Palaeoecology of Oligo-Miocene Local Faunas from Riversleigh Troy J. M. Myers 2002 i Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction............................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 Marsupial body mass prediction ............................................................ 8 Chapter 3 A review of cenogram methodology and body-size distribution moment statistics in the determination of environmental parameters................ 38 Chapter 4 A discriminant function analysis of recent and fossil Australian faunas 69 Chapter 5 Classification and ordination analysis of selected Riversleigh Local Faunas ............................................................................................... 88 Chapter 6 The Nambaroo-Balbaroo palaeocommunity....................................... 110 Chapter 7 The Litokoala – Muribacinus palaeocommunity ................................. 129 Chapter 8 The Last Minute-Ringtail palaeocommunity ....................................... 146 Chapter 9 The independent Local Faunas ......................................................... 158 The Hiatus Local Fauna ........................................................................................159 The White Hunter Local Fauna.............................................................................162 The Cleft-Of-Ages Local Fauna............................................................................182 The Keith’s Chocky Block Local Fauna...............................................................187 The Encore Local Fauna, a late Miocene assemblage from Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland......................................................................................190 Chapter 10 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 204 Chapter 11 References........................................................................................ 219 Appendix One: Cluster Analyses Appendix Two: Taxonomic relative abundance and presence/absence data for Riversleigh Local Faunas Appendix Three: Table of higher level taxonomy and ecodiversity of fossil species ii Table of Figures Figure 1: Location of Riversliegh world heritage area............................................................ 6 Figure 2: Riversleigh site locations ....................................................................................... 7 Figure 3: Cenogramic curve (from Valverde, 1964)............................................................. 68 Figure 4: Canonical scores plot for DFA utilising 67 extant Australian faunas (derived from Table 10) and all variables............................................................................... 74 Figure 5: Conical scores plot for DFA with 114 extant Australian faunas (derived from Table 10), excluding small-mammal slope and gradient difference variables.............. 78 Figure 6: Principle component analysis on species ( presence/absence) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).................................................................103 Figure 7: Detrended correspondence analysis on species abundance (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).................................................................104 Figure 8: Principle component analysis on genera (presence/ absence) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).................................................................105 Figure 9: Detrended correspondence analysis on genera (abundance) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).................................................................106 Figure 10: Principle component analysis on family (presence/ absence) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).................................................................107 Figure 11: Principle component analysis on super family ( presence/absence) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p.vi)......................................................108 Figure 12: Detrended correspondence analysis on super family (abundance) (acronyms refer to sites/local faunas as given on p. vi).............................................................109 Figure 13: Superfamilial NISP ...........................................................................................156 Figure 14: Generic NISP ...................................................................................................156 Figure 15: Specific NISP ...................................................................................................157 Figure 16: Element breakage (%) at White Hunter (entire, partial & fragmentary)...............179 Figure 17: Voorhies Group analysis of White Hunter skeletal elements (%) .......................180 Figure 18: Voorhies group comparison of total WH skeletal elements, WH macropodoids and an ‘average’ macropodoid (%) ........................................................................180 iii Figure 19: Abrasion stages of White Hunter skeletal elements (%) ....................................181 Figure 20: Element weathering stages in White Hunter LF (%) ..........................................181 Figure 21. Taxonomic representation by Order of marsupials in Encore Local Fauna compared to Neville’s Garden Local Fauna (% species and % genera)...........202 Figure 22: Riversleigh local faunas and palaeocommunities analysed in this study, with estimated ages, inferred extant vegetation structure analogues, climatic phases and characteristic ecodiversity. .......................................................................218 iv Table of Tables Table 1: Species used in analysis....................................................................................... 29 Table 2. Ranked body mass equations for the ‘all species’ data-set.................................... 30 Table 3: Ranked body mass equations for the ‘All species excluding dasyuromorphians’ data- set................................................................................................................... 31 Table 4: Ranked body mass equations for dasyuromorphians ............................................ 32 Table 5: Ranked body mass equations for diprotodontians ................................................. 33 Table 6: Multiple variable regressions................................................................................. 34 Table 7: Body mass predictions for extinct marsupial taxa .................................................. 35 Table 8: Comparison of body mass predictions and published body masses for extant species............................................................................................................ 37 Table 9: Variables used in analysis .................................................................................... 55 Table 10: Extant fauna data utilised in analysis................................................................... 57 Table 11: Associated variables (excluding 'carnivores')....................................................... 61 Table 12: Associated variables (including carnivores)......................................................... 64 Table 13:Classification matrix (cases in row categories classified into columns) ................. 73 Table 14: Jackknifed classification matrix ........................................................................... 73 Table 15: Classification matrix (cases in row categories classified into columns)................. 77 Table 16: Jackknifed classification matrix ........................................................................... 77 Table 17: Group means for variables (DFA with 114 faunas) .............................................. 83 Table 18: Defining and characteristic species of the Nambaroo-Balbaroo palaeocommunity ......................................................................................................................113 Table 19: Non-volant mammalian species present in the Nambaroo-Balbaroo palaeocommunity constituent local faunas......................................................114 Table 20: Characteristic genera of the Nambaroo-Balbaroo palaeocommunity...................119 Table 21: Chiropteran and non-mammalian species ..........................................................120 Table 22: Defining species of the Litokoala-Muribacinus palaeocommunity........................131 Table 23: Characteristic species of the Litokoala-Muribacinus palaeocommunity ...............132 Table 24: Defining and characteristic genera of the Litokoala-Muribacinus palaeocommunity ......................................................................................................................134 v Table 25: Species variably present in GAG and HH LF's ...................................................135 Table 26: Characteristic families for the Litokoala-Muribacinus palaeocommunity..............137 Table 27: ‘Super-familial’ NISP comparison for palaeocommunities and LF’s.....................138 Table 28: Non-mammalian and chiropteran species of the GAG and HH LF’s....................143 Table 29: Characteristic species of LM-RING palaeocommunity ........................................147 Table 30: Characteristic genera of the LM-RING palaeocommunity ...................................148 Table 31: Variably present species of the LM & RING palaeocommunity ...........................151 Table 32: Non-mammalian and chiropteran species of the