Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species
Sheath-tailed bats (Family Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-western Queensland are the oldest recorded occurrence for the family in Australia. The fossil remains consist of maxillary and dentary fragments, as w...
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| Format: | Article |
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PeerJ Inc.
2021-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/10857.pdf |
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| author | Tyler R. King Troy J. Myers Kyle N. Armstrong Michael Archer Suzanne J. Hand |
| author_facet | Tyler R. King Troy J. Myers Kyle N. Armstrong Michael Archer Suzanne J. Hand |
| author_sort | Tyler R. King |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sheath-tailed bats (Family Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-western Queensland are the oldest recorded occurrence for the family in Australia. The fossil remains consist of maxillary and dentary fragments, as well as isolated teeth, but until now their precise identity has not been assessed. Our study indicates that at least three taxa are represented, and these are distinguished from other Australian emballonurids based on morphometric analysis of craniodental features. Most of the Rackham’s Roost Site emballonurid remains are referrable to the modern species Taphozous georgianus Thomas, 1915, but the extant species T. troughtoni Tate, 1952 also appears to be present, as well as a very large, as-yet undetermined species of Saccolaimus Temminck, 1838. We identify craniodental features that clearly distinguish T. georgianus from the externally very similar T. troughtoni. Results suggest that the distributions of T. georgianus and T. troughtoni may have overlapped in north-western Queensland since at least the early Pleistocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:33:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad054cf4b4a64dca89ef08f2324f7abb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:33:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad054cf4b4a64dca89ef08f2324f7abb2023-12-03T11:02:34ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592021-02-019e1085710.7717/peerj.10857Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid speciesTyler R. King0Troy J. Myers1Kyle N. Armstrong2Michael Archer3Suzanne J. Hand4Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaEarth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaEarth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaEarth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSheath-tailed bats (Family Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-western Queensland are the oldest recorded occurrence for the family in Australia. The fossil remains consist of maxillary and dentary fragments, as well as isolated teeth, but until now their precise identity has not been assessed. Our study indicates that at least three taxa are represented, and these are distinguished from other Australian emballonurids based on morphometric analysis of craniodental features. Most of the Rackham’s Roost Site emballonurid remains are referrable to the modern species Taphozous georgianus Thomas, 1915, but the extant species T. troughtoni Tate, 1952 also appears to be present, as well as a very large, as-yet undetermined species of Saccolaimus Temminck, 1838. We identify craniodental features that clearly distinguish T. georgianus from the externally very similar T. troughtoni. Results suggest that the distributions of T. georgianus and T. troughtoni may have overlapped in north-western Queensland since at least the early Pleistocene.https://peerj.com/articles/10857.pdfSheath-tailed batsEmballonuridaePleistoceneRiversleigh World Heritage AreaAustralian distribution |
| spellingShingle | Tyler R. King Troy J. Myers Kyle N. Armstrong Michael Archer Suzanne J. Hand Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species PeerJ Sheath-tailed bats Emballonuridae Pleistocene Riversleigh World Heritage Area Australian distribution |
| title | Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species |
| title_full | Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species |
| title_fullStr | Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species |
| title_short | Sheath-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site, Riversleigh World Heritage Area, and the distribution of northern Australian emballonurid species |
| title_sort | sheath tailed bats chiroptera emballonuridae from the early pleistocene rackham s roost site riversleigh world heritage area and the distribution of northern australian emballonurid species |
| topic | Sheath-tailed bats Emballonuridae Pleistocene Riversleigh World Heritage Area Australian distribution |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/10857.pdf |
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