''Brevipalatus mcculloughi'' is a species of bat that existed in the

early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was prece ...

. It was discovered at a fossil deposit of the

Riversleigh World Heritage Area Riversleigh World Heritage Area is Australia's most famous fossil location, recognised for the series of well preserved fossils deposited from the Late Oligocene to more recent geological periods. The fossiliferous limestone system is located ne ...

Taxonomy

The description of ''Brevipalatus mcculloughi'' was published in 2005 by senior researchers at the Riversleigh fossil sites

Suzanne Hand Suzanne J. Hand (born 1955) is an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, a teacher of geology and biology, who has a special interest in vertebrate palaeontology and modern mammals. Her research has been published in over a hund ...

and Mike Archer, separated from other bats of the

hipposiderid 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.Simmons, 20 ...

family by a new genus. A

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

was selected from a large amount of fossilised material in a deposition at the Bitesantennary Site, part of a skull with some intact molars. All the specimens included in the first description were obtained at the type locality. The name ''Brevipalatus'' is derived from Latin to describe the shortness of the palate. A specific epithet was selected by the authors to honour Ron McCullough, then mayor of

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, bas ...

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, who is credited with giving extensive support to the research and recognition of the

Description

A chiropteran allied to the hipposiderid family, known as old world leaf-nosed bats, which use echolocation to hunt at night. The short length of palate distinguished the new taxon from others of the family. The

dentition Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...

of ''Brevipalatus mcculloughi'', along with other structures of the ear and rostrum found in modern species of leaf-nosed bats, indicate they also consumed nocturnal insects like moths that were caught in flight. The weight range is estimated to be around 8 grams, and forearm length of 45–50 millimetres. A modern hipposiderid species that occurs in northern Australia, ''

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 ...

'' (orange leaf-nosed bat), is thought to be closely related to this earlier species.

Distribution

''Brevipalatus mcculloughi'' was discovered in a fossil deposit known as the Bitesantennary site, a diverse assemblage of bat species and other

Riversleigh fauna Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Faunal zones The presence of the Riversleigh in the Oligo-Miocene has been exceptionally well preserved ...

of the time. This site was a cave within a limestone formation that was occupied by ''B. mcculloughi'' during the

, classified in Riversleigh research as Faunal Zone B. The species foraged in an area that was dominated by rainforest and probably cohabited with other species of bats at its daytime roosts.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q64205262 Riversleigh fauna Megadermatidae Mammals described in 1996 Bats of Australia