Perameles fossil map
Where fossils of Perameles have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 5.333 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Peramelidae |
| Named by | Geoffroy 1804 |
| Fossil records | 102 occurrences at 27 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:40108, Allingham, Moorna, Chinchilla Sand, D Clay |
About Perameles
Perameles is a genus of marsupials of the order Peramelemorphia. They are referred to as long-nosed bandicoots or barred bandicoots.
The genus name Perameles comes from Ancient Greek πήρα (pḗra), meaning ("pouch, bag"), and Latin mēlēs, meaning "marten, badger".
More than half the known recent species of Perameles have been driven to extinction, although these extinct species were long considered conspecific with P. bougainville, a 2018 study determined them to be distinct species.
The extant species are:
Western barred bandicoot (P. bougainville)
Eastern barred bandicoot (P. gunnii)
Long-nosed bandicoot (P. nasuta)
Queensland barred bandicoot (P. pallescens)
The recently extinct species are:
†Desert bandicoot (P. eremiana)
†New South Wales barred bandicoot (P. fasciata)
†Southwestern barred bandicoot (P. myosuros)
†Southern barred bandicoot (P. notina)
†Nullarbor barred bandicoot (P. papillon)
Fossil species are:
†P. allinghamensis
†P. bowensis
†P. sobbei
†P. wilkinsonorum
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Perameles (revision 1342043168), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q1207399.
