| Rhinonycteridae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rhinonicteris aurantia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Superfamily: | Rhinolophoidea |
| Family: | Rhinonycteridae J.E. Gray, 1866 |
| Type species | |
| Rhinolophus aurantius Gray, 1845 | |
Rhinonycteridae is a family of bats, within to the suborder Yinpterochiroptera. The type species, the orange nose-leafed species group Rhinonicteris aurantia , is found across the north of Australia. [1]
The family accords with the description to the type genus Rhinonicteris , and its classification of the morphology of the rhinarium. The revision of Hill in 1982 follows Gray to describe the features of the nose-leaf for the subfamilial group, and these provide diagnosis to distinguish the species from other families. Molecular analysis also provides a distinctive retrotransposon insertion expressed in a gene fragment. [2]
The alliance resurrects John Edward Gray's 1866 arrangement of known microbat taxa, first published as subtribe Rhinonycterina, and elevating this to the rank of family. The taxon combined the poorly known genera Cloeotis and Triaenops in a 1982 revision that compared the nose-leaf morphology of the species. [lower-alpha 1] This name was again proposed to accommodate the fossil and extant species of the genus Rhinonicteris , separating it from the unstable arrangements of family Hipposideridae, and was elevated in 2014. [2] [3] The affinities within the families Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae are sometimes found to be contrary in morphological and molecular analyses, yet resolving the phylogeny of these speciose and poorly defined groups has implication in several areas of research. The synonymy includes earlier combinations that elevated the rank through subtribe, tribe then subfamily. The taxon Triaenopini Benda & Vallo, 2009 [4] was also reduced to a synonym for this family by the authors of the 2014 revision that elevated this taxon. [2]
The hipposiderid and rhinolophid bats are of especial interest to research into potential public health concerns, and the opportunity for a SARS-like outbreak from species that act as reservoirs for the coronaviruses implicated in conditions like the Chinese epidemic and Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. [2] The reviewing authors also emphasise the strong support for elevation to family rank of Rhinonycteridae and reconsideration as a taxonomic equivalent to family Hipposideridae, based on the time of divergence and phylogenies that indicated paraphyly in earlier morphological classifications. Aside from anticipating and detecting the sources of zoonotic disease, as carriers of the potentially lethal coronavirus species (especially those of human-lethal Betacoronavirus-b group), the treatment allows the identification of Evolutionary Significant Units within the hipposiderid, rhinolophid and the rhinonycterid lineages. [2]
A common name for what Gray referred as 'leaf-nosed bats' in establishing the Rhinonycterina, and later authors labelled 'Old World leaf-nosed bats' in transposing the name for hipposiderid species, has been proposed as trident bats (Armstrong, et al, 2016). [5]
The genus Rhinonicteris is unusual in becoming endemic to Australia, whereas the other genera are found in Africa and Madagascar, and the fossil record supports the terrestrial radiation of the family. One hypothesis is they may have aerially dispersed to new regions by island hopping, a proposed explanation for Allodapine bees that dispersed from Africa to Australia during the same epochs. The earliest dates for the arrival of the family in Australia coïncides with the arrival of Brachipposideros nooraleebus , and both are thought to have migrated through Europe and Asia to arrive and diverge at the Australian continent around 15 to 20 Ma.
The Australian Faunal Directory recognised extant taxa occurring in Australia;
The 2014 revision presents a separation as three families, equivalent to other mammalian taxonomic arrangements, and incorporates a clade identifying the type Rhinonicteris aurantia with genera Paratriaenops , Triaenops and Cloeotis . The three groups, the hipposiderid, rhinolophid and rhinonycterid families, were tested by several genomic and morphological studies that strongly supported monophyletic lineages. The families all appear to have diverged from a common ancestor around 42 Ma, and the Hipposideridae and Rhinonycteridae at approximately 39 Ma. [2] The origin of the family is determined to be the African continent. [2]
The arrangement of the family, with the subsequent inclusion of Miocene taxa, [5] may be summarised as: [2]
Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, Rhinolophus, which has about 106 species, the extinct genus Palaeonycteris has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old World leaf-nosed bats, family Hipposideridae, which have sometimes been included in Rhinolophidae. The horseshoe bats are divided into six subgenera and many species groups. The most recent common ancestor of all horseshoe bats lived 34–40 million years ago, though it is unclear where the geographic roots of the family are, and attempts to determine its biogeography have been indecisive. Their taxonomy is complex, as genetic evidence shows the likely existence of many cryptic species, as well as species recognized as distinct that may have little genetic divergence from previously recognized taxa. They are found in the Old World, mostly in tropical or subtropical areas, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
The rufous trident bat, Persian trident bat, or triple nose-leaf bat is a species of bat in the genus Triaenops. It occurs in southwestern Pakistan, southern Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. In the last country, it occurs together with the much smaller Triaenops parvus. Populations from Madagascar and mainland Africa have also been assigned to T. persicus, but are referable to the species Triaenops menamena and Triaenops afer, respectively. Madagascar populations have also been referred to as Triaenops rufus, but this name is a synonym of T. persicus.
