The western red bat or desert red bat (''Lasiurus frantzii'') is a species of

microbat Microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). Bats have long been differentiated into Megachiroptera (megabats) and Microchiroptera, based on their size, the use of echolocation by the Microchiroptera a ...

in the family

Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat familie ...

. It is found in western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Taxonomy

Previously, it was believed to be a subspecies of the

southern red bat The southern red bat (''Lasiurus blossevillii'') is a species of microbat found in South America. Taxonomy Previously, the western red bat (''L. frantzii'') was classified as a subspecies of the southern red bat, but phylogenetic evidence su ...

(''Lasiurus blossevillii''), and was called ''Lasiurus blossevillii teliotis'' (abbreviated ''L. b. teliotis''). The western red bat is also very similar to the eastern red bat and is distinguished from each other by minor differences, such as the lack of white-tipped hair in the dorsal pelage in the western red bat and the presence of sparse fur in the lower third of their tail. Their habitats are separated by the Rocky Mountains and may overlap.

Distribution and habitat

The western red bat is found across western North America, ranging from southern Canada, through the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, down to Central America. The species has been recorded in Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States. This species, along with most other ''Lasiurus'', is a migratory species. It migrates to the southern parts of the Americas in the winter, and migrates north in the summer. ''Lasiurus frantzii'' is most often found in tree foliage, as are most species in the genus ''

Lasiurus ''Lasiurus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilio ...

'', and is a

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization in ...

species. The common name implies that the desert red bat lives in the desert, but they actually hibernate under leaves in forests. Their coat color especially helps them

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

with dead leaves.

Reproduction

Unlike most bats, which bear only one pup per season, the western red bat can give birth to as many as four pups at once. To compensate for larger litters, desert red bats have four nipples rather than two. The bats mate during August and September. Pups are born about 90 days after mating. Before the bats are able to fly, the mother carries up to four pups at a time. It takes up to six weeks for the bats to fly by themselves and one to three years to mature.

Ecology

Male and female red bats have different migrating routines. Female bats are usually found in warmer climates during the month of June.

Diet and hunting

The desert red bat is an

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

. They eat moths, flies, true bugs, beetles, and cicadas. The desert red bat is nocturnal. They use

animal echolocation Echolocation, also called bio sonar, is a biological sonar used by several animal species. Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these ...

to hunt for insects. While they hunt, they are prone to predators, which include owls, blue jays, raccoons and opossum.

References

Lasiurus

Bats of North America Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

Mammals described in 1871 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{Vespertilionidae-stub