Canyon bat
Canyon bat | |
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Conservation status | |
![]() Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Tribe: | Perimyotini |
Genus: | Parastrellus Hoofer et al., 2006[2] |
Species: | P. hesperus |
Binomial name | |
Parastrellus hesperus (H.Allen, 1864) | |
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Canyon bat range (pink)[3] |
The canyon bat (Parastrellus hesperus), also known as the western pipistrelle,[4][5] or American parastrelle[6] is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Mexico and in the western United States.[1] The species has historically been placed in the genus Pipistrellus, but molecular evidence does not show any close relationship with that genus, and accordingly it was classified into its own genus, Parastrellus, in 2006.[2]
Characteristics
Parastrellus hesperus is the smallest bat in the United States.[7] It has a wingspan of 190–215 millimetres (7.5–8.5 in)[7] and a body length of 62–80 millimetres (2.4–3.1 in).[8] The tail is 29–30 millimetres (1.1–1.2 in) and the hind feet are 5 millimetres (0.20 in). Ears are 9 millimetres (0.35 in) and wingspan is about 197 millimetres (7.8 in).[9] On average, females are slightly larger than males of this species.[8] P. hesperus ranges in color from white to pale yellow to dark brown. These bats exhibit counter shading, being dark above and lighter colored below. Their faces, ears, feet, and flight membranes are usually very dark, almost black. The pelage is 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in) long and is full and soft. The bases of all the hairs are black with the distal portions fading to lighter shades. The wings of P. hesperus are hairless except for the lower third of the interfemoral membrane; the toes also have a light sprinkling of fine hairs.[8] The wings are short and broad, giving P. hesperus a low-aspect wing which allows it to fly at speeds as low as 8.0 kilometres per hour (5 mph).[10] P. hesperus has a short, broad head and short ears with a small, club-shaped tragus.[7][8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Canyon_Bat.jpg/220px-Canyon_Bat.jpg)
It weighs 3–6 grams (0.10 – 0.21 oz.)[11]
Distribution and habitat
P. hesperus is found in the deserts and lowlands of the western United States and Mexico. While it is most commonly found in the deserts of the southwestern U.S., P. hesperus occupies a range extending north to the state of Washington and south to the Mexican states of Michoacan and Hidalgo. An isolated population has been found in north-central Texas and Oklahoma. These bats prefer the lowlands and are usually the most common bats found below an elevation of 5,000 feet within their range.[7]
During the day, rock crevices serve as the preferred roosting sites for P. hesperus, although some bats have been found roosting in crevices inside mines. The bats may also be found in buildings, under rocks, and in dense growths of sedge. These roosting sites are much less frequently used than the preferred rocky crevices.[7] Due to their small size, P. hesperus are vulnerable to dehydration and desiccation. Bats of this species inhabiting barren desert areas devoid of trees and rocky outcroppings must find an appropriately sheltered roost in which to spend the daylight hours or risk death. One hypothesis is that P. hesperus spends the day in kangaroo rat burrows, but no evidence currently exists to support this.[7] In some areas, the bats may roost in the piles of rocks used to anchor the soil along the bases of highway and railroad embankments.
Behavior and reproduction
Parastrellus hesperus is commonly the first bat out in the evening and the last bat to be seen after sunrise. These bats are most active in the hours immediately following sunset and preceding sunrise and are usually not active during the overnight hours. On a few occasions, P. hesperus has been observed in flight during the late morning hours in full sunlight.[8]
P. hesperus is an insectivorous bat. As such, their flight is erratic and fluttery. Their low-aspect wings give these bats increased maneuverability, an important characteristic when hunting flying insects.[7] They forage in the open above small trees.[9]
P. hesperus will enter periods of hibernation when the weather grows cold or food supplies diminish. However, both male and female members of this species will sometimes emerge during the winter months to hunt, though not in the numbers commonly observed during warmer times of the year.[12] P. hesperus hibernates in mines, caves, and rocky crevices. These bats are not known to hibernate in large groups and are usually found singly.[7]
Females of P. hesperus give birth to their young in June. These bats usually have two young, but may produce only one young per mating.[7][8] In keeping with their mostly solitary nature, females raise their young alone or in small maternity colonies of no more than a dozen bats.[7] Young are typically capable of flight within 2–3 weeks of birth.[7]
References
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2019). "Parastrellus hesperus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T17341A22129352. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T17341A22129352.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b Hoofer, Steven R.; Van Den Bussche, Ronald A.; Horáček, Ivan (1 October 2006). "Generic Status of the American Pipistrelles (Vespertilionidae) with Description of a New Genus". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (5): 981–992. doi:10.1644/05-MAMM-A-425R1.1. ISSN 0022-2372. JSTOR 4094268.
- ^ Dalquest, Walter Woelber; Eugene Raymond Hall (20 January 1950). "A Synopsis of the American Bats of the Genus Pipistrellus by Dalquest and Hall". The Project Gutenberg eBook of a Synopsis of the American Bats of the Genus Pipistrellus, by e. Raymond Hall and Walter W. Dalquest. Vol. 1. Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas. pp. 591–602.
- ^ Bat Conservation International. "Species Profiles: Parastrellus hesperus". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ Aleshire, Peter (1 April 2011). Bats. Stackpole Books. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-8117-3643-5.
- ^ "Mammals of Texas". Natural Science Research Laboratory. Texas Tech University. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barbour, Roger W.; Wayne H. Davis (1969). Bats of America. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. pp. 111–14.
- ^ a b c d e f Wood Grinnell, Hilda (1918). "A synopsis of the bats of California". University of California Publications in Zoology. 17: 304–14.
- ^ a b Grinnell, Joseph; Storer, Tracy Irwin (1924). Animal life in the Yosemite: An account of the mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians in a cross-section of the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 57. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ Hayward, Bruce; Russell Davis (1 May 1964). "Flight Speeds in Western Bats". Journal of Mammalogy. 45 (2): 236–242. doi:10.2307/1376986. ISSN 0022-2372. JSTOR 1376986.
- ^ "Bat Species". National Park Service. 28 September 2020.
- ^ O'Farrell, Michael J.; W. Glen Bradley; Gary W. Jones (4 August 1967). "Fall and winter bat activity at a desert spring in southern Nevada" (PDF). The Southwestern Naturalist. 12 (2): 163–71. doi:10.2307/3669270. JSTOR 3669270.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wikispecies-logo.svg/34px-Wikispecies-logo.svg.png)
- An image of a Western Pipistrelle on Flickr.
- ITIS Standard report
- Western Pipistrelle Fact Sheet
- v
- t
- e
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Chiroptera
- Family: Vespertilionidae
- Hoary bat (A. cinereus)
- Big red bat (A. egregius)
- Hawaiian hoary bat (A. semotus)
- A. villosissimus
- Banana serotine(A. nanus)
- Collared pipistrelle (A. aureocollaris)
- Black-gilded pipistrelle (A. circumdatus)
- Coppery pipistrelle (A. cuprosus)
- Social pipistrelle (A. societatis)
- Necklace pipistrelle (A. torquatus)
- Western barbastelle (B. barbastellus)
- Beijing barbastelle (B. beijingensis)
- Eastern barbastelle (B. darjelingensis)
- Asian barbastelle (B. leucomelas)
- Van Gelder's bat (B. dubiaquercus)
- Large-eared pied bat (C. dwyeri)
- Gould's wattled bat (C. gouldii)
- Chocolate wattled bat (C. morio)
- New Caledonia wattled bat (C. neocaledonicus)
- Hoary wattled bat (C. nigrogriseus)
- Little pied bat (C. picatus)
- New Zealand long-tailed bat (C. tuberculatus)
- Mexican big-eared bat (C. mexicanus)
- Rafinesque's big-eared bat (C. rafinesquii)
- Townsend's big-eared bat (C. townsendii)
- Southern yellow bat (D. ega)
- Cuban yellow bat (D. insularis)
- Northern yellow bat (D. intermedius)
- Western yellow bat (D. xanthinus)
- E. anatolicus
- Little black serotine (E. andinus)
- Bobrinski's serotine (E. bobrinskoi)
- Botta's serotine (E. bottae)
- Brazilian brown bat (E. brasiliensis)
- E. chiriquinus
- Diminutive serotine (E. diminutus)
- Surat serotine (E. dimissus)
- Horn-skinned bat (E. floweri)
- Argentine brown bat (E. furinalis)
- Big brown bat (E. fuscus)
- Gobi big brown bat (E. gobiensis)
- Guadeloupe big brown bat (E. guadeloupensis)
- Long-tailed house bat (E. hottentotus)
- Harmless serotine (E. innoxius)
- E. isabellinus
- E. japonensis
- Kobayashi's bat (E. kobayashii)
- E. lobatus
- Sind bat (E. nasutus)
- Northern bat (E. nilssonii)
- E. ognevi
- E. pachyomus
- Thick-eared bat (E. pachyotis)
- Lagos serotine (E. platyops)
- Serotine bat (E. serotinus)
- E. taddeii
- Sombre bat (E. tatei)
- Spotted bat (E. maculatum)
- Disk-footed bat (E. denticulus)
- Chocolate pipistrelle (F. affinis)
- Western false pipistrelle (F. mackenziei)
- Pungent pipistrelle (F. mordax)
- Peters's pipistrelle (F. petersi)
- Eastern false pipistrelle (F. tasmaniensis)
- Allen's striped bat (G. alboguttata)
- Silvered bat (G. argentata)
- Beatrix's bat (G. beatrix)
- Curry's bat (G. curryae)
- Bibundi bat (G. egeria)
- Glen's wattled bat (G. gleni)
- Allen's spotted bat (G. humeralis)
- Kenyan wattled bat (G. kenyacola)
- Machado's butterfly bat (G. machadoi)
- Abo bat (G. poensis)
- Variegated butterfly bat (G. variegata)
- G. aquilus
- G. bucephalus
- Javan thick-thumbed bat (G. javanus)
- Common thick-thumbed bat (G. tylopus)
- Blanford's bat (H. blanfordi)
- False serotine bat (H. doriae)
- Gaskell's false serotine (H. gaskelli)
- Tickell's bat (H. tickelli)
- Large false serotine (H. tomesi)
- Strange big-eared brown bat (H. alienus)
- H. diaphanopterus
- Humboldt big-eared brown bat (H. humboldti)
- Thomas's big-eared brown bat (H. laephotis)
- Big-eared brown bat (H. macrotus)
- Southern big-eared brown bat (H. magellanicus)
- Small big-eared brown bat (H. montanus)
- Tropical big-eared brown bat (H. velatus)
- H. alaschanicus
- H. anthonyi
- Arabian pipistrelle (H. arabicus)
- Desert pipistrelle (H. ariel)
- H. bemainty
- Cadorna's pipistrelle (H. cadornae)
- Broad-headed pipistrelle (H. crassulus)
- Long-toothed pipistrelle (H. dolichodon)
- Eisentraut's pipistrelle (H. eisentrauti)
- Brown pipistrelle (H. imbricatus)
- Joffre's pipistrelle (H. joffrei)
- Red-brown pipistrelle (H. kitcheneri)
- Lanza's pipistrelle (H. lanzai)
- Burma pipistrelle (H. lophurus)
- Big-eared pipistrelle (H. macrotis)
- Mouselike pipistrelle (H. musciculus)
- Chinese pipistrelle (H. pulveratus)
- Savi's pipistrelle (H. savii)
- Vordermann's pipistrelle (H. vordermanni)
- Great evening bat (I. io)
- Allen's big-eared bat (I. phyllotis)
- Angolan long-eared bat (L. angolensis)
