208 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. no 



material from the Pleistocene of Cumberland Cave, Md., agreed that 

 the relationship of grandis to the Kecent species is close but believed 

 it to be sufficiently different to warrant specific separation. 



'Records ioT Barbastella (Wettstein, 1931 p. 780), Lasiurus (Hibbard, 

 1950, p. 134), and Vespertilio (Kormos, 1934, p. 312) extend back at 

 least to the Pliocene. Numerous other Recent vespertilionid genera 

 have been identified in Pleistocene deposits. 



To recapitulate: The oldest recognizable vespertilionid was of 

 Upper Eocene or Lower Oligocene age. The morphologically more 

 primitive Recent genera emerged in the Oligocene and Miocene. 

 Recent species of these genera were in some instances perhaps derived 

 as early as the Pliocene, although fossil species of the same genera 

 persisted into the Pleistocene (fig. 25). 



Genus Plecotus 

 Vespertilio {Plecotus) grivensis Deperet 



Remains undoubtedly referable to Plecotus have been found only 

 in Upper Pliocene (possibly actually Lower Pleistocene) and Pleisto- 

 cene deposits. Records of greater antiquity are erroneous or question- 

 able. The controversial Vespertilio (Plecotus) grivensis of Deperet 

 (1892, p. 11, pi. 2) from the Vindobonien (Middle Miocene) fauna of 

 Grive Saint- Alban, France, is a case in point. Deperet's material 

 consisted of two fragmentary mandibles. Gaillard (1899, p. 7) later 

 reported a total of four mandible fragments from Grive Saint-Alban 

 in the Museum of Lyon. All apparenty agreed with V. grivensis, 

 but did not elucidate the unknown portions of the mandible. 



Deperet (loc. cit.) believed that the remains most closely resembled 

 Plecotus, and to this opinion Wettstein (1931, p. 779) agreed. On the 

 other hand, Gaillard (loc. cit.) preferred to leave the generic desig- 

 nation questionable. When Revilliod (1922, p. 172) reviewed all the 

 Tertiary Chiroptera, his conclusion was that Vespertilio grivensis 

 was in actuality a Myotis. 



More recently, Viret (1951, p. 21) redescribed and figured the 

 specimens (now totaling five fragments) of Vespertilio grivensis which 

 were initially reported by Deperet and Gaillard. Viret argued con- 

 vincingly that the type and one additional fragment should be regarded 

 as Rhinolophus grivensis, while the third fragment proved to be Myotis 

 sancti-albani, the fourth Sorex pusillus, and the fifth indeterminate. 



Plecotus crassidens Kormos 



Next in geologic age is the Pliocene or Lower Pleistocene Plecotus 

 crassidens of Kormos (1930b, p. 238) from Hungary and Poland. 

 Kormos did not figiu-e the fragmentary mandible upon which he based 

 the name, and there was nothing positive about his description. 



