Australidelphia is a superorder of marsupials encompassing about three-quarters of all living marsupial species, including all those native to Australasia and one South American species, the monito del monte. Australidelphia's lineage emerged in South America, with genetic evidence (retrotransposon insertion sites) indicating that the South American monito del monte is sister to all other members of the superorder, unlike other American marsupials, which belong to the Ameridelphia.
Within this superorder, the Australian members form a distinct group (clade) named Eomarsupialia, though their internal relationships (branching order) have yet to be determined. Studies suggest that the Australidelphia originated in South America alongside other major marsupial groups. The Eomarsupialia likely dispersed to Australia via Antarctica in a single event after their divergence from their sister group, the Microbiotheria.
Contents
Phylogeny
The following cladogram is a phylogeny of Australidelphia based on the work of May-Collado, Kilpatrick & Agnarsson 2015, with extinct clades from Black et al. 2012.
Taxonomy
The orders and families within this group are listed below:
Order Dasyuromorphia (71 species)
Family Dasyuridae: antechinuses, quolls, dunnarts, Tasmanian devil, and allies
Family Myrmecobiidae: numbat
Family †Thylacinidae: thylacine
Order Diprotodontia (117 species)
Family Acrobatidae: feathertail glider and feather-tailed possum
Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
Family Hypsiprymnodontidae: musky rat-kangaroo
Family Macropodidae: kangaroos, wallabies, and allies
Family Petauridae: striped possum, Leadbeater's possum, yellow-bellied glider, sugar glider, mahogany glider, squirrel glider
Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
Family Phascolarctidae: koala
Family Potoridae: potoroos, rat kangaroos, bettongs
Family Pseudocheiridae: ringtailed possums and allies
Family Tarsipedidae: honey possum
Family Vombatidae: wombats
Family †Diprotodontidae: giant wombats
Family †Palorchestidae: marsupial tapirs
Family †Thylacoleonidae: marsupial lions
Order †Keeunamorphia Churchill et al., 2026
Family †Keeunidae Churchill et al., 2026
Order Microbiotheria (1 species)
Family Microbiotheriidae: monito del monte
Order Notoryctemorphia (2 species)
Family Notoryctidae: marsupial moles
Order Peramelemorphia (21 species)
Family Peramelidae: bandicoots and allies
Family Thylacomyidae: bilbies
Family †Chaeropodidae: pig-footed bandicoots
Order †Yalkaparidontia Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988
Family †Yalkaparidontidae Archer, Hand & Godthelp 1988