Systematics and paleobiogeography of early bats

Smith, Thierry; Habersetzer, Jörg; Simmons, Nancy B.; Gunnell, Gregg F.

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139045599.003

Cited by 35 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The relative height and sharpness of the primary cusps is difficult to determine due to wear, but proportions and angles of unworn portions of the crown and cristae suggest that the cusps were not notably tall or acute, nor were the cristae sharply bladelike. In this respect Aegyptonycteris differs from many other Paleogene bats that have tall molar cusps with more sharply defined cristae (e.g., Icaronycteris; Smith et al, 2012 (Maitre et al, 2008;Hand et al, 2012;Smith et al, 2012). Upper molars that are rectangular or boxy in outline are found among Eocene bats only in philisids Ravel et al, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Upper molars that are rectangular or boxy in outline are found among Eocene bats only in philisids Ravel et al, 2012). M3 in Aegyptonycteris is only slightly smaller than M2 in buccolingual width, a condition shared with most other Eocene bats (Smith et al, 2012). The protocone in Aegyptonycteris is well developed on both M2 and M3.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Measurements taken by G.F.G. based on collections at the University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology (Ann Arbor), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris), the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels), the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut (Frankfurt), and in some cases from the literature (Gunnell et al, 2008, for Witwatia schlosseri;Ravel et al, 2012, for Witwatia sigei;Hand et al, 1988, for Macroderma koppa Ravel et al, 2012Ravel et al, , 2015Smith et al, 2012). The relative height and sharpness of the primary cusps is difficult to determine due to wear, but proportions and angles of unworn portions of the crown and cristae suggest that the cusps were not notably tall or acute, nor were the cristae sharply bladelike.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The oldest-known bats are early Eocene in age (~55-52 mybp) and bats were present on nearly every continent by the late Eocene (~34 mybp; Gunnell and Simmons, 2005;Tabuce et al, 2009;Smith et al, 2007Smith et al, , 2012Hand et al, 2015). Thirty families of bats are currently recognized, including 10 families known only from fossils (table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A New Family of Large Omnivorous Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Late Eocene of the Fayum Depression, Egypt, with Comments on Use of the Name “Eochiroptera”

Simmons

Seiffert

Gunnell

2016

American Museum Novitates

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A new fossil from the Late Eocene BQ-2 locality in the Birket Qarun Formation in the Fayum Depression of northern Egypt (dated to ~37 mybp) does not fit within the diagnosis of any previously described family of bats from Africa or any other continent. Known from a partial maxilla, this taxon has dilambdodont tribosphenic molars with a well-developed, symmetrical, W-shaped ectoloph lacking a distinct mesostyle but with a strong parastyle and shallow U-shaped ectoflexus-all traits that are found in most archaic bat families and that are probably plesiomorphic for bats. However, this taxon also has an M2 with a large metaconule cusp and a large, bulbous hypocone set low on the posterolingual corner of the tooth, neither of which occur in any known bat family, living or extinct. Also notable is the size of the new BQ-2 bat, which appears to have been approximately the same size as the largest extant bats with dilambdodont dentitions, falling well within the size range of plant-eating megabats and carnivorous bats from several extant lineages. The combination of traits in the new BQ-2 bat suggests that it was omnivorous, probably including insects, small vertebrates, and plant material its diet. In this regard it represents an ecological niche previously unknown among archaic Eocene bats, which are otherwise thought to have been strictly animalivorous. Because extinct Eocene bat families exhibit considerable mosaic evolution in morphological traits, do not seem to have inhabited a uniform ecological niche, and do not form a monophyletic group, we argue against use of the name "Eochiroptera" to collectively refer to these taxa.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A New Family of Large Omnivorous Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Late Eocene of the Fayum Depression, Egypt, with Comments on Use of the Name “Eochiroptera”

Simmons

Seiffert

Gunnell

2016

American Museum Novitates

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“…Upper teeth are indicated with an upper case letter and number; for example, M2 designates the upper second molar. We employ the traditional premolar numbering system of p2, p3, p4 for bats that retain three lower premolars following most recent authors (e.g., Hooker, 2010;Smith et al, 2012;Ravel et al, 2014;Hand et al, 2015) rather than the p1, p4, p5 system advocated by O' Leary et al (2013). Occlusal morphological terminology follows Gunnell et al (2011).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bats (Chiroptera) from Olduvai Gorge, Early Pleistocene, Bed I (Tanzania)

Gunnell

Butler

Greenwood

et al. 2015

American Museum Novitates

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Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania is most famous for producing some of the first discoveries of fossil hominins in East Africa. Zinjanthropus (= Paranthropus) boisei was initially discovered in 1959 from Olduvai Bed I. During screen-washing operations to search for more hominin material at Olduvai, an associated faunal assemblage was accumulated including 40 numbered specimens of fossil bats. Except for seven dental specimens, this collection consists entirely of postcrania, almost exclusively complete or fragmentary humeri representing both proximal and distal ends. Although briefly discussed in preliminary reports, these specimens have remained undescribed for over 50 years and have never been comprehensively compared to extant species. Our analyses indicate that the Olduvai bat fossils represent five families and nine genera, and include four new species: Myzopoda africana, n. sp., Cardioderma leakeyi, n. sp., Scotoecus olduvensis, n. sp., and Nycticeinops serengetiensis, n. sp. The Olduvai bat fossils come from the FLK North 1 and FLK NN1 levels, both of early Pleistocene age, and ranging between 1.80 and 1.85 Ma based on 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating techniques, respectively. Compared to the meager Pleistocene bat record from elsewhere on mainland Africa, the Olduvai bat assemblage, although richer, is similar in the predominance of vespertilionids. The East African Olduvai bat fauna differs from Pleistocene faunas from South Africa in including both Myzopoda and Cardioderma but lacking both hipposiderids and rhinolophids. These taxonomic differences are likely the result of differential sampling due to variation in roosting site preferences (cave-dwelling vs. non-cave-dwelling taxa) and foraging habitats (open vs. forested) in East and South Africa.

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