''Macroderma godthelpi'' is a species of bat known from fossil material found in Australia, one of the larger carnivorous

megadermatid Megadermatidae, or false vampire bats, are a family of bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia. They are relatively large bats, ranging from 6.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length. They have lar ...

family of the order

Chiroptera Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". 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 bir ...

. They resembled the modern species ''

Macroderma gigas The ghost bat (''Macroderma gigas'') is a species of bat found in northern Australia. The species is the only Australian bat that preys on large vertebrates – birds, reptiles and other mammals – which they detect using acute sight and heari ...

'', known as a false vampire or ghost bat, although significantly smaller than any other species of '' Macroderma''.

Taxonomy

The description of ''Macroderma godthelpi'' was published in 1985 by the palaeontologist

Suzanne Hand Suzanne J. Hand (born 1955) is an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, a teacher of geology and biology, who has a special interest in vertebrate palaeontology and modern mammals. Her research has been published in over a hund ...

, separating Miocene fossil material discovered at the

Riversleigh World Heritage Area Riversleigh World Heritage Area is Australia's most famous fossil location, recognised for the series of well preserved fossils deposited from the Late Oligocene to more recent geological periods. The fossiliferous limestone system is located ne ...

as a new species of '' Macroderma''. The type material was selected from Gag site at Riversleigh, which were examined with other specimens obtained at a nearby named as the Microsite. The holotype is part of a right maxillary, still retaining several of the bat's teeth. The specific epithet honour a fellow researcher of the author,

Henk Godthelp Henk is a Dutch male given name, originally a short form of Hendrik. It influenced " Hank" which is used in English-speaking countries (mainly in the US) as a form of " Henry". People named "Henk" include: Academics *Henk Aertsen (born 1943), D ...

, who had noticed the first evidence of the fossil deposits containing the diverse and numerous bats that would be discovered at Riversleigh.

Description

A species of the family

Megadermatidae Megadermatidae, or false vampire bats, are a family of bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia. They are relatively large bats, ranging from 6.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length. They have l ...

, predators with dentition that assists in the capture and consumption of insects or vertebrate animals.

Distribution

''Macroderma godthelpi'' was discovered in an area of northwest Queensland that was dominated by rainforest during the early

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 recent" ...

, overlying a karst system that provided roosting opportunities for a diverse array of bat species. The

Riversleigh fauna Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Faunal zones The presence of the Riversleigh in the Oligo-Miocene has been exceptionally well preserved ...

is represented by megadermatid species and others of the order

, often creating well preserved fossil depositions at the floor of limestone

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s. The sites of former bat eyries at Riversleigh included the remains of themselves and prey selected from the local fauna, with butchered parts and defecated fragments becoming preserved in conditions ideal for fossilisation. A depiction of the species by

Peter Schouten Peter Mark Schouten is an Australian artist and illustrator of publications in the field of zoology and palaeontology. David Attenborough termed his skills as "rare and precious" and among the world's best. His works are characterized by natu ...

was published in 1983, two years before the formal description. The illustration gave a reconstruction of the animal, based on the ongoing research into fossil specimens, that showed it clasping a small bird, a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

species of the Riversleigh fauna whose remains have been found beneath their feeding roost.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q64358809 Megadermatidae Species described in 1985 Bats of Australia