Onychonycteridae is an extinct family of bats known only from the early Eocene of Europe and North America. The type species, Onychonycteris finneyi, was described in 2008 from two nearly complete skeletons found in the Green River Formation of southwestern Wyoming.[1] Since that time a number of previously described fossil bat species have been assigned to Onychonycteridae,[2] as well as two more recently discovered species.[3][4]
| Onychonycteridae Temporal range:
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| Onychonycteris finneyi fossil | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | †Onychonycteridae Simmons, et al, 2008 |
| Genera | |
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See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Most species belonging to Onychonycteridae are known only from isolated teeth and jaw fragments, however, they can be recognized by their relatively square-shaped upper molars, simple lower fourth premolar, and primitive, necromantodont lower molars.[5][2] Onychonycteris finneyi exhibits additional primitive features of its skeleton, including claws on all five fingers and a simple cochlea that suggests it was incapable of echolocation.[6][1] The dimensions of its wings suggest it employed a more primitive method of flight than living bats.[7]
Genera
editThe following genera are assigned to Onychonycteridae:[2]
- †Ageina Russell et al., 1973
- †Ageina tobieni Russell et al., 1973 - Mutigny (MP 8-9), France
- †Eppsinycteris Hooker, 1996
- †Eppsinycteris anglica Hooker, 1996 - Abbey Wood (MP 8–9), England
- †Honrovits Beard et al., 1992
- †Honrovits tsuwape Beard et al., 1992 - Wind River Formation (late Wasatchian), Wyoming
- †Marnenycteris Hand et al., 2015
- †Marnenycteris michauxi Hand et al., 2015 - Pourcy (Ypresian), France
- †Onychonycteris Simmons et al., 2008
- †Onychonycteris finneyi Simmons et al., 2008 - Green River Formation (late Wasatchian), Wyoming
- †Volactrix? Czaplewski et al., 2022[4]
- †Volactrix simmonsae? Czaplewski et al., 2022 - Sheep Pass Formation (Bridgerian), Nevada
The following species may belong to Onychonycteridae according to Smith et al., 2012:[2]
- "Hassianycteris" joeli Smith and Russell, 1992 - Evere (Ypresian), Belgium
References
edit- ^ a b Gunnell, Gregg F.; Jörg Habersetzer; Seymour, Kevin L.; Simmons, Nancy B. (February 2008). "Primitive Early Eocene bat from Wyoming and the evolution of flight and echolocation". Nature. 451 (7180): 818–821. Bibcode:2008Natur.451..818S. doi:10.1038/nature06549. hdl:2027.42/62816. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 18270539.
- ^ a b c d Gunnell, Gregg F.; Simmons, Nancy B.; Habersetzer, Jörg; Smith, Thierry (March 2012). "Systematics and paleobiogeography of early bats". Evolutionary History of Bats. pp. 23–66. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139045599.003. ISBN 9781139045599.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Hand, Suzanne J.; Sigé, Bernard; Archer, Michael; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Simmons, Nancy B. (2015-09-01). "A New Early Eocene (Ypresian) Bat from Pourcy, Paris Basin, France, with Comments on Patterns of Diversity in the Earliest Chiropterans". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 22 (3): 343–354. doi:10.1007/s10914-015-9286-9. ISSN 1573-7055.
- ^ a b Czaplewski, N. J.; Morgan, G. S.; Emry, R. J.; Gignac, P. M.; O'Brien, H. D. (2022). "Three New Early Middle Eocene Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Elderberry Canyon, Nevada, USA". Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology (106): 2–25. doi:10.5479/si.19874677.
- ^ Hand, Suzanne; Maitre, Elodie; Sigé, Bernard (March 2012). "Necromantodonty, the primitive condition of lower molars among bats". Evolutionary History of Bats. pp. 456–469. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139045599.014. ISBN 9781139045599.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Bats Flew First, Developed Echolocation Later, Fossilized Missing Link Shows". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ Amador Lucila I.; Simmons Nancy B.; Giannini Norberto P. (2019-03-29). "Aerodynamic reconstruction of the primitive fossil bat Onychonycteris finneyi (Mammalia: Chiroptera)". Biology Letters. 15 (3): 20180857. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0857. PMC 6451380. PMID 30862309.