diprotodon optatum. The oldest C14 date obtained for an occupation site of Aboriginal man at Lake Victoria is 18,800±800 yr B.P. (GaK-2514). No evidence was found of a direct association of man with late Pleistocene megafaunal species at Lake Victoria. Introduction Shanks, went to Lake Victoria and relocated the specimen. The remaining portion of the skeleton The first reported discovery of fossil verte- had since weathered out of the matrix and was brates at Lake Victoria, N.S.W. was made in greatly damaged; however, other specimens of September 1967 by Mr. Max Tulloch of Procoptodon, Bettongia, Diprotodon, Thy- Mildura and Mr. Hal Loftus of Cheltenham. lacoleo, and Lasiorhinus were collected. The During a camping trip to the area they dis- site was then recognized as having great poten- covered, and partially excavated, the skeleton tial warranting further investigation. of a large macropod from the lunette on the At this time, the National Museum of Vic- NE. side of Lake Victoria. Mr. Hal Loftus toria was already involved in a large recon- subsequently sent the specimen to Mr. Colin naissance program (the Chowilla Project) to Macrae of Beaumaris who recognized the systematically study the region which was to be material as fossil, and conveyed this information flooded behind the proposed Chowilla Dam. to Mr. Thomas Darragh, Curator of Fossils at Lake Victoria was part of the holding basin the National Museum of Victoria. This speci- (Gill, This Memoir). Mr. E. D. Gill, Deputy men was later identified as Procoptodon goliah Director of the National Museum of Victoria (P28277). Loftus provided Darragh with a supervised the salvage projects. During a series map of the collection site, and on 17-26 Oc- of field trips a large collection of fossils was tober 1967, Darragh, accompanied by Mr. Ken made from the Lake Victoria lunette. Strati- Simpson (Field Officer) and Mr. Donald graphic studies of surrounding areas and older sediments subsequently led * Now Dept. Paleontology, University of California, to the discovery of Berkeley, California, U.S.A. additional deposits containing fossil vertebrate 151 152 LARRY G. MARSHALL Fig. 1 —Map of the Lake Victoria area showing the fossil vertebrate localities discussed in the text. FOSSIL VERTEBRATE FAUNAS 153 material. A total of nine localities has yielded study, the interest expressed in these localities an abundance of fossil vertebrates (Fig. 1; see and faunas warrants a preliminary report. The appendix, on Sites). The fossil bearing deposits species list given for Sites 7-10 is extracted are of late Pliocene to Holocene age (Fig. 2). directly from my dissertation. A systematic The fossil vertebrate collections were sub- diagnosis of these species is complete for most sequently made available for systematic study of the taxa, and will appear at a later date. The to Professor J. W. Warren, Department of extinct species from Site 13 have been com- Zoology, Monash University. In November pared with the type speciments (e.g. Vro- 1970 these materials were turned over to me temnodon oiihandus, and Glaucodori ballara- to form the basis for a Post Graduate degree tensis) and many of the smaller forms (e.g. under the direction of Professor Warren. My Dasyurus, Lagostrophus and Rat (us) compare thesis includes a systematic and phylogenctic well with living species. Several of the smaller study of the late Pleistocene fauna from the forms probably represent new taxa (e.g. small Lake Victoria lunette. During 1971, Warren, dasyurid cf. Dasyuroides or Dasycercus) for Simpson and myself returned to this area on which phylogenctic relationships are here pro- several occasions and made additional collec- posed. A complete analysis of the fauna from tions. Site 13 will not be made available for four or This paper presents a preliminary report of five years and 1 have given preliminary des- the fossil vertebrate localities and faunas dis- criptions of some of the more important taxa covered in conjunction with the Chowilla Pro- at this time. For this reason a disparity exists ject, but includes mention of other fossil mam- between the amount of attention received by mal occurrences from the Murray River Basin. the fauna from Site 13 and those from Sites These localities occur in the vicinity of Lake 7-10 and 12. Victoria, New South Wales, delimited to the E. Higher mammalian taxonomic categories by Mildura, Victoria, and to the W. by Ren- follow those adopted by Butler et al. (1967) mark, South Australia. and taxonomy below the family level largely follows Ride (1970). All specimens are regis- Format tered and housed in the National Museum of Although it is preferable to defer publication Victoria (NMV). All measurements in the text pending completion of an in depth systematic are in millimetres and the scales appearing on the Plates and Figures are all in centimetre \JEW SOUTH WALES SOUTH AUSTRALIA gradations. I have followed Stirton et aL (1968, faunas epoch rocks faunas rocks pp. 1-2) in separating rock stratigraphic and Sand Coonainhidgal RECENT Talgarry Lake biostratigraphic names. Grid references are Phasi Nulla Victoria Monoman ojflnus SB given for each locality based on the Australian c\ Formation S n d l.ir,r LU frenchman's mat to pod Z Rufus 7 Army Survey (1:250,000) Mildura map SI- LU Alluvium Crt-ek 54-11, Anabranch ST-54-7, and Rcnmark SI- D k O yf/f/A 54-10, Edition 1, Series R 502. to Blanehetown Bone Clay Gulch , sedimenl S in LU Methods Chowilla probably small a. Sand •> At Sites 7-10, 13 collecting techniques in- line onf or mi ty _? ? ? of unknown LU Moorna Fisherman s itially involved walking over the area and pick- z hiatus LU Formation Cliff ing up float material (PI. 14, fig. 3). Minor o 1 —1 excavations were made to uncover partially a. exposed specimens (PI. 14, figs. 1-2, 4). During relationship Fig. 2- -Chart showing the stratigraphic 13-21 August 1971, we employed the wet sieve of the rock units and faunas discussed in the both technique (Hibbard at Site 13 in text. The proposed ages are based on 1949) an rock-stratigraphic and biostratigraphic in- attempt to recover smaller elements. Samples of formation. Compare this figure with Fig. the upper coarser fraction of the Moorna For- 2 of Stirton et al, 1968. 154 LARRY G. MARSHALL mation were first washed in fine meshed screens surfaces are usually smooth and the smaller to remove clay particles and break down any cancellous vacuities are not filled with sedi- consolidated masses, dried, and taken back to ments. Most of the specimens are mineralized. the laboratory where detailed examination and For details of stratigraphy and grain size analy- sorting was accompanied by use of a binocular sis see Gill (This Memoir). At this site the microscope. This method proved to be success- coarse gray Moorna sediments grade up into ful as only then were teeth of rodent, small yellow finer better sorted Chowilla Sand, but dasyurid, and small macropod found. Sorting for the present purpose both are referred to in the laboratory revealed that some samples as the Moorna Formation. yielded far greater numbers of specimens than others, suggesting the occurrence of local con- Age centrations. No wet sieved samples of the lower Absence of volcanic rocks in the study area portion of the Moorna Formation, Chowilla prevents chronometric dating by isotopic Sand or Blanchetown Clay were taken at Site methods. Stratigraphic and geomorphic methods 13. At Site 12 all fossil material was obtained by have been used by Gill (This Memoir) in quarrying operations, and not by wet sieving. proposing a late Pliocene age for the Moorna At Sites 7-9 along the Lake Victoria lunette, Formation. numbered stakes were placed by Gill and Simp- The stage of evolution of the diverse mam- son at the E. end of each erosion gully. Collec- malian fauna from these sediments offers an tion localities were marked in reference to these independent assessment of their age. The age points. More important finds (larger, more com- of the deposit from which the holotype of plete skeletons) were surveyed to one of the Glaucodon ballaratensis was collected is in- four N.M.V.
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