Osphranter[1]
Red kangaroo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Osphranter
Gould, 1842[1]
Type species
Osphranter antilopinus[2]
Gould, 1842

Osphranter is a genus of large marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as kangaroos and wallaroos (among other species). It contains the largest extant marsupial, the red kangaroo (O. rufus).

In 2019, a reassessment of macropod taxonomy determined that Osphranter and Notamacropus, formerly considered subgenera of Macropus, should be moved to the genus level.[3] This change was accepted by the Australian Faunal Directory in 2020.[4]

The genus has a fossil record that extends back at least into the Pliocene.[5]

Species

Image Scientific name Distribution
Osphranter antilopinus, antilopine kangaroo
Osphranter bernardus, black wallaroo
Osphranter robustus, common wallaroo
Osphranter rufus, red kangaroo

References

  1. ^ a b Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Diprotodontia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 63–66. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ "Genus Osphranter Gould, 1842". Australian Biological Resources Study. Australian Government. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ^ Celik, Mélina; Cascini, Manuela; Haouchar, Dalal; Van Der Burg, Chloe; Dodt, William; Evans, Alistair; Prentis, Peter; Bunce, Michael; Fruciano, Carmelo; Phillips, Matthew (28 March 2019). "A molecular and morphometric assessment of the systematics of the Macropus complex clarifies the tempo and mode of kangaroo evolution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (3): 793–812. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz005. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Names List for MACROPODIDAE, Australian Faunal Directory". Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  5. ^ Price, Gilbert J.; Louys, Julien; Wilkinson, Joanne E. (2023-05-25). "Geologically oldest evidence of 'lumpy jaw' (Macropod Progressive Periodontal Disease) in kangaroos of Australia: implications for conservation management". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 47 (4): 543–550. Bibcode:2023Alch...47..543P. doi:10.1080/03115518.2023.2207624. ISSN 0311-5518.

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