Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Noctilionoidea Phylum Chordata Order Bat | Class Mammalia Scientific name Myzopoda Rank Genus | |
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Family Myzopodidae
Thomas, 1904 Similar Madagascar sucker‑fo, Thyropteridae, Bat, Furipteridae, Mystacinidae | ||
Myzopoda, which has two described species, is the only genus in the bat family Myzopodidae. Myzopodidae is unique as the only family of bats presently endemic to Madagascar. However, fossil discoveries indicate that the family has an ancient lineage in Africa, extending from the Pleistocene as far back as the late Eocene. Based on nuclear DNA sequence data, Myzopodidae appears to be basal in the Gondwanan superfamily Noctilionoidea, most of whose members are neotropical. The origin and initial diversification of Noctilionoidea may have occurred in Africa prior to their dispersal to Australia and South America, probably via Antarctica. On the basis of fossil and molecular clock evidence, myzopodids are estimated to have split off from the rest of Noctilionoidea about 50 (46 to 57) million years ago.