Topic
Witwatia
About: Witwatia is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3 publications have been published within this topic receiving 50 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: The large size of Witwatia suggests a tendency to the opportunistic diet of this taxon, thereby contrasting with the strict insectivory characterizing primitive bats found in other continents in the same epoch.
Abstract: Among the new dental remains from the late Early Eocene of Chambi (Kasserine area, Tunisia) is a large-sized upper molar of a new bat species, Witwatia sigei nov. sp. (Chi- roptera, Vespertilionoidea, Philisidae), described herein. The locality of Chambi has revealed evidence for an early appear- ance of two modern microchiropteran superfamilies in Africa: Dizzya exsultans, a Philisidae, which is considered to be an archaic Vespertilionoidea, and an indeterminate Rhinolophoi- dea. In addition to D. exsultans, the new species, W. sigei, is the second representative of the Philisidae in this locality. W. sigei extends back to the late Early Eocene the occurrence of the genus Witwatia, which was previously only reported from the early Late Eocene of the Fayum (BQ-2, Egypt). By analogy with the largest extant microbats, the large size of Witwatia suggests a tendency to the opportunistic diet of this taxon, thereby con- trasting with the strict insectivory characterizing primitive bats found in other continents in the same epoch.
24 citations
TL;DR: A cladistic assessment of the dental evidence is undertaken to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within Philisidae, and its position within Vespertilionoidea, in order to highlight the origin, historical biogeography and patterns of dispersion of the most diversified extant bat group.
Abstract: Among the Afro-Arabian Palaeogene chiropterans, philisids were the most common and diversified members. The Philisidae are considered as an extinct primitive group of Vespertilionoidea, a well-diversified superfamily that today includes Natalidae, Molossidae and Vespertilionidae. However, the position of Philisidae within this superfamily has never been clearly established. These bats are characterized by a very distinctive dental morphology, and include some representatives that were among the largest bats to be known. Here we describe new dental remains attributable to philisids from the Early–Middle Eocene of Chambi, Tunisia and Gour Lazib area, Algeria. These fossils allow us to reconsider the dental morphology of the oldest philisids: Dizzya exsultans Sige, 1991 and Witwatia sigei Ravel, 2012. We have undertaken a cladistic assessment of the dental evidence (47 dental and mandible characters) to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within Philisidae, and its position within Vespertilionoidea, in or...
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a set of equations were developed to estimate the body mass of modern bats from known skeletal elements in order to test the hypothesis that Vampyravus could have been within the body size range of other Fayum bats.
Abstract: Vampyravus orientalis, from the Oligocene of Fayum, Egypt was the first fossil bat described from Africa. It is represented by a single, relatively large humerus from an unknown horizon in the Jebel Qatrani Formation. Based on regression analyses of skeletal proportions of modern bats, we developed a set of equations to estimate body mass of fossil bats from known skeletal elements in order to test the hypothesis that Vampyravus could have been within the body size range of other Fayum bats, including several recently described taxa from the Jebel Qatrani and underlying Birket Qarun Formations. Our findings indicate that only Witwatia could have had a body mass similar to Vampyravus. Witwatia is known only from Quarry BQ-2 (Late Eocene, Priabonian) in the Birket Qarun Formation. Therefore Vampyravus is between 2 and 7 million years younger, depending on where within the Jebel Qatrani Formation it was found. Also, a recently discovered distal humerus of Witwatia from BQ-2 demonstrates that this taxon diffe...
22 citations
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |