''Eptesicus'' is a genus of
bat
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). 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 birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
s, commonly called house bats or serotine 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 vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat familie ...
.
The genus name is likely derived from the Greek words ''ptetikos'' 'able to fly' or ''petomai'' 'house flier', although this is not certain.
Species
Traditional
The following species have traditionally been placed in ''Eptesicus''
2023 proposed revision
A 2023 study noted divisions within ''Eptesicus'' when considering physical characteristics, genetics, echolocation characteristics, and
divergence timing, with the authors concluding that ''Eptesicus'' should be split into three genera. They described a new genus, ''Neoeptesicus'', and elevated the subgenus ''Cnephaeus'' to genus rank.
The
Old World
The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...
''Eptesicus'' species were moved to ''Cnephaeus'':
* ''Cnephaeus anatolicus''
* ''Cnephaeus bottae''
* ''Cnephaeus floweri''
* ''Cnephaeus gobiensis''
* ''Cnephaeus hottentotus''
* ''Cnephaeus isabellinus''
* ''Cnephaeus japonensis''
* ''Cnephaeus kobayashii''
* ''Cnephaeus nilssonii''
* ''Cnephaeus ognevi''
* ''Cnephaeus pachyomus''
* ''Cnephaeus pachyotis''
* ''Cnephaeus platyops''
* ''Cnephaeus serotinus''
* ''Cnephaeus tatei''
The
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In biogeogra ...
species were placed in ''Neoptesicus'':
* ''Neoeptesicus andinus''
* ''Neoeptesicus brasiliensis''
* ''Neoeptesicus chiriquinus''
* ''Neoeptesicus diminutus''
* ''Neoeptesicus furinalis''
* ''Neoeptesicus innoxius''
* ''Neoeptesicus langeri''
* ''Neoeptesicus orinocensis''
* ''Neoeptesicus taddeii''
* ''Neoeptesicus ulapesensis''
These revisions left only two species in ''Eptesicus'':
* ''Eptesicus fuscus''
* ''Eptesicus guadeloupensis''
References
Bat genera
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
{{Vespertilionidae-stub