megafaunan.
/ˈmɛɡəˌfɔːnə/, U.S. /ˈmɛɡəˌfɔnə/, /ˈmɛɡəˌfɑnə/ Biology.
1. Chiefly Palaeontology. With plural agreement: large vertebrates, esp. the larger mammals; spec. those of a particular epoch or region. Also (with singular agreement): a group, class, community, or list of such animals. Cf. microfauna n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > [noun] > of a particular region (fauna) > of particular type
ophiology1815
inquiline1879
pilgrim1888
microfauna1895
topomorph1897
faunule1909
cryptozoa1911
epifauna1914
macrofauna1918
megafauna1927
macrobenthos1942
meiobenthos1942
microbenthos1942
meiofauna1950
megafauna1975
1927 Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. 38 234 In California it is becoming increasingly clear that the stratigraphical standards of the workers with microfauna and with megafauna are in conflict.
1977 G. Clark World Prehist. (ed. 3) xi. 458 A question still to be resolved is whether the extinction of the Australian megafauna, including the giant marsupials..was directly or indirectly due to man.
1996 Conservation Biol. 10 1495/1 Regions especially important to widely ranging megafauna such as mountain lion or bear could become part of a broad planning process.
2. Ecology. = macrofauna n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habitat > [noun] > of a particular region (fauna) > of particular type
ophiology1815
inquiline1879
pilgrim1888
microfauna1895
topomorph1897
faunule1909
cryptozoa1911
epifauna1914
macrofauna1918
megafauna1927
macrobenthos1942
meiobenthos1942
microbenthos1942
meiofauna1950
megafauna1975
1975 Deep-sea Res. 22 457 (title) A study of the bathyal megafauna using the research submersible Alvin.
1996 Limnol. & Oceanogr. 41 113/2 Decapod crustaceans and fish are the dominant megafauna in the benthic communities on the northwestern Mediterranean slope.
Derivatives
ˈmegafaunal adj.
ΚΠ
1944 Bull. Dept. Geol. Univ. Calif. 27 101 (title) Megafaunal zones of the Oligocene of Northwestern Washington.
1968 Science 6 Dec. 1111/3 These changes involved both a northward withdrawal of some animals and the extinction of the megafaunal forms.
1987 Nature 1 Jan. 22/2 At least, biologists should get the vertebrate megafaunal and microfaunal categories to overlap those of the invertebrates, if the terms are to be used without any modifier.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1927