the curator and collector hedley h. finlayson described the remains of a potoroine animal found in a south australian cave, which were similar to the "potorous platyops". however, the bones were retrieved from a site far from where the "potorous platyops" was thought to be found, as well as the teeth being different than previously collections specimens. he ended up naming it as a new species, "potorous morgani". the specimen was later identified as a "potorous platyops". the skull that was studied and was held at a south australian museum, amongst a deposit of multiple taxa from kelly's hill caves, which was collected by a.m. morgan. the specific epithet "morgani" refers to the collector. finlayson's 1934 description recognised a close similarity to this species. when he obtained more specimens, which were collected at the same cave system on kangaroo island by edith may, he obtained a second partial skull. comparison of the dentition and other morphological characteristics was limited to works published by g. r. waterhouse (1846), oldfield thomas (1888) and b. arthur bensley (1903) whose descriptions of "p. platyops" are recorded at the bmnh.