''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 The orange leaf-nosed bat (''Rhinonicteris aurantia'') is a bat in the family Hipposideridae. 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 ...

'', which occurs in the same area.

Description

A hipposiderid that resembles the extant species ''

'', and related to 'leaf-nosed' bats found on other continents. The leaf-shaped structure is an elaborate and fleshy arrangement that assisted the bat to locate its assumed prey, flying insects, by manipulating the high frequency sound used in echolocation. The ultra high frequency sound is produced in the larynx and emitted through the nose. Like other bats, the shape of the ears was attuned to receive the reflected sound, and is grooved in appearance. As with other hipposiderids, a protuberance at the ear—the enlarged and fleshy tragus found in other bat species—is absent. The wingspan was around 150 millimetres. They inhabited

limestone cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. ...

s in large numbers, up to five thousand, during a period 24-16 million years ago; this is supported by the evidence at Riversleigh, They are thought to have existed until the early Miocene. Another bat species that was fossilised in the region was ''

Australonycteris clarkae ''Australonycteris'' is an extinct and monotypic genus of microchiropteran bat with the single species ''Australonycteris clarkae''. The species is known from fragmentary remains found at the Murgon fossil site, in south-eastern Queensland, datin ...

'', which existed during the

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

period (55mya) and is amongst the most ancient to have been discovered. The nearest known relations are extant species in

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 ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and extinct bat taxa in

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 ...

and the

arabian peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

. The species has been referred to as the Riversleigh leaf-nosed bat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q60768355 Miocene bats Hipposideridae Fossils of Australia Extinct animals of Australia