''Mystacina'' is the sole surviving genus of the

Mystacinidae __NOTOC__ Mystacinidae is a family of unusual bats, the New Zealand short-tailed bats. There is one living genus, '' Mystacina'', with two species, one of which could have possibly become extinct in the 1960s. They are medium-sized bats, about ...

family of

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 ...

s. It has three known species, of which only the

New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (''Mystacina tuberculata'') is a small-sized omnivorous mammal endemism, endemic to the islands of New Zealand. It is one of two extant and three overall terrestrial mammal species unique to New Zealand. ...

(''Mystacina tuberculata'') is confirmed to survive today. The closely related

New Zealand greater short-tailed bat The New Zealand greater short-tailed bat (''Mystacina robusta'') is one of two species of New Zealand short-tailed bats, a family (Mystacinidae) unique to New Zealand. Larger than the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, there have been no confi ...

(''Mystacina robusta'') has not had a confirmed sighting since 1965 and is thought to be extinct. The third species, '' Mystacina miocenalis'', is known from the

Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...

, some 19–16 million years ago.

References

{{Authority control Bat genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mystacinidae Bats of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic mammals of New Zealand