| Murgon Bat Temporal range: 54.6 Ma Early Eocene |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Suborder: | Microchiroptera |
| Family: | †Archaeonycteridae |
| Genus: | Australonycteris |
| Species: | A. clarkae |
| Binomial name | |
| Australonycteris clarkae Hand, Novacek, Godthelp & Archer, 1994 |
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Australonycteris is a monotypic extinct genus of microchiropteran bat with the single species Australonycteris clarkae.[1] The species is known from fragmentary remains found at the Murgon fossil site, in south-eastern Queensland, dating to the early Eocene, 54.6 million years ago.[1] It is one of the oldest bats in the world[1], and inhabited forests and swampy areas, with a diet of insects and probably even small fish.