''Submyotodon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

vespertilionid 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 famili ...

bats, published as a new taxon in 2003 to describe a

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" ...

fossil species. Extant species and subspecies previously included in ''

Myotis The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a New Latin construction, from the Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") and "''oûs''" (me ...

'' were later transferred to this genus. Species in this genus are referred to as broad-muzzled bats or broad-muzzled myotises.

Taxonomy and etymology

''Submyotodon'' was described as a new genus of bat in 2003, based on

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

specimens found near Eichstätt, Germany. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

is '' Submyotodon petersbuchensis''. The genus name ''Submyotodon'' is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

prefix ('under' or 'close to'), + the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

roots (, 'mouse') + (, , 'ear') + (, , 'tooth'). This refers to the fact that its

molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone to ...

are similar to those of the

mouse-eared bat The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a New Latin construction, from the Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") and "''oûs''" (me ...

s, e.g. "myotodont" molars. Myotodont molars are characterized by a postcristid (enamel ridge linking the hypoconid and hypoconulid) that links to the entoconid (inner posterior cusp of a molar). ''Submyotodon'' is the second extant genus included in the subfamily

Myotinae Myotinae is a subfamily of vesper bats. It contains three genera: '' Eudiscopus'', ''Myotis'', and ''Submyotodon''. Before the description of ''Submyotodon'' and analysis of its phylogenetics, as well as a phylogenetic analysis of '' Eudiscopus'', ...

. Before the description of ''Submyotodon'' and analysis of its phylogenetics, the only member of Myotinae was the genus ''Myotis''.

Species

Extant

* '' Submyotodon caliginosus'' ( Tomes, 1859) - Himalayan broad-muzzled bat * '' Submyotodon latirostris'' ( Kishida, 1932) - Taiwan broad-muzzled bat * '' Submyotodon moupinensis'' (

Milne-Edwards Milne-Edwards is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Henri Milne-Edwards (1800–1885), French zoologist * Alphonse Milne-Edwards (1835–1900), French ornithologist and carcinologist, a son of Henri Milne-Edwards See also * Milne ...

, 1872) - Moupin broad-muzzled bat

Fossil

* '' Submyotodon petersbuchensis'' Ziegler, 2003

Range

The extinct ''S. petersbuchensis'' was discovered in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. The three extant species are found in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

, including

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, and China.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q19521380 Submyotodon Bat genera Extant Miocene first appearances