33 million year old Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) and the rapid global radiation of modern bats ...

• Main Authors: Gunnell, Gregg F., Smith, Richard, Smith, Thierry, Russo, Danilo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2017
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13418882; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13418882

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) The bat genus Myotis is represented by 120+ living species and 40+ extinct species and is found on every continent except Antarctica. The time of divergence of Myotis has been contentious as has the time and place of origin of its encompassing group the Vespertilionidae, the most diverse (450+ species) and widely distributed extant bat family. Fossil Myotis species are common, especially in Europe, beginning in the Miocene but earlier records are poor. Recent study of new specimens from the Belgian early Oligocene locality of Boutersem reveals the presence of a relatively large vespertilionid. Morphological comparison and phylogenetic analysis confirms that the new, large form can be confidently assigned to the genus Myotis, making this record the earliest known for that taxon and extending the temporal range of this extant genus to over 33 million years. This suggests that previously published molecular divergence dates for crown myotines (Myotis) are too ...