Palaeochiropterygidae
Encyclopedia
Palaeochirpterygidae is a family
of extinct bat
s. It was originally erected by the Swiss naturalist
Pierre Revilliod in 1917 after discoveries of Palaeochiropteryx
fossils from the Messel Pit
of Germany
. Palaeochirpterygidae was merged into Archaeonycteridae
by Kurten and Anderson in 1980, but modern authorities specializing in bat fossils maintain the distinction between the two. It was classified to the unranked clade
Microchiropteramorpha by Smith et al. in 2007.
They existed from the Ypresian
to the Lutetian
ages of the Middle Eocene
epoch
(55.8 to 40.4 million years ago).
. The list may be incomplete or inaccurate:Cecilionycteris Heller, 1935Cecilionycteris prisca Heller, 1935 - Geiseltal
(Lutetian
), Germany
Lapichiropteryx Tong, 1997Lapichiropteryx xiei Tong, 1997 - Yuanqu Basin (Ypresian
?), China
Microchiropteryx Smith et al., 2007 Microchiropteryx folieae Smith et al., 2007 - Vastan Lignite Mines (Ypresian), India
Palaeochiropteryx
Revilliod, 1917Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit
(Lutetian), GermanyPalaeochiropteryx spiegeli Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of extinct bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s. It was originally erected by the Swiss naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Pierre Revilliod in 1917 after discoveries of Palaeochiropteryx
Palaeochiropteryx
Palaeochiropteryx is an extinct genus of bat from the Middle Eocene of Europe. It contains two very similar species – Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Palaeochiropteryx spiegeli, both from the famous Messel Pit of Germany...
fossils from the Messel Pit
Messel pit
The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Palaeochirpterygidae was merged into Archaeonycteridae
Archaeonycteridae
Archaeonycteridae is a family of extinct bats. It was originally erected by the Swiss naturalist Pierre Revilliod as Archaeonycterididae to hold the genus Archaeonycteris. It was formerly classified under the superfamily Icaronycteroidea by Kurten and Anderson in 1980...
by Kurten and Anderson in 1980, but modern authorities specializing in bat fossils maintain the distinction between the two. It was classified to the unranked clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
Microchiropteramorpha by Smith et al. in 2007.
They existed from the Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
to the Lutetian
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between and . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Middle Eocene subepoch...
ages of the Middle Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
(55.8 to 40.4 million years ago).
Genera
It contains the following generaGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The list may be incomplete or inaccurate:Cecilionycteris Heller, 1935Cecilionycteris prisca Heller, 1935 - Geiseltal
Geiseltal
The Geisel valley is a valley in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, situated west of Merseburg, Saalekreis district. It is named after the River Geisel which rises in Mücheln and is a tributary of the Saale, just under 25 km long....
(Lutetian
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between and . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Middle Eocene subepoch...
), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Lapichiropteryx Tong, 1997Lapichiropteryx xiei Tong, 1997 - Yuanqu Basin (Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
?), China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Microchiropteryx Smith et al., 2007 Microchiropteryx folieae Smith et al., 2007 - Vastan Lignite Mines (Ypresian), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Palaeochiropteryx
Palaeochiropteryx
Palaeochiropteryx is an extinct genus of bat from the Middle Eocene of Europe. It contains two very similar species – Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Palaeochiropteryx spiegeli, both from the famous Messel Pit of Germany...
Revilliod, 1917Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit
Messel pit
The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance...
(Lutetian), GermanyPalaeochiropteryx spiegeli Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany