Nimiokoala
| Riversleigh rainforest koala Temporal range: early-middle Miocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phascolarctidae |
| Genus: | Nimiokoala |
| Species: | N. greystanesi |
| Binomial name | |
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Nimiokoala greystanesi Black and Archer, 1997 |
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Content in this edit is translated from the ; see its history for attribution.
The Riversleigh rainforest koala (Nimiokoala greystanesi) is an extinct marsupial, closely related to the extant koala, that inhabited northwestern Queensland in the early-middle Miocene (23–16 million years ago). Along with species of sister genus Litokoala, the Riversleigh rainforest koala is the smallest representative of family Phascolarctide. Based on cladistic analysis, Nimiokoala is one of the more basal genera of Phascolarctide. It died out due to climate change rendering the environment more arid. It probably had a more generalized diet than that of the modern species, but its exact food preferences are unknown.
The generic name, Nimiokoala, is derived from the Latin word Nimio "excessive" referring to its complex molar morphology relative to other koala species. The specific name, greystanesi, honors Greystanes High School.
As of 2013, the fossil record of extinct koalas consists of 163 specimens across 58 deposits in Riversleigh; 55 specimens are attributed to the Riversleigh rainforest koala. To date, a partial skull has been found along with several lower jaws and isolated teeth. On the basis of these fossils, the dental apparatus of the animal has been completely restored. The species was named in 1997. Specimen QMF30482 was assigned as a holotype; it's bones are stored in the Queensland Museum.
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