| Australidelphia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aswamp wallaby | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Superorder: | Australidelphia Szalay 1982 |
| Orders | |
| |
Australidelphia is asuperorder ofmarsupials encompassing about three-quarters of all living marsupial species, including all those native toAustralasia and one South American species, themonito del monte. Unlike other American marsupials, which belong to theAmeridelphia, Australidelphia's lineage emerged in South America, with genetic evidence (retrotransposon insertion sites) showing the monito del monte as its most ancient branch.[3][4]
Within this superorder, the Australian members form a distinct group (clade) namedEomarsupialia,[2] though their internal relationships (branching order) is yet to be determined.[4] Studies suggest Australidelphia originated in South America alongside other major marsupial groups, likelydispersing to Australia viaAntarctica in a single event after the monito's lineage (Microbiotheria) diverged, leaving other South American orders (Didelphimorphia andPaucituberculata) as more basal.[3][4]
The following cladogram is a phylogeny of Australidelphia based on the work of May-Collado, Kilpatrick & Agnarsson 2015,[5] with extinct clades from Black et al. 2012.[6]
Theorders within this group are listed below:
