Data from: Bats (Chiroptera: Noctilionoidea) challenge a recent origin of extant neotropical diversity

The mechanisms underlying the high extant biodiversity in the Neotropics
have been controversial since the 19th century. Support for the influence
of period-specific changes on diversification often rests on detecting
more speciation events during a particular period. The timing of
speciation events may reflect the influence of incomplete taxon sampling,
protracted speciation, and null processes of lineage accumulation. Here we
assess the influence of these factors on the timing of speciation with new
multilocus data for New World noctilionoid bats (Chiroptera:
Noctilionoidea). Biogeographic analyses revealed the importance of the
Neotropics in noctilionoid diversification, and the critical role of
dispersal. We detected no shift in speciation rate associated with the
Quaternary or pre-Quaternary periods, and instead found an increase in
speciation linked to the evolution of the subfamily Stenodermatinae (∼18
Ma). Simulations modeling constant speciation and extinction rates for the
phylogeny systematically showed more speciation events in the Quaternary.
Since recording more divergence events in the Quaternary can result from
lineage accumulation, the age of extant sister species cannot be
interpreted as supporting higher speciation rates during this period.
Instead, analyzing the factors that influence speciation requires modeling
lineage-specific traits and environmental, spatial, and ecological drivers
of speciation.