''Archaeonycteris'' is an archaic

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 ...

genus whose fossilised remains have been found in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

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 so ...

. The genus was established in 1917, when

Pierre Revilliod Pierre Revilliod (1883–1954) was a Swiss naturalist. From 1927–1953 Revilliod was a curator and researcher at the Natural History Museum of Geneva. He is best known for his work on fossil bats and on the origin and descent of farm anim ...

described the material excavated at the Messel Pit as the fossil species '' Archaeonycteris trigonodon''. *''Archaeonycteris trigonodon'' Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit (

Lutetian The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Midd ...

), Germany *''Archaeonycteris pollex'' Storch & Habersetzer, 1988 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany *''Archaeonycteris brailloni'' Russell ''et al.'', 1973 - Avenay quarry (

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

), France *''Archaeonycteris relicta'' Harrison & Hooker, 2010 - Creechbarrow Limestone Formation, England *''Archaeonycteris storchi'' Smith ''et al.'', 2007 - Vastan Lignite Mines (Ypresian), India A species discovered at the Silveirinha site in Portugal, '' Archaeonycteris praecursor'', was described in 2009 and estimated to be the oldest of the known taxa. The fossil material uncovered in Dorset, England, and described as ''Archaeonycteris relicta'' is dated to a later period in the Eocene, this is the most recent known species. The only species to found beyond Europe is the Early Eocene fossil species ''Archaeonycteris storchi'', which occurs in India. Archaeonycteris trigonodon 4

References

Eocene bats Eocene mammals of Europe Eocene mammals of Asia Prehistoric bat genera Fossil taxa described in 1917 {{paleo-bat-stub