Onychonycteridae

Onychonycteridae is an extinct family of bats known only from the early Eocene of Europe and North America. The type species, Onychonycteris finneyi, was described in 2008 from two nearly complete skeletons found in the Green River Formation of southwestern Wyoming.[1] Since that time a number of previously described fossil bat species have been assigned to Onychonycteridae,[2] as well as another more recently discovered species[3]

Onychonycteridae Temporal range: Early Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	†Onychonycteridae
Genera
†Ageina Russell et al., 1973 †Eppsinycteris Hooker, 1996 †Honrovits Beard et al., 1992 †Marnenycteris Hand et al., 2015 †Onychonycteris Simmons et al., 2008
Synonyms
†Eppsinycterididae Hooker, 2010

Most species belonging to Onychonycteridae are known only from isolated teeth and jaw fragments, however, they can be recognized by their relatively square-shaped upper molars, simple lower fourth premolar, and primitive, necromantodont lower molars.[4][5] Onychonycteris finneyi exhibits additional primitive features of its skeleton, including claws on all five fingers and a simple cochlea that suggests it was incapable of echolocation.[6][1] The dimensions of its wings suggest it employed a more primitive method of flight than living bats[7]