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".
''Pipistrellus studeei'' was thought to have existed solely on
Haha-jima
, native_name_link =
, image_caption = Map of the Hahajima Rettō (Imōtojima is mislabeled as Tori-shima)
, image_size =
, pushpin_map = Japan complete
, pushpin_label = Hahajima
, pushpin_label_position =
, pushp ...
Island in the
Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...
, Japan, where the only known specimen was discovered. More recent scholarship, though, places doubt on the single specimen's origin and taxonomy.
The previous population of this animal is unknown because only one specimen has been preserved, which is currently housed in the
Natural History Museum, London
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum ...
. No record of Sturdee's pipistrelle has been observed over the last 100 years.
References
Pipistrellus
Mammals described in 1915
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
Bats of Asia
Endemic fauna of Japan
Mammals of Japan
Natural history of the Bonin Islands
Extinct animals of Japan
Species known from a single specimen
{{Vespertilionidae-stub
Mammal extinctions since 1500