# Vulcanops

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***Vulcanops jennyworthyae*** is an extinct species of [bat](/source/Bat) that lived during the Miocene in New Zealand, a large burrowing [microchiropteran](/source/Microchiropteran) that probably ate arthropods and plant material around twenty million years before present. It is the type and [only described species](/source/Monotypic_taxon) of the genus ***Vulcanops***.

## Taxonomy and etymology

*Vulcanops jennyworthyae* was [described](/source/Species_description) in 2018 from fossilized teeth and bone fragments.[2] The new genus and species were placed within the family [Mystacinidae](/source/Mystacinidae), commonly called the burrowing bats. The genus name "*Vulcanops*" is derived from the Roman god of fire and volcanoes, [Vulcan](/source/Vulcan_(mythology)). The suffix "-ops" is commonly used for bat genera.[1] "Vulcan" was chosen in homage to the tectonic nature of New Zealand, as well as a historic hotel, Vulcan Hotel, in the mining town of [Saint Bathans](/source/Saint_Bathans).[3] The [eponym](/source/Eponym) for the [specific epithet](/source/Specific_epithet) "*jennyworthyae*" is [Jennifer P. Worthy](/source/Jennifer_P._Worthy) "in recognition of her pivotal role in revealing the diversity of the [St Bathans Fauna](/source/Saint_Bathans_Fauna)."[1] Jennifer Worthy is the scientist who discovered the fossils of *V. jennyworthyae*. The fossilized remains were found in sediments approximately 16–19 million years old.[3]

## Description

Based on the mean of several extrapolations from the size of its teeth, *Vulcanops jennyworthyae* would have weighed slightly less than 40 grams (1.4 oz).[1] Its body mass would be three times the average size of modern bats.[2] It is the largest bat of [its family](/source/Mystacinidae) ever described.[3]

## Biology and ecology

The presence of a large [hypocone](/source/Cusp_(anatomy)) on its upper [molars](/source/Molar_(tooth)) indicates that it was not strictly [carnivorous](/source/Carnivore). A large, blunt hypocone is indicative of [herbivory](/source/Herbivore).[1] It would have lived among the trees while also foraging on the ground. It likely consumed [invertebrates](/source/Invertebrate) such as [insects](/source/Insect) and [spiders](/source/Spider).[2]

Their diet likely included a range of animals and plants and more closely resembled that of distantly related South American [Yangochiroptera](/source/Yangochiroptera) species than other [Mystacinidae](/source/Mystacinidae), consuming greater amounts of plant-based foods than the smaller and more carnivorous modern Mystacinid species.[3]

## References

1. Hand, S. J.; Beck, R. M.; Archer, M.; Simmons, N. B.; Gunnell, G. F.; Scofield, R. P.; Tennyson, A. J. D.; De Pietri, V. L.; Salisbury, S. W.; Worthy, T. H. (2018). "A new, large-bodied omnivorous bat (Noctilionoidea: Mystacinidae) reveals lost morphological and ecological diversity since the Miocene in New Zealand". *Scientific Reports*. **8** (1): 235. [Bibcode:2018NatSR...8..235H](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018NatSR...8..235H). [doi:10.1038/s41598-017-18403-w](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18403-w). [PMC 5762892](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5762892). [PMID 29321543](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29321543)

1. Zachos, Elaina. ["Extinct Burrowing Bat Discovered, and It Was Giant"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180111202907/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/giant-burrowing-bat-discovered-New-Zealand-Gondwana-spd/). *National Geographic*. National Geographic Partners, LLC. Archived from [the original](https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/giant-burrowing-bat-discovered-new-zealand-gondwana-spd/) on January 11, 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.

1. Smith, Deborah (11 January 2018). ["Giant extinct burrowing bat discovered in New Zealand"](https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/giant-extinct-burrowing-bat-discovered-new-zealand). *UNSW Sydney Newsroom*. University of New South Wales. Retrieved 15 May 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vulcanops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanops) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanops?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.