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Diversity and Phylogeny of Marsupials and Their Stem Relatives (Metatheria)

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American and Australasian Marsupials

Abstract

The diversity and phylogeny of marsupials and their stem relatives (collectively, Metatheria) are reviewed, from their divergence from their sister taxon (Eutheria) and the earliest fossil record of metatherians, to the relationships between and within the seven extant marsupial orders. An up-to-date list of published phylogenetic definitions relevant to the clade is also provided. Molecular data appears to have resolved most higher-level (subfamily and above) relationships within Marsupialia, with the notable exceptions of the position of the marsupial root, the branching pattern among the four modern subfamilies of Didelphidae (opossums), and the relationships between the modern families of Peramelemorphia (bandicoots and bilbies). However, recent molecular clock estimates for the age of the Metatheria-Eutheria divergence and the first diversification within Marsupialia vary considerably, and robust estimates will probably require a well-sampled fossil record that convincingly brackets these divergences. Relationships among fossil metatherians are much less clear, with numerous areas of uncertainty and disagreement, including the relationships between Cretaceous and Cenozoic taxa, and the composition and relationships of several groups that are of broad biogeographical and macroevolutionary significance, such as the families Peradectidae and Herpetotheriidae and the order Polydolopimorphia. Resolution of these issues will (unsurprisingly) require much better sampling of the fossil record and improved methods of phylogenetic analysis, but there may be limitations on the ability of morphological data (even when analyzed in combination with molecular data) to robustly resolve some parts of metatherian phylogeny, particular given the heavy reliance on characters of the dentition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK

    Robin M. D. Beck

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  1. Robin M. D. Beck
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Correspondence to Robin M. D. Beck .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil

    Nilton C. Cáceres

  2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

    Christopher R. Dickman

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  1. Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    Nilton Cáceres Ph.D.

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Beck, R.M.D. (2023). Diversity and Phylogeny of Marsupials and Their Stem Relatives (Metatheria). In: Cáceres, N.C., Dickman, C.R. (eds) American and Australasian Marsupials. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88800-8_35-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88800-8_35-1

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