''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of

bat 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 ...

s 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 ...

and subfamily

Vespertilioninae The Vespertilioninae are a subfamily of vesper bats from the family Vespertilionidae. Classification Subfamily Vespertilioninae *Tribe Antrozoini **Genus '' Antrozous'' *** Pallid bat, ''Antrozous pallidus'' **Genus '' Bauerus'' *** Van Geld ...

. The name of the genus is derived from the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

word , meaning "bat" (from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"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 ''Arielulus'' is a genus of vesper bat 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 di ...

'', ''

Hypsugo The genus ''Hypsugo'' contains many bats referred to as pipistrelles or pipistrelle bats (not to be confused with the genus ''Pipistrellus''). They belong to the family Vespertilionidae or vesper bats. They are primarily found throughout Asia, th ...

'', ''

Falsistrellus ''Falsistrellus'' is a genus of vespertilionid family of bats, small predatory flying mammals. They are known from Australia. The poorly researched species have been variously placed by authors, and revised again by studies of their distinct char ...

'', ''

Neoromicia ''Neoromicia'' is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It contains the following species: * Anchieta's serotine (''Neoromicia anchietae'') * Kirindy serotine (''Neoromicia bemainty'') * Yellow serotine (''Neoromicia flavescens ...

'', ''

Parastrellus The canyon bat (''Parastrellus hesperus''), also known as the western pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Mexico and in the western United States. The species has historically been placed in the genus ''Pipistrellus ''Pip ...

'', ''

Perimyotis The tricolored bat (''Perimyotis subflavus'') is a species of microbat native to eastern North America. Formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle, based on the incorrect belief that it was closely related to European ''Pipistrellus'' species, th ...

'', ''

Scotozous Dormer's bat or Dormer's pipistrelle (''Scotozous dormeri'') is a species of vesper bat. It is the only species in its genus. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical dry forests, a ...

'', and ''

Vespadelus ''Vespadelus'' is a genus of Australian bats in the family Vespertilionidae. The genus name was first published by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton and Tom Iredale in 1934, but without an adequate description; the type was cited as ''Scotophilus pumilus' ...

'' being split off. Still, molecular evidence suggests the genus is not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

. 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 The canyon bat (''Parastrellus hesperus''), also known as the western pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Mexico and in the western United States. The species has historically been placed in the genus ''Pipistrellus ''Pip ...

(''Parastrellus hesperus'') and

eastern pipistrelle The tricolored bat (''Perimyotis subflavus'') is a species of microbat native to eastern North America. Formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle, based on the incorrect belief that it was closely related to European ''Pipistrellus'' species, th ...

(''Perimyotis subflavus'') of North America. Species of the southern hemisphere separated to genus ''

'' are sometimes referred to as 'false pipistrelle' or 'falsistrelle'. They are somewhat distinguished from their much larger relatives, the noctule bats ''

Nyctalus ''Nyctalus'' is a genus of vespertilionid bats commonly known as the noctule bats. They are distributed in the temperate and subtropical areas of Europe, Asia and North Africa. There are eight species within this genus: *Birdlike noctule, ''Nyc ...

'' by their weak, fluttery flight reminiscent of a butterfly, though a few species are more direct in their flight.

Species

Japanese pipistrelle The Japanese house bat or Japanese pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus abramus'') is a species of vesper bat. An adult has a body length of , a tail of , and a wing length of . It prefers to roost under the ceiling or inside the roof of old buildings. I ...

, ''P. abramus'' *

Forest pipistrelle The forest pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus adamsi'') is a species of vesper bat found in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (conti ...

, ''P. adamsi'' *

Mount Gargues pipistrelle The Mount Gargues pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus aero'') is a species of vesper bat found in Kenya and believed to be widely distributed across highlands in Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyo ...

, ''P. aero'' *

Anchieta's pipistrelle Anchieta's serotine (''Neoromicia anchieta''), formerly known as Anchieta's pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. The species inhabits sava ...

, ''P. anchietae'' *

Angulate pipistrelle The angulate pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus angulatus''), also known as the New Guinea pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Identification This species is virtually identical in appearance to the ...

, ''P. angulatus'' *

Kelaart's pipistrelle ''Kelaart's pipistrelle'' (''Pipistrellus ceylonicus'') is a species of vesper bat found in southern and south-eastern Asia from Pakistan to Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oce ...

