Clarendonian (Late Miocene) Bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae and Molossidae) From the Ogallala Formation, High Plains of Oklahoma, Usa

Abstract

Among the small vertebrate fossils of late Miocene age recently recovered from the Ogallala Formation in western Oklahoma are three taxa of bats. The bat fossils occurred together with vertebrate fossils of the Whisenhunt local fauna of Clarendonian age, biochron Cl2, from the Whisenhunt Quarry and another nearby locality tentatively assigned to the same local fauna. The only previous record of fossil bats from the area was of Myotis cf. yumanensis. We prefer to call the previous record of Myotis species indeterminate and provide the first Oklahoma Miocene records of a pallid bat, Antrozous cf. pallidus (Vespertilionidae), and a free-tailed bat of indeterminate genus (Molossidae). The molossid is a relatively large species approximately the size of the recent big free-tailed bat, Nyctinomops macrotis. Although the sample is very limited, these are the only pre-Quaternary bats known from Oklahoma.