Priscakoala
| Priscakoala Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phascolarctidae |
| Genus: | †Priscakoala Black et al, 2012 |
| Species: | †P. lucyturnbullae |
| Binomial name | |
| †Priscakoala lucyturnbullae Black et al, 2012 | |
Priscakoala is an extinct genus of koala from the Early Miocene of Riversleigh, Australia. It has one species: Priscakoala lucyturnbullae.
The prefix "prisca" comes from the Latin meaning old, ancient, primeval or primitive. It was used to indicate that this genus is one of the oldest and simplest form of the koala. The species P. lucyturnbullae was named for Lucy Turnbull a businesswoman, wife of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and supporter of the research that discovered the genus.