Macroderma (bat)

Macroderma is a genus of microbats, present in the fossil record and as one extant species.

[1] The taxonomic placement is to family Megadermatidae of the suborder Microchiroptera.

[3] The genus describes an extant and fossil species that are endemic to Australian and known to have existed in the early Miocene.

Descriptions of new species have emerged from excavations of specimens in caves at the southern part of the continent, along with sub-fossil remains at several sites.

The extensive fossil record of the Riversleigh fauna has provided the most material and sequential evidence of Macroderma species, including their middens and associations with other bats, although this is restricted to the fossiliferous karst systems of the Riversleigh research area.