''Miniopterus zapfei'' is a fossil bat in the genus ''
Miniopterus
''Miniopterus'', known as the bent-winged or long winged bats, is the sole genus of the family Miniopteridae. They are small flying insectivorous mammals, micro-bats of the order Chiroptera, with wings over twice the length of the body. The genus ...
'' from the
middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene.
The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...
of France. First described in 2002, it is known only from the site of La Grive M, where it occurs with another fossil ''Miniopterus'' species, the smaller and more common ''
Miniopterus fossilis
''Miniopterus fossilis'' is a fossil bat in the genus ''Miniopterus''. It existed in what is now Slovakia during the Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The ...
''. ''M. zapfei'' is known from five
mandible
In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...
s (lower jaws) and an isolated fourth upper
premolar
The premolars, also called premolar teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant in the permanent set of teeth, making eight premolars total in the mouth ...
(P4). The fourth lower premolar is more slender than in ''M. fossilis'' and the cingulum shelf surrounding the P4 is less well-developed than in living ''Miniopterus''. The length of the first lower molar is 1.57 to 1.60 mm.
Taxonomy
''Miniopterus zapfei'' was described by
Pierre Mein
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
and Léonard Ginsburg in a 2002 paper on the ages and faunas of the fossil sites of
La Grive-Saint-Alban
{{Infobox rockunit
, name = La Grive-Saint-Alban
, image =
, caption =
, type = Geological formation
, age = {{fossilrange, Miocene
, period = Miocene
, prilithology = Karstic limestone
, otherlithology =
, namedfor = Saint-Alban-de-Roch ...
in southeastern France.Mein and Ginsburg, 2002, p. 23 Mein and Ginsburg wrote that it was the second fossil ''
Miniopterus
''Miniopterus'', known as the bent-winged or long winged bats, is the sole genus of the family Miniopteridae. They are small flying insectivorous mammals, micro-bats of the order Chiroptera, with wings over twice the length of the body. The genus ...
'' species to be described, after ''
Miniopterus fossilis
''Miniopterus fossilis'' is a fossil bat in the genus ''Miniopterus''. It existed in what is now Slovakia during the Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The ...
'' from
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, but did not mention ''
Miniopterus approximatus
''Miniopterus'', known as the bent-winged or long winged bats, is the sole genus of the family (biology), family Miniopteridae. They are small flying insectivorous mammals, micro-bats of the order Chiroptera, with wings over twice the length of t ...
'' from the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 2003. The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''zapfei'', honors Helmuth Zapfe, who described ''M. fossilis''. ''Miniopterus'' also includes about 20 living species of small, insectivorous bats distributed in southern
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Although the genus was historically placed in the family
Vespertilionidae
Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat familie ...
, it is now classified in its own family,
Miniopteridae
''Miniopterus'', known as the bent-winged or long winged bats, is the sole genus of the family Miniopteridae. They are small flying insectivorous mammals, micro-bats of the order Chiroptera, with wings over twice the length of the body. The genus ...
.
Description
The known material ( hypodigm) of ''Miniopterus zapfei'' includes a
mandible
In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...
(lower jaw) with the fourth
premolar
The premolars, also called premolar teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant in the permanent set of teeth, making eight premolars total in the mouth ...
(p4), first molar (m1), and second molar (m2); a mandible with m1; a mandible with m1 and m2; a mandible with m2 and the third molar (m3); a mandible without any teeth; and an isolated fourth upper premolar (P4). Some of the mandibles also preserve the
alveoli Alveolus (; pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit.
Uses in anatomy and zoology
* Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs
** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte
** Alveolar duct
** Alveolar macrophage
* ...
(openings) for teeth that have not been preserved. The dimensions of the p4 (length and width) are 1.03 x 0.88 mm; m1 is 1.57 to 1.60 x 1.01 to 1.07 mm; m2 is 1.51 to 1.64 x 0.95 to 1.05 mm; the single m3 is 1.41 mm long; and the single P4 is 1.38 x 1.52 mm.Mein and Ginsburg, 2002, pp. 23–24 In a well-preserved mandible, the length from the alveolus for the first incisor to the end of m3 is 8.80 mm and the depth of the mandible at m1 is 1.50 mm.
''Miniopterus zapfei'' can be identified as a ''Miniopterus'' on the basis of the possession of three lower premolars (designated p2, p3, and p4, because the original first premolar has been lost); a two-rooted p3; and the nyctalodont molars, with the posterolophid (a crest at the back of the molar) behind the
entoconid
Many different terms have been proposed for features of the tooth crown in mammals.
The structures within the molars receive different names according to their position and morphology. This nomenclature was developed by Henry Fairfield Osborn i ...
cusp. ''M. zapfei'' is about 30% larger than ''M. fossilis'' and has a more slender p4. Compared to living ''Miniopterus'', the cingulum (shelf) that surrounds the P4 is less well-developed and the parastyle crest is weaker.
Range and ecology
''Miniopterus zapfei'' is known only from the site La Grive M in the village of
Saint-Alban-de-Roche
Saint-Alban-de-Roche () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère departments of France, department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Isère department
References
Communes of Isère
Isère communes ...
, department of
Isère
Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.fissure filling sites in the area, collectively known as La Grive-Saint-Alban, which have yielded rich fossil faunas. La Grive M is the reference locality for the MN zone
MN 7/8
MN may refer to:
Places
* Mongolia (ISO 3166-1 country code)
* Montenegro (former ISO 3166 country code)
* Monaco (FIPS 10-4 country code)
* Minnesota, US (postal abbreviation)
* Manipur, a state in northeast India
* Province of Mantua, or of Ma ...
, about 13 to 11 million years ago.Steininger, 1999, fig. 1.2 La Grive M is one of the older sites of La Grive, and Mein and Ginsburg proposed taking it as the reference locality for a separate zone MN 7.Mein and Ginsburg, 2002, p. 37 ''M. zapfei'' is rare in La Grive M; ''Miniopterus fossilis'' is much more common in the same site, and has also been found in La Grive L7 and other European localities ranging from MN 6 to
MN 13
The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the first ...