Miniopterus Tao

''Miniopterus tao'' is a fossil bat in the genus '' Miniopterus'' from the Pleistocene of Zhoukoudian in China. It is known from a number of mandibles (lower jaws), which were initially identified as the living species ''Miniopterus schreibersii'' in 1963 before being recognized as a separate species, ''M. tao'', in 1986. ''Miniopterus tao'' is larger than living ''M. schreibersii'' and has more closely spaced lower premolars and more robust talonids (back groups of cusps) on the lower molars. The back part of the mandible is relatively low and on it, the coronoid and condyloid processes are about equally high. The average length of the mandible is 12.0 mm.

Taxonomy

In 1934, Chinese paleontologist C.C. Young was the first to describe fossil bats from the fossil site of Zhoukoudian Locality 1, which is famous for Peking Man. However, he did not mention '' Miniopterus'', which was first recorded by Kazimierz Kowalski and Chuan-kuei Li in 1963 in a description of new material from layer 8 of the cave site. They identified the ''Miniopterus'' as the widespread living species ''Miniopterus schreibersii'' on the basis of 48 mandibles (lower jaws) from layer 8 and reassigned another mandible that had previously been identified as '' Myotis'' to ''Miniopterus''.Kowalski and Li, 1963, pp. 148, 150 In a 1986 paper, however, Bronisław Wołoszyn described the population as a new species, ''Miniopterus tao'', after examining two mandibles in the collections of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He did place the species in the "''schreibersii'' group" of ''Miniopterus'', but considered it unlikely to be ancestral to living ''M. schreibersii''.Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 209 The specific name, ''tao'', refers to the Chinese philosophical concept, the Tao.Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 205

Description

Wołoszyn described the species on the basis of two mandibles, one damaged and with the third premolar (p3) through third molar (m3), and the other intact and with the fourth premolar (p4) through second molar (m2). ''Miniopterus tao'' is a large member of the "''schreibersii'' group" and about as large as ''Miniopterus rummeli'' from the Miocene of Germany.Ziegler, 2003, p. 487 The mandible is robust and generally resembles ''M. schreibersii''. The mental foramen (an opening at the outer side of the jaw) is located between the lower canine and second lower premolar (p2). The coronoid process (a projection at the back of the mandible) is low and rounded and is connected to the condyloid process behind it by a nearly horizontal ridge, which contains a slight raising at its back. Compared to ''M. schreibersii'', the condyloid process is more slender, but the base of the angular process (at the lower back corner of the jaw) is more robust.Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 206 In ''M. rummeli'', the back part of the mandible is higher and the coronoid process is distinctly higher than the condyloid process.

The preserved alveoli show that p2 is about as large as p3, not smaller as in the "''tristis'' group" of ''Miniopterus''.Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 208 The premolars in ''M. tao'' are placed closely together, which distinguishes the species from ''M. schreibersii'' and fossil European species, including ''M. rummeli''. The p3 is robust and surrounded by a well-developed cingulum (shelf). The crown is trapezoid in shape. In p4, there is a clear cingulum at the front and labial (outer) margins. The crown is triangular and the back edge is straight, not saddle-shaped as in ''M. schreibersii''.Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 207 The molars resemble those of ''M. schreibersii'', but are more robust, particularly the talonids (the cusp groups at the back of the teeth).Wołoszyn, 1986, p. 207
The total length of the mandible ranges from 11.6 to 12.4 mm and averages 12.0 mm in ten specimens, the coronoid process is 3.1 to 3.3 mm high, averaging 3.2 mm, and the length of the molar row is 4.0 to 4.4 mm, averaging 4.2 mm.Wołoszyn, 1986, table 2

Range

''Miniopterus tao'' has only been recorded from Locality 1 at Zhoukoudian; Locality 3 contains a smaller ''Miniopterus'' identified as ''M. schreibersii''. Locality 1 is Pleistocene in age (between about 2 million and 10,000 years old) and also contains ''Ia io'' and species of '' Rhinolophus'' and ''Myotis'' among bats, in addition to ''Homo erectus''.

References

Literature cited

*Kowalski, K. and Li, C.-K. 1963
Remarks on the fauna of bats (Chiroptera) from locality 1 at Choukoutien
Vertebrata PalAsiatica 7(2):144–150.
*Wołoszyn, B.W. 1986. A new species of long-winged bat ''Miniopterus tao'' sp. n. (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from locality 1 at Choukoutien, China. Acta Universitatis Carolinae, Geologica 1986(2):205–211.
*Ziegler, R. 2003
Bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia) from Middle Miocene karstic fissure fillings of Petersbuch near Eichstätt, Southern Franconian Alb (Bavaria)
(subscription required). Geobios 36(4):447–490.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1177496

Miniopteridae
Pleistocene bats
Pleistocene mammals of Asia