Noctilionoidea phylogeny PLoS ONE 2014-02-04

''Myzopoda'', which has two described

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, is the only genus in the bat

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Myzopodidae. Myzopodidae is unique as the only family of

bat 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 bi ...

s presently

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. However, fossil discoveries indicate that the family has an ancient lineage in Africa, extending from the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

as far back as the late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

. Based on nuclear DNA sequence data, Myzopodidae appears to be

basal Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

in the

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final st ...

n superfamily

Noctilionoidea Noctilionoidea is a superfamily of bats containing seven families: Thyropteridae, Furipteridae, Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, Myzopodidae, and Mystacinidae. It is one of three superfamilies in the suborder Yangochiroptera, t ...

, most of whose members are

neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

. The origin and initial diversification of Noctilionoidea may have occurred in Africa prior to their dispersal to Australia and South America, probably via Antarctica. On the basis of fossil and molecular clock evidence, myzopodids are estimated to have split off from the rest of Noctilionoidea about 50 (46 to 57) million years ago.

Species

*Genus ''Myzopoda'' **

Madagascar sucker-footed bat The Madagascar sucker-footed bat, Old World sucker-footed bat, or simply sucker-footed bat (''Myzopoda aurita'') is a species of bat in the family Myzopodidae endemic to Madagascar, especially in the eastern part of the forests. The genus was th ...

, ''Myzopoda aurita''

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 ...

Grandidier Grandidier is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alfred Grandidier (1836–1921), French naturalist and explorer *Ernest Grandidier (1833–1912), French industrialist, naturalist, and art collector, brother of Alfred *Guillaume G ...

, 1878 **

Western sucker-footed bat The western sucker-footed bat (''Myzopoda schliemanni'') is a [Chiroptera.html" ;"title="[Chiroptera">bat endemic to Madagascar. Little is known about its habits, but they are assumed to be similar to those of the Madagascar sucker-footed bat.Ga ...

, ''Myzopoda schliemanni'' Goodman, Rakotondraparany & Kofoky, 2006

References

* Myzopodidae Bat genera Extant Pleistocene first appearances Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Bat-stub