Pipistrellus
Encyclopedia
Pipistrellus is a genus of bat
s in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae
. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word Pipistrello, meaning "bat".
The size of the genus has been considerably reduced as a result of work during the 1990s and 2000s, with genera like Arielulus
, Hypsugo
, Falsistrellus
, Neoromicia
, Parastrellus, Perimyotis, Scotozous and Vespadelus
being split off. Still, molecular evidence suggests that the genus is not monophyletic. Several other genera in the subfamily Vespertilioninae have also been merged with Pipistrellus in previous classifications. Species in the genus may be referred to as "pipistrelles" or "pipistrelle bats", though these terms are also used for species now placed in other genera, such as the Western Pipistrelle
(Parastrellus hesperus) and Eastern Pipistrelle
(Perimyotis subflavus) of North America.
They are somewhat distinguished from their much larger cousins, the noctule bats Nyctalus
by their weak, fluttery flight reminiscent more of a butterfly than anything else, though a few species are more direct in their flight.
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae
Vespertilioninae
Vespertilioninae is a subfamily of Vesper Bats from the family Vespertilionidae.-Classification:Subfamily Vespertilioninae*Tribe Eptesicini**Genus Arielulus***Collared Pipistrelle, Arielulus aureocollaris...
. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word Pipistrello, meaning "bat".
The size of the genus has been considerably reduced as a result of work during the 1990s and 2000s, with genera like Arielulus
Arielulus
Arielulus is a genus of Vesper bats. It contains the following species, sometimes in Pipistrellus:Genus Arielulus*Collared Pipistrelle *Black-Gilded Pipistrelle...
, Hypsugo
Hypsugo
The genus Hypsugo contains many bats referred to as pipistrelles or pipistrelle bats. They belong to the family Vespertilionidae or vesper bats within the order Chiroptera.-Species:*Hypsugo alaschanicus...
, Falsistrellus
Falsistrellus
Falsistrellus is a genus of vesper bats. It contains five species.Genus Falsistrellus*Chocolate Pipistrelle, Falsistrellus affinis*Western False Pipistrelle, Falsistrellus mackenziei*Pungent Pipistrelle, Falsistrellus mordax...
, Neoromicia
Neoromicia
Neoromicia is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.It contains the following species:* Dark-Brown Serotine * Cape Serotine * Yellow Serotine...
, Parastrellus, Perimyotis, Scotozous and Vespadelus
Vespadelus
Vespadelus is a genus of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It contains the following species:* Inland Forest Bat * Northern Cave Bat * Large Forest Bat...
being split off. Still, molecular evidence suggests that the genus is not monophyletic. Several other genera in the subfamily Vespertilioninae have also been merged with Pipistrellus in previous classifications. Species in the genus may be referred to as "pipistrelles" or "pipistrelle bats", though these terms are also used for species now placed in other genera, such as the Western Pipistrelle
Western Pipistrelle
The canyon bat , also known as the Western Pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family. It is found in Mexico and in the western United States...
(Parastrellus hesperus) and Eastern Pipistrelle
Eastern Pipistrelle
The Tricolored Bat is a species of bat that is widely distributed throughout the eastern parts of North America, ranging west until Kansas and Texas, from Honduras up north until southern Ontario...
(Perimyotis subflavus) of North America.
They are somewhat distinguished from their much larger cousins, the noctule bats Nyctalus
Nyctalus
The bat genus Nyctalus are members of the family Vespertilionidae or sometimes Evening bats. They are distributed in the temperate and subtropical areas of Europe, Asia and North Africa.There are eight species within this genus:...
by their weak, fluttery flight reminiscent more of a butterfly than anything else, though a few species are more direct in their flight.
Species
- Japanese pipistrelle, Pipistrellus abramus
- Adams's PipistrelleAdams's PipistrelleThe Forest Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus adamsi, is a species of vesper bat found in Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 09 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus adamsi - Mt. Gargues PipistrelleMt. Gargues PipistrelleThe Mount Gargues Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat found in Kenya and possibly Ethiopia. It typically lives in subtropical or tropical forests.-Source:...
, Pipistrellus aero - Angulate PipistrelleAngulate PipistrelleThe Angulate Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 9 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus angulatus - Kelaart's PipistrelleKelaart's PipistrelleKelaart's Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat found in Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam.-References:...
, Pipistrellus ceylonicus - Greater Papuan PipistrelleGreater Papuan PipistrelleThe Greater Papuan Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 9 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus collinus - Indian PipistrelleIndian PipistrelleThe Indian Pipistrelle is a species of bat in the Vespertilionidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.-References:...
