List of vespertilionines


Vespertilioninae is one of the four subfamilies of Vespertilionidae, itself one of twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the microbat suborder. A member of this subfamily is called a vespertilionine, or a vesper bat. They are found in all continents besides Antarctica, primarily in caves, forests, and rocky areas, though some species can also be found in shrublands, grasslands, or deserts. They range in size from the pygmy bamboo bat, at plus a tail, to the Schreber's yellow bat, at plus a tail. Like all bats, vespertilionines are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from to. They are all insectivorous and eat a variety of insects and spiders, with the exception of the greater noctule bat, which regularly eats small birds. Almost no vespertilionines have population estimates, though seven species—the New Caledonian wattled bat, Guadeloupe big brown bat, Socotran pipistrelle, Rosevear's serotine, Japanese noctule, Madeira pipistrelle, and Genoways's yellow bat—are categorized as endangered species, and five species—the New Zealand long-tailed bat, New Caledonian long-eared bat, New Guinea big-eared bat, Canary long-eared bat, and Sardinian long-eared bat—are categorized as critically endangered with populations as low as 40. Three species—the Lord Howe long-eared bat, Christmas Island pipistrelle, and Sturdee's pipistrelle—have been made extinct since 1500 CE.
The 275 extant species of Vespertilioninae are divided between 45 genera, ranging in size from 1 to 33 species. A few extinct prehistoric vespertilionine species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

Conventions

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the vespertilionine's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "". Population figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Classification

Vespertilioninae, one of the four subfamilies of the family Vespertilionidae, contains 275 extant species divided into 45 genera, plus 3 species that have been made extinct in the modern era.
Subfamily Vespertilioninae

Vespertilionines

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World, with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.