HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Mystacina'' is the sole surviving genus of the family
Mystacinidae __NOTOC__ Mystacinidae is a family of unusual bats, the New Zealand short-tailed bats. There is one living genus, '' Mystacina'', with two species, one of which could have possibly become extinct in the 1960s. They are medium-sized bats, about in ...
. The
New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (''Mystacina tuberculata'') is a small-sized omnivorous mammal endemic to the islands of New Zealand. It is one of two extant and three overall terrestrial mammal species unique to New Zealand. The NZ lesse ...
is the only member of this group confirmed to survive today, since the closely related
New Zealand greater short-tailed bat The New Zealand greater short-tailed bat (''Mystacina robusta'') is one of two species of New Zealand short-tailed bats, a family (Mystacinidae) unique to New Zealand. Larger than the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, there have been no confi ...
possibly went extinct as recently as 1965. A third species, '' Mystacina miocenalis'', is known from the
Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...
some 19-16 million years ago.


References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q368565 Bat genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mystacinidae Mammals of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic mammals of New Zealand