- Botswanan long-eared bat (L. botswanae)
- Namib long-eared bat (L. namibensis)
- De Winton's long-eared bat (L. wintoni)
- Silver-haired bat (L. noctivagans)
- L. arequipae
- L. atratus
- Desert red bat (L. blossevillii)
- Eastern red bat (L. borealis)
- Tacarcuna bat (L. castaneus)
- Jamaican red bat (L. degelidus)
- Hairy-tailed bat (L. ebenus)
- Western red bat (L. frantzii))
- Minor red bat (L. minor)
- Pfeiffer's red bat (L. pfeifferi)
- Saline red bat (L. salinae)
- Seminole bat (L. seminolus)
- Cinnamon red bat (L. varius)
- Moloney's mimic bat (M. moloneyi)
- Dark-brown serotine (N. brunnea)
- Cape serotine (N. capensis)
- Yellow serotine (N. flavescens)
- N. grandidieri
- Tiny serotine (N. guineensis)
- N. isabella
- Isalo serotine (N. malagasyensis)
- Malagasy serotine (N. matroka)
- Melck's house bat (N. melckorum)
- Rendall's serotine (N. rendalli)
- N. robertsi
- Rosevear's serotine (N. roseveari)
- Somali serotine (N. somalica)
- N. stanleyi
- White-winged serotine (N. tenuipinnis)
- Zulu serotine (N. zuluensis)
- Pied bat (N. superba)
- Birdlike noctule (N. aviator)
- Azores noctule (N. azoreum)
- Nyctalus furvus (N. furvus)
- Greater noctule bat (N. lasiopterus)
- Lesser noctule (N. leisleri)
- Mountain noctule (N. montanus)
- Common noctule (N. noctula)
- Chinese noctule (N. plancyi)
- Schlieffen's bat (N. schlieffeni)
- Temminck's mysterious bat (N. aenobarbus)
- Cuban evening bat (N. cubanus)
- Evening bat (N. humeralis)
- Northern long-eared bat (N. arnhemensis)
- Eastern long-eared bat (N. bifax)
- N. corbeni
- N. daedalus
- Lesser long-eared bat (N. geoffroyi)
- Gould's long-eared bat (N. gouldi)
- Sunda long-eared bat (N. heran)
- Lord Howe long-eared bat (N. howensis)
- N. major
- Small-toothed long-eared bat (N. microdon)
- New Guinea long-eared bat (N. microtis)
- New Caledonian long-eared bat (N. nebulosus)
- Tasmanian long-eared bat (N. sherrini)
- Mount Missim long-eared bat (N. shirleyae)
- Greater long-eared bat (N. timoriensis)
- Pygmy long-eared bat (N. walkeri)
- Desert long-eared bat (O. hemprichii)
- Otonycteris leucophaea (O. leucophaea)
- Western pipistrelle (P. hesperus)
- Eastern pipistrelle (P. subflavus)
- New Guinea big-eared bat (P. imogene)
- Rohu's bat (P. brachypterus)
- Japanese house bat (P. abramus)
- Forest pipistrelle (P. adamsi)
- Mount Gargues pipistrelle (P. aero)
- Anchieta's pipistrelle (P. anchietae)
- Angulate pipistrelle (P. angulatus)
- Kelaart's pipistrelle (P. ceylonicus)
- Greater Papuan pipistrelle (P. collinus)
- Indian pipistrelle (P. coromandra)
- P. dhofarensis
- Egyptian pipistrelle (P. deserti)
- Endo's pipistrelle (P. endoi)
- P. hanaki
- Dusky pipistrelle (P. hesperidus)
- Aellen's pipistrelle (P. inexspectatus)
- Java pipistrelle (P. javanicus)
- Kuhl's pipistrelle (P. kuhlii)
- Madeira pipistrelle (P. maderensis)
- Minahassa pipistrelle (P. minahassae)
- Christmas Island pipistrelle (P. murrayi)
- Tiny pipistrelle (P. nanulus)
- Nathusius's pipistrelle (P. nathusii)