, Pipistrellus coromandra - Egyptian PipistrelleEgyptian PipistrelleThe Egyptian Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, possibly Burkina Faso, possibly Ghana, possibly Kenya, possibly Nigeria, possibly Senegal, and possibly Somalia.Its natural habitats are rocky areas, hot deserts, and...
, Pipistrellus deserti - Endo's PipistrelleEndo's PipistrelleEndo's Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: Japan.It is found in these habitats: temperate forests.-Source:* Ishii, N. 2000. . Downloaded on 09 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus endoi - Grandidier's Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus grandidieri
- Hanaki's Dwarf Bat, Pipistrellus hanaki
- Dusky PipistrelleDusky PipistrelleThe Dusky Pipistrelle is a small pipistrelle bat found in Africa....
, Pipistrellus hesperidus - Aellen's PipistrelleAellen's PipistrelleAellen's Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: possibly Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Sudan.It is found in these habitats: dry savanna and moist savanna....
, Pipistrellus inexspectatus - Java PipistrelleJava PipistrelleThe Java Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus javanicus, is a species of pipistrelle bat found in South and Southeast Asia, including Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Brunei; Cambodia; China; India; Indonesia; Laos; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand and Vietnam. It favors human...
, Pipistrellus javanicus - Kuhl's PipistrelleKuhl's PipistrelleKuhl's Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, France, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia,...
, Pipistrellus kuhlii - Madeira PipistrelleMadeira PipistrelleThe Madeira Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It can be found in the following countries: Portugal and Spain, being endemic to Madeira and the Canary Islands.-Source:...
, Pipistrellus maderensis - Minahassa PipistrelleMinahassa PipistrelleThe Minahassa Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: Indonesia.-Source:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 09 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus minahassae - Christmas Island PipistrelleChristmas Island PipistrelleThe Christmas Island Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat found only on Christmas Island, Australia.It is a small bat weighing around 3 to 4.5 grams. It has sometimes been considered synonymous with Pipistrellus tenuis; however, revisions of the genus based on baculum have identified...
, Pipistrellus murrayi (†ExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
?, last sighting in August 2009) - Tiny PipistrelleTiny PipistrelleThe Tiny Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.It...
, Pipistrellus nanulus - Nathusius's pipistrelleNathusius's PipistrelleNathusius' Pipistrelle is a small bat in the pipistrelle genus. It is very similar to the Common Pipistrelle and has been overlooked in many areas until recently but it is widely distributed across Europe.-Description:...
, Pipistrellus nathusii - Lesser Papuan PipistrelleLesser Papuan PipistrelleThe Lesser Papuan Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It can be found in the following countries: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.-Source:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 09 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus papuanus - Mount Popa PipistrelleMount Popa PipistrelleThe Mount Popa Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It is found in China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.-Source:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus paterculus - Dar-Es-Salaam PipistrelleDar-Es-Salaam PipistrelleThe Dar es Salaam Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family. It is found only in Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-Source:...
, Pipistrellus permixtus - Common pipistrelleCommon PipistrelleThe Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus is a small pipistrelle bat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, southwestern Asia, and possibly into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles....
, Pipistrellus pipistrellus - Soprano PipistrelleSoprano PipistrelleThe Soprano Pipistrelle is a small bat that was only formally separated from the Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus in 1999....
, Pipistrellus pygmaeus - Racey's PipistrellePipistrellus raceyiPipistrellus raceyi, also known as Racey's pipistrelle bat, is a bat from Madagascar, in the genus Pipistrellus. Although unidentified species of Pipistrellus had been previously reported from Madagascar since the 1990s, P. raceyi was not formally named until 2006...
, Pipistrellus raceyi - Rüppell's Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus rueppellii
- Rusty PipistrelleRusty PipistrelleThe Rusty Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Its...
, Pipistrellus rusticus - Narrow-winged PipistrelleNarrow-winged PipistrelleThe Narrow-Winged Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It can be found in the following countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.-References:...
, Pipistrellus stenopterus - Sturdee's PipistrelleSturdee's PipistrelleSturdee's Pipistrelle is a bat that lived in Japan before officially becoming extinct in 2000.-Range:Pipistrellus studeei was known to have existed only on Hahajima Island in Bonin Islands, Japan. Some experts claim that this species never actually lived in Japan and its locality in Japan is just...
, Pipistrellus sturdeei (†ExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
2000) - Least PipistrelleLeast PipistrelleThe Least Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It is found in Afghanistan, Cameroon, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.- Subspecies :Subspecies include:* Pipistrellus tenuis tenuis...
, Pipistrellus tenuis - Watts's PipistrelleWatts's PipistrelleWatt's Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat.It is found only in Papua New Guinea.-Source:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus wattsi - Koopman's PipistrelleKoopman's PipistrelleThe Northern Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus westralis, is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Pipistrellus westralis