The orange leaf-nosed bat is a bat in the family Rhinonycteridae. It is the only living species in the genus Rhinonicteris which is endemic to Australia, occurring in the far north and north-west of the continent. They roost in caves, eat moths, and are sensitive to human intrusion.
Rhinonicteris is a genus of leaf-nosed microbats, represented by fossil taxa found at Riverleigh in Queensland and the extant species Rhinonicteris aurantia, which occurs in the north and west of the Australian continent.
Grandidier's trident bat is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly assigned to the genus Triaenops, but is now placed in the separate genus Paratriaenops.
Triaenops is a genus of bat in the family Rhinonycteridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus Paratriaenops and perhaps the poorly known Cloeotis. The species of Paratriaenops, which occur on Madagascar and the Seychelles, were placed in Triaenops until 2009. Triaenops currently contains the following species:
Paratriaenops furcula, also known as Trouessart's trident bat, is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly assigned to the genus Triaenops, but is now placed in the separate genus Paratriaenops. A related species, Paratriaenops pauliani, occurs in the Seychelles.
The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own family. Nevertheless, it is most closely related to Rhinolophidae within the suborder Yinpterochiroptera.
Brachipposideros is an extinct genus of leaf-nosed bats known from Riversleigh, north-western Queensland, Australia and the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, France. The fossils date to the late Oligocene to early Miocene.
Nyctophilus is a genus of the vespertilionids or vesper bats. They are often termed Australian big-eared bats or long-eared bats, as the length of their ears often greatly exceeds that of the head. This genus occurs in the New Guinean-Australian region.
Triaenops goodmani is an extinct bat from Madagascar in the genus Triaenops. It is known from three lower jaws collected in a cave at Anjohibe in 1996, and described as a new species in 2007. The material is at most 10,000 years old. A bat humerus from the same site could not be identified as either T. goodmani or the living T. menamena. T. goodmani is identifiable as a member of Triaenops or the related genus Paratriaenops by a number of features of the teeth, such as the single-cusped, canine-like fourth premolar and the presence of a gap between the entoconid and hypoconulid cusps on the first two molars. T. goodmani is larger than the living species of Triaenops and Paratriaenops on Madagascar, and on the first molar the protoconid cusp is only slightly higher than the hypoconid, not much higher as in the other species.
Triaenops menamena is a bat in the genus Triaenops found on Madagascar, mainly in the drier regions. It was known as Triaenops rufus until 2009, when it was discovered that that name had been incorrectly applied to the species. Triaenops rufus is a synonym of Triaenops persicus, a Middle Eastern species closely related to T. menamena— the Malagasy species had previously been placed as a subspecies of T. persicus by some authors. Triaenops menamena is mostly found in forests, but also occurs in other habitats. It often roosts in large colonies and eats insects such as butterflies and moths. Because of its wide range, common occurrence, and tolerance of habitat degradation, it is not considered to be threatened.
Paratriaenops is a genus in the bat family Hipposideridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus Triaenops and perhaps the poorly known Cloeotis. The species of Paratriaenops were placed in Triaenops until 2009. Paratriaenops currently contains the following species:
Paratriaenops pauliani is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to Aldabra Atoll of the western Seychelles, where it was found on Picard Island. It was formerly considered to be part of the species Triaenops furculus, known from Madagascar, and was initially assigned as a new species within the genus Triaenops. Later it as well as T. furculus were placed in the separate genus Paratriaenops. A related species, Paratriaenops auritus, also of Madagascar, was similarly reassigned.
The African trident bat is a species of bat found in Africa.
The Yemeni trident leaf-nosed bat is a species of bat found in the Middle East.
Brachipposideros nooraleebus is an extinct species of bat, known from a large series of fossil specimens found at Riversleigh fossil site in Australia. The nearest living relative is the orange horseshoe bat, Rhinonicteris aurantia, which occurs in the same area.
Rhinonicteris tedfordi is an extinct species of microbat, of the order Chiroptera, known from fossil material found in Australia.
Brevipalatus mcculloughi is a species of bat that existed in the early Miocene. It was discovered at a fossil deposit of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area.
Xenorhinos halli is a species of bat that existed in the early Miocene. It was discovered at a fossil deposit of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in the north of Australia.