Pipistrellus

Japanese house bat Pipistrellus abramus, photographed by Yushi Osawa.

Belongs within: Vespertilioninae.

Pipistrellus, the pipistrelles, is a genus of small bats found in most of the Old World (including northern Australia) and North America. Most species of the genus have a distinctive weak, fluttery manner of flight that has been described as butterfly-like.

Characters (from Miller 1907): Dental formula I 2/3, C 1/1, Pm 2/2, M 3/3; teeth unspecialised. Outer upper incisor not as large as inner, but extending considerably beyond its cingulum. Inner upper incisor simple, or more often with a well-developed secondary cusp. Canines usually rather stout, posterior cutting edge of upper canine often, though not invariably, with incipient secondary cusp. Anterior upper premolar barely or not in toothrow. Skull similar to Myotis, though with tendency to greater breadth. External characters also similar to Myotis, except ear usually shorter and broader, tragus less acutely pointed, in some species bent forward at tip.

<==Pipistrellus Kaup 1829 (see below for synonymy) M07
    |--*P. pipistrellus (Schreber 1774) M07, K92 [=Vespertilio pipistrellus M07, Nannugo pipistrellus M07]
    |--P. abramus I92
    |--P. adamsi MF05
    |--P. aegyptius IT07
    |--P. aero IT07
    |--P. affinis IT07
    |--P. anchietai IT07
    |--P. angulatus MP78
    |--P. anthonyi IT07
    |--P. arabicus IT07
    |--P. ariel M07
    |--P. babu IT07
    |--P. bodenheimeri IT07
    |--P. cadornae IT07
    |--P. ceylonicus M07
    |--P. chrysothrix M07
    |--P. circumdatus IT07
    |--P. collinus MP78 [=P. angulatus collinus M72]
    |--P. coromandra IT07
    |--P. crassulus M07
    |--P. cuprosus IT07
    |--P. deserti M07
    |--P. dormeri IT07
    |--P. eisentrauti IT07
    |--P. endoi Imaizumi 1959 I92
    |--P. hesperus (Allen 1864) MB86
    |--P. imbricatus M07 [=Vespertilio imbricatus M89]
    |--P. inexspectatus IT07
    |--P. javanicus (Gray 1838) K92
    |--P. joffrei IT07
    |--P. kitcheneri IT07
    |--‘Hypsugo’ krascheninikowii M07
    |--P. kuhli (Kuhl 1819) KK54 [=Nannugo kuhlii M07, Vesperugo kuhlii T66; incl. *Romicia calcarata M07]
    |--‘Vesperugo’ leisleri P66
    |--P. lophurus IT07
    |--P. macrotis IT07 [=Vesperugo macrotis M89]
    |--P. maderensis IT07
    |--‘Hypsugo’ maurus M07
    |--P. mimus IT07
    |--P. minahassae IT07
    |--P. mordax IT07
    |--P. murrayi M07
    |--P. musciculus IT07
    |--P. nanulus M07
    |--P. nanus (Peters 1852) K92 [=Glischropus nanus M07]
    |--P. nathusii IT07 [=Nannugo nathusii M07]
    |--P. paterculus IT07
    |--P. peguensis IT07
    |--P. permixtus IT07
    |--P. petersi IT07
    |--P. ponceleti MP78 [=P. angulatus ponceleti M72]
    |--P. pulveratus IT07
    |--P. pygmaeus JE06
    |--P. raptor M07
    |--P. ridleyi M07
    |--P. rueppelli B78 [=Scotozous rueppelli B78; incl. *Alobus temminckii M07]
    |--P. rusticus IT07
    |--P. savii (Bonaparte 1837) K92
    |    |--P. s. savii I92
    |    `--P. s. velox (Ognev 1927) I92
    |--P. societatis IT07
    |--P. stenopterus IT07
    |--P. sturdeei Thomas 1915 I92
    |--P. subflavus (Cuvier 1832) [=Vespertilio subflavus] B75
    |    |--P. s. subflavus G69
    |    `--P. s. veraecrucis G69
    |--P. tasmaniensis IT07
    |--P. tenuis [=Vesperugo tenuis] MP78
    |    |--P. t. tenuis MP78
    |    `--P. t. papuanus (Peters & Doria 1881) MP78, R64 [=Vesperugo papuanus R64]
    |--P. vordermanni BP87
    `--P. westralis MF05

Pipistrellus Kaup 1829 [incl. Alobus Peters 1867 non Le Conte 1856, Hypsugo Kolenati 1856, Nannugo Kolenati 1856, Romicia Gray 1838, Romicius Blyth 1840, Vesperugo Keyserling & Blasius 1839] M07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1–184.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[B78] Butler, P. M. 1978. Insectivora and Chiroptera. In: Maglio, V. J., & H. B. S. Cooke (eds) Evolution of African Mammals pp. 56–68. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[G69] Goodwin, G. G. 1969. Mammals from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, in the American Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 141 (1): 1–269, 40 pls.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PloS One 2 (3): e296.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[JE06] Jacobs, D. S., G. N. Eick, M. C. Schoeman & C. A. Matthee. 2006. Cryptic species in an insectivorous bat, Scotophilus dinganii. Journal of Mammalogy 87 (1): 161–170.

[KK54] Klemmer, K., & H. E. Krampitz. 1954. Zur Kenntnis der Säugetierfauna Siziliens. Senckenbergiana Biologica 35 (3–4): 121–135.

[K92] Klompen, J. S. H. 1992. Phylogenetic relationships in the mite family Sarcoptidae (Acari: Astigmata). Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 180: i–vi, 1–154.

[MB86] Matson, J. O., & R. H. Baker. 1986. Mammals of Zacatecas. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University 24: 1–88.

[M72] McKean, J. L. 1972. Notes on some collections of bats (order Chiroptera) from Papua-New Guinea and Bougainville Island. CSIRO Division of Wildlife Research Technical Paper 26: 1–35.

[MP78] McKean, J. L., & W. J. Price. 1978. Pipistrellus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in northern Australia with some remarks on its systematics. Mammalia 42 (3): 343–347.

[M07] Miller, G. S., Jr. 1907. The families and genera of bats. Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, Bulletin 57: i–xvii, 1–282, pl. I–XIV.

[MF05] Milne, D. J., A. Fisher, I. Rainey & C. R. Pavey. 2005. Temporal patterns of bats in the Top End of the Northern Territory, Australia. Journal of Mammalogy 86 (5): 909–920.

[M89] Modigliani, E. 1889. Appunti intorno ai mammiferi dell’isola Nias. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a 7: 238–245.

[P66] Peters, W. 1866. Note on a bat from the Azores. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 558.

[R64] Ride, W. D. L. 1964. A list of mammals described from Australia between the years 1933 and 1963 (comprising newly proposed names and additions to the Australian faunal list). Australian Mammal Society Bulletin 7 (Suppl.): 1–15.

[T66] Tristram, H. B. 1866. Report on the mammals of Palestine. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 84–93.