Family VESPERTILIONIDAE

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Introduction

Of all the families of bats, the Vespertilionidae must be considered the largest, most wide-spread and the most diverse. Some vespertilionids occur everywhere, except a few oceanic islands in the Pacific, between 60ºN and 60ºS, and there are those that extend into subpolar zones above 60ºN.

In Australia, the family is well represented and includes some highly complex genera. Virtually any taxonomic arrangement created today will not be appropriate tomorrow. At best, those data presented below consist of a compendium of available names. The species in Australia traditionally placed in the genera Chalinolobus, Eptesicus, Miniopterus, Myotis, Nycticeius, Nyctophilus and Pipistrellus are only beginning to be understood.

The family is characterised by the absence of postorbital processes, premaxillae represented only by the nasal portion and a tooth row whose stability in number is confined to the presence of a single canine and three molars (incisors and premolars vary in number). There is articulation between the greater tuberosity of the humerus and the scapula. The eyes are small, the nose is unadorned (except in Nyctophilus), the tragus is always present and the tail extends to the trailing edge of the interfemoral membrane.

The diet usually comprises arthropods, although a few species are piscivorous. Hibernation and migration are well documented for the family. Roosts include a highly diverse array of sites. Solitary and varyingly social species are known.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

VESPERTILIONIDAE: Kerivoula Gray, 1842 [Phoniscus Miller, 1905 removed from synonymy with Kerivoula]

General References

Hall, L.S. & Woodside, D.P. 1989. Vespertilionidae. pp. 871-891 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.

History of changes