''Archaeonycteris'' is an archaic

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

genus whose fossilised remains have been found in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The genus was established in 1917, when

Pierre Revilliod Pierre Revilliod (1883–1954) was a Swiss naturalist. From 1927–1953 Revilliod was a curator and researcher at the Natural History Museum of Geneva. He is best known for his work on fossil bats Bats are flying mammals of the orde ...

described the material excavated at the Messel Pit as the fossil species '' Archaeonycteris trigonodon''. *''Archaeonycteris trigonodon'' Revilliod, 1917 -

Messel Pit The Messel Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Hesse, central Germany, dating back to the Eocene Epoch (geology), epoch (about 47 Ma). Its geographic range is restricted to the Messel pit. There it unconformably overlie ...

(

Lutetian The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage (stratigraphy), stage or age (geology), age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it ...

), Germany *''Archaeonycteris pollex'' Storch & Habersetzer, 1988 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany *''Archaeonycteris brailloni'' Russell ''et al.'', 1973 - Avenay quarry (

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

), France *''Archaeonycteris relicta'' Harrison & Hooker, 2010 - Creechbarrow Limestone Formation, England *''Archaeonycteris storchi'' Smith ''et al.'', 2007 -

Vastan Lignite Mines Vastan Mines are lignite and limestone mines in Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar penins ...

(Ypresian), India A species discovered at the Silveirinha site in Portugal, '' Archaeonycteris praecursor'', was described in 2009 and estimated to be the oldest of the known taxa, and one of the oldest known bats. The fossil material uncovered in Dorset, England, and described as ''Archaeonycteris relicta'' is dated to a later period in the Eocene, this is the most recent known species. The only species to found beyond Europe is the Early Eocene fossil species ''Archaeonycteris storchi'', which occurs in India. Archaeonycteris trigonodon 4

References

Eocene bats Eocene mammals of Europe Eocene mammals of Asia Prehistoric bat genera Fossil taxa described in 1917 {{paleo-bat-stub