A new archaic bat (Chiroptera: Archaeonycteridae) from an Early Eocene forest in the Paris Basin

Abstract

A new Early Eocene bat is described from dental remains recovered from the locality of Prémontré in the Paris Basin, northern France. It is referred to the extinct family Archaeonycteridae, whose members are among the oldest and dentally most plesiomorphic bats. The new archaeonycterid is part of the diverse Prémontré mammal fauna of the late Ypresian (MP10; 50 Ma) which includes a suite of archaic mammals as well as early representatives of modern mammal families. Like other archaeonycterids, this bat may have been an insectivorous perch hunter in paratropical forests that extended into high latitudes during the Early and Middle Eocene. Archaeonycterids disappear from the fossil record after the Middle Eocene, along with many other archaic mammal groups, probably in response to significant changes in climate and habitats as well as competition from crown group bats possibly better adapted to less predictable conditions.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:194C2A09-77A6-460C-93E2-017362FD0DC3

Keywords:

• Chiroptera
• Ypresian
• Prémontré
• Paris Basin
• dentition
• evolution

Acknowledgements

We dedicate this contribution to Professor Percy Butler whose exceptional research into the evolution and function of the mammalian dentition paved the way for studies like ours. For stimulating discussion about primitive bats over many years and for access to specimens and casts and we thank: D.E. Russell and M. Godinot, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; P. Mein, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Lyon, France; B. Marandat, A. Ravel and R. Tabuce, Université Montpellier II, Montpellier, France; G. Storch, J. Habersetzer, E. Schlosser-Sturm and R. Rabenstein, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; N. Micklich, Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, Germany; B. Engessor, Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Switzerland; J. J. Hooker, Natural History Museum, London, UK; T. Smith, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium; G.F. Gunnell, Duke Lemur Centre, Durham, USA; N. B. Simmons and E. Westwig, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; M. Archer, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The careful review and thoughtful suggestions by T. Smith and G.F. Gunnell significantly improved the paper.