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A new large philisid (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionoidea) from the late Early Eocene of Chambi, Tunisia
Author(s) -
RAVEL ANTHONY,
MARIVAUX LAURENT,
TABUCE RODOLPHE,
BEN HAJ ALI MUSTAPHA,
ESSID EL MABROUK,
VIANEYLIAUD MONIQUE
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
palaeontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1475-4983
pISSN - 0031-0239
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01160.x
Subject(s) - extant taxon , paleontology , taxon , genus , eutheria , geology , phanerozoic , zoology , biology , cenozoic , evolutionary biology , structural basin
Among the new dental remains from the late Early Eocene of Chambi (Kasserine area, Tunisia) is a large‐sized upper molar of a new bat species, Witwatia sigei nov. sp. (Chiroptera, Vespertilionoidea, Philisidae), described herein. The locality of Chambi has revealed evidence for an early appearance of two modern microchiropteran superfamilies in Africa: Dizzya exsultans , a Philisidae, which is considered to be an archaic Vespertilionoidea, and an indeterminate Rhinolophoidea. In addition to D. exsultans , the new species, W. sigei , is the second representative of the Philisidae in this locality. W. sigei extends back to the late Early Eocene the occurrence of the genus Witwatia , which was previously only reported from the early Late Eocene of the Fayum (BQ‐2, Egypt). By analogy with the largest extant microbats, the large size of Witwatia suggests a tendency to the opportunistic diet of this taxon, thereby contrasting with the strict insectivory characterizing primitive bats found in other continents in the same epoch.