, ''P. ceylonicus'' *

Greater Papuan pipistrelle The greater Papuan pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus collinus'') is a species of vesper bat found in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island wi ...

, ''P. collinus'' *

Indian pipistrelle The Indian pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus coromandra'') is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam Vietnam or Viet ...

, ''P. coromandra'' *

Crete pipistrelle Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, ''P. creticus'' *

Dhofar pipistrelle The Dhofar pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus dhofarensis'') is a species of vesper bat in the genus ''Pipistrellus''. It is found in Southern Arabia, including Oman and Yemen. Taxonomy ''Pipistrellus dhofarensis'' was described as a new species in 20 ...

, ''P. dhofarensis'' *

Endo's pipistrelle Endo's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus endoi'') is a species of vesper bat that is endemic to Japan. It is found in temperate forests. Etymology This species was described by Japanese zoologist Yoshinori Imaizumi in 1959. He named it ''endoi'' af ...

, ''P. endoi'' *

Hanak's dwarf bat Hanak's dwarf bat or Hanak's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus hanaki'') is a species of bat only found in Cyrenaica, Libya and Crete, Greece. Taxonomy ''Pipistrellus hanaki'' was described as a new species in 2004. Its description was the result of ...

, ''P. hanaki'' * Dusky pipistrelle, ''P. hesperidus'' * Aellen's pipistrelle, ''P. inexspectatus'' * Java pipistrelle, ''P. javanicus'' *

Kuhl's pipistrelle Kuhl's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus kuhlii'') is a species of vesper bat that occurs in large areas of North Africa, Southern Europe and West Asia. It lives in temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby ve ...

, ''P. kuhlii'' *

Madeira pipistrelle The Madeira pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus maderensis'') is a species of vesper bat. It is endemic to Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_ ...

, ''P. maderensis'' * Minahassa pipistrelle, ''P. minahassae'' *†

Christmas Island pipistrelle The Christmas Island pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus murrayi'') was a species of vesper bat found only on Christmas Island, Australia. The species is now extinct, with the last individual bat seen in August 2009 with no further sightings despite in ...

, ''P. murrayi'' (extinct, last sighted in August 2009) * Tiny pipistrelle, ''P. nanulus'' *

Nathusius's pipistrelle Nathusius' pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus nathusii'') is a small bat in the genus ''Pipistrellus''. It is very similar to the common pipistrelle and has been overlooked in many areas until recently but it is widely distributed across Europe. It was ...

, ''P. nathusii'' *

Lesser Papuan pipistrelle The lesser Papuan pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus papuanus'') is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the In ...

, ''P. papuanus'' * Mount Popa pipistrelle, ''P. paterculus'' * Dar es Salaam pipistrelle, ''P. permixtus'' *

Common pipistrelle The common pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus pipistrellus'') is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and may extend into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the Brit ...

, ''P. pipistrellus'' *

Soprano pipistrelle The soprano pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus pygmaeus'') is a small species of bat. It is found in Europe and often roosts on buildings. Taxonomy Until 1999, the soprano pipistrelle was considered as conspecific with the common pipistrelle The com ...

, ''P. pygmaeus'' * Racey's pipistrelle, ''P. raceyi'' * Rüppell's pipistrelle, ''P. rueppellii'' *

Rusty pipistrelle The rusty pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus rusticus'') is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Suda ...

, ''P. rusticus'' *

Simandou pipistrelle Simandou is a range of hills located in the Nzérékoré and Kankan regions of southeastern Guinea, in the country's mountainous, forested ''Guinée Forestière'' region. At the southern end of the range the site of a large iron ore deposit is ...

, ''P. simandouensis'' *

Narrow-winged pipistrelle The narrow-winged pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus stenopterus'') is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy ...

, ''P. stenopterus'' *†

Sturdee's pipistrelle Sturdee's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus sturdeei''), also known as the Bonin pipistrelle bat, is a bat that was thought to have lived in Japan before officially becoming extinct in 2000. In 2020, the IUCN changed its official status to "extinct". ' ...

, ''P. sturdeei'' (

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually 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 ...

2000) * Least pipistrelle, ''P. tenuis'' *

Watts's pipistrelle Watt's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus wattsi'') is a species of vesper bat found only in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ...

, ''P. wattsi'' * Northern pipistrelle or Koopman's pipistrelle, ''P. westralis''

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q221381 Bat genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup