Archaeonycteris fossil map
Where fossils of Archaeonycteris have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 56 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 56–37.71 million years ago (Ypresian to Bartonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Archaeonycteridae |
| Named by | Revilliod 1917 |
| Fossil records | 16 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, Germany, India, Portugal |
| Rock formations | Lignites de Soissonais, txn:40629, Messel, Cambay Shale, Silveirinha |
About Archaeonycteris
Archaeonycteris is an archaic bat genus whose fossilised remains have been found in Germany, France, England and India.
The genus was established in 1917, when Pierre Revilliod described the material excavated at the Messel Pit as the fossil species Archaeonycteris trigonodon.
Archaeonycteris trigonodon Revilliod, 1917 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany
Archaeonycteris pollex Storch & Habersetzer, 1988 - Messel Pit (Lutetian), Germany
Archaeonycteris brailloni Russell et al., 1973 - Avenay quarry (Ypresian), France
Archaeonycteris relicta Harrison & Hooker, 2010 - Creechbarrow Limestone Formation, England
Archaeonycteris storchi Smith et al., 2007 - Vastan Lignite Mines (Ypresian), India
A species discovered at the Silveirinha site in Portugal, Archaeonycteris praecursor, was described in 2009 and estimated to be the oldest of the known taxa, and one of the oldest known bats. The fossil material uncovered in Dorset, England, and described as Archaeonycteris relicta is dated to a later period in the Eocene, this is the most recent known species. The only species to found beyond Europe is the Early Eocene fossil species Archaeonycteris storchi, which occurs in India.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Archaeonycteris (revision 1292760420), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q9158935.
