Pipistrellus

"Pipistrelle" redirects here. For the light aircraft manufacturer, see Pipistrel.

Pipistrellus
A small, round bat with a brown, fluffy body and small ears sits on the hand of a researcher.
Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
Tribe: Pipistrellini
Genus: Pipistrellus
Kaup, 1829
Type species
Vespertilio pipistrellus
Schreber, 1774
Species

See text

Pipistrellus is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae.[1] The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word pipistrello, meaning "bat" (from Latin vespertilio "bird of evening, bat").

The size of the genus has been considerably reduced as a result of work during the 1990s and 2000s, with genera such as Arielulus, Hypsugo, Falsistrellus, Neoromicia, Parastrellus, Perimyotis, Scotozous, and Vespadelus being split off. Still, molecular evidence suggests 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. Species of the Southern Hemisphere separated to genus Falsistrellus are sometimes referred to as false pipistrelle or falsistrelle.[2]

They are somewhat distinguished from their much larger relatives, the noctule bats Nyctalus by their weak, fluttery flight reminiscent of a butterfly, though a few species are more direct in their flight.

  1. ^ Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 472–479. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Richards, G.C.; Hall, L.S.; Parish, S. (photography) (2012). A natural history of Australian bats : working the night shift. CSIRO Pub. p. 159. ISBN 9780643103740.