Pipistrellus

Pipistrelle bats
Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Chiroptera Family: Vespertilionidae Genus: Pipistrellus Kaup, 1829

Wikispecies has information related to:

Pipistrellus

The genus Pipistrellus contains the bats referred to as pipistrelles or pipistrelle bats. They belong to the family Vespertilionidae or vesper bats within the order Chiroptera. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word Pipistrello, meaning "bat".

There are within the group seven subgenera with a currently accepted total of seventy-seven species, making them one of the larger groupings within the order.

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.

The Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus has a very large range across most of Europe, North Africa, southwestern Asia, and possibly into Korea. It is one of the most common species in the British Isles, along with its close relative the Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus, from which it was only taxonomically separated in 1999. The two species are distinguished principally on the frequency of their echo-location calls, which also give them their alternative names of 45kHz pipistrelle (common) and 55kHz pipistrelle (soprano).

In North America, two species are widely distributed, though both (like bats in densely inhabited areas in general) are on the brink of becoming endangered in many regions by a loss of suitable nesting and hibernation places: the Eastern Pipistrelle Pipistrellus subflavus and the Western Pipistrelle Pipistrellus hesperus.

Species

• Pipistrellus abramus (Japanese pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus adamsi (Adams's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus aero (Mt. Gargues pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus angulatus (angulate pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus ceylonicus (Kelaart's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus collinus (Greater Papuan pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus coromandra (Indian pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus deserti (desert pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus endoi (Endo's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus hanaki
• Pipistrellus hesperidus (dusky pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus hesperus (western pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus inexspectatus (Aellen's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus javanicus (Himalayan pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus maderensis (Madeira pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus minahassae (Minahassa pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus murrayi (Murray's/Christmas Island pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus nanulus (tiny pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus nathusii (Nathusius's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus papuanus (Lesser Papuan pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus paterculus (Mount Popa pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus permixtus (Dar-es-Salaam pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus pipistrellus (common pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus pygmaeus (soprano pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus rueppellii (Rüppell's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus rusticus (rusty pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus stenopterus (narrow-winged pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus sturdeei (Sturdee's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus tenuis (least pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus wattsi (Watts's pipistrelle)
• Pipistrellus westralis (Koopman's pipistrelle)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Pipistrellus

Donate to Wikimedia