A moveable face: deconstructing the Microchiroptera and a new classification of extant bats

Understanding of bat systematics and evolution has undergone a radical transformation in the last decade as a result of a series of studies employing molecular techniques to investigate higher-level bat relationships (Hutcheon et al., 1998; Teeling et al., 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005; Springer et al., 2001; Hoofer et al., 2003; Hutcheon and Kirsch, 2004; Eick et al., 2005). While some conclusions of these papers have garnered more attention than others (e.g., ‘microbat paraphyly’), it should be apparent that the overall implications of the molecular studies go well beyond the replacement of one or two bat families and touch also on issues which relate to the evolution of both flight and echolocation (Hutcheon et al., 1998; Teeling et al., 2000). We begin by discussing the traditional bat classification and its rationale, then go on to consider evidence necessitating its renovation, and finally suggest appropriate nomenclature.