The first Victorian record of Owen’s Giant Echidna <i>Megalibgwilia owenii</i> from Buchan Caves in East Gippsland, Australia

The fossil record of echidnas in Australia is scarce, narrow in time, and restricted in space. In particular, the apparent absence of the extinct large-bodied Owen’s Giant Echidna Megalibgwilia owenii from Victoria is unusual in light of its wide distribution across the continent’s southeast including Tasmania. This paper describes a partial cranium of M. owenii, collected historically from Foul Air Cave in the Buchan Caves Reserve of East Gippsland. It is the first example of Megalibgwilia identified from Victoria, and reconciles the taxon’s otherwise disjunct southern distribution across mainland Australia. Further collection-based surveys are required to improve the understanding of Quaternary fossil tachyglossid taxonomy and distribution.Tim Ziegler* [tziegler@museum.vic.gov.au], Museums Victoria Research Institute, GPO Box 666, Melbourne 3001, Victoria, Australia; Jeremy Lockett [jeremywlockett@gmail.com], Museums Victoria Research Institute, GPO Box 666, Melbourne 3001, Victoria, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood 3125, Victoria, Australia.