- Lesser Papuan pipistrelle (P. papuanus)
- Mount Popa pipistrelle (P. paterculus)
- Dar es Salaam pipistrelle (P. permixtus)
- Common pipistrelle (P. pipistrellus)
- Soprano pipistrelle (P. pygmaeus)
- P. raceyi
- Rüppell's pipistrelle (P. rueppellii)
- Rusty pipistrelle (P. rusticus)
- Narrow-winged pipistrelle (P. stenopterus)
- Sturdee's pipistrelle (P. sturdeei)
- Least pipistrelle (P. tenuis)
- Watts's pipistrelle (P. wattsi)
- Northern pipistrelle (P. westralis)
- P. ariel
- Brown long-eared bat (P. auritus)
- Grey long-eared bat (P. austriacus)
- Ethiopian big-eared bat (P. balensis)
- P. begognae
- Christie's big-eared bat (P. christiei)
- P. gaisleri
- P. homochrous
- Kolombatovic's long-eared bat (P. kolombatovici)
- P. kozlovi
- Alpine long-eared bat (P. macrobullaris)
- Ognev's long-eared bat (P. ognevi
- Japanese long-eared bat (P. sacrimontis)
- Sardinian long-eared bat (P. sardus)
- P. strelkovi
- Taiwan big-eared bat (P. taivanus)
- Canary big-eared bat (P. teneriffae)
- P. turkmenicus
- P. wardi
- Yucatan yellow bat (R. aeneus)
- Allen's yellow bat (R. alleni)
- Bickham's little yellow bat (R. bickhami)
- Genoways's yellow bat (R. genowaysi)
- Slender yellow bat (R. gracilis)
- Husson's yellow bat (R. hussoni)
- Thomas's yellow bat (R. io
- Menchu's little yellow bat (R. menchuae)
- Tiny yellow bat (R. minutilla)
- Least yellow bat (R. mira)
- Little yellow bat (R. parvula)
- Black-winged little yellow bat (R. tumida)
- R. velilla
- Rüppell's broad-nosed bat (S. rueppellii)
- White-bellied lesser house bat (S. albigula)
- Light-winged lesser house bat (S. albofuscus)
- Hinde's lesser house bat (S. hindei)
- Dark-winged lesser house bat (S. hirundo)
- Desert yellow bat (S. pallidus)
- Harlequin bat (S. ornatus)
- S. alvenslebeni
- Andrew Rebori's house bat (S. andrewreborii)
- Lesser yellow bat (S. borbonicus)
- Sulawesi yellow bat (S. celebensis)
- Sody's yellow house bat (S. collinus)
- African yellow bat (S. dinganii)
- Ejeta's house bat (S. ejetai)
- Greater Asiatic yellow bat (S. heathii)
- Lesser Asiatic yellow bat (S. kuhlii)
- White-bellied yellow bat (S. leucogaster)
- Livingstone's house bat (S. livingstonii)
- Marovaza house bat (S. marovaza)
- Schreber's yellow bat (S. nigrita)
- S. nigritellus
- Robbins's yellow bat (S. nucella)
- Nut-colored yellow bat (S. nux)
- Robust yellow bat (S. robustus)
- S. tandrefana
- Trujillo’s house bat (S. trujilloi)
- Greenish yellow bat (S. viridis)
- Inland broad-nosed bat (S. balstoni)
- Little broad-nosed bat (S. greyii)
- Eastern broad-nosed bat (S. orion)
- Northern broad-nosed bat (S. sanborni)
- Dormer's bat (S. dormeri)
- T. fulvida
- T. malayana
- Lesser bamboo bat (T. pachypus)
- Pygmy bamboo bat (T. pygmaeus)
- Greater bamboo bat (T. robustula)
- T. tonkinensis
- Inland forest bat (V. baverstocki)
- Northern cave bat (V. caurinus)
- Large forest bat (V. darlingtoni)
- Yellow-lipped bat (V. douglasorum)
- Finlayson's cave bat (V. finlaysoni)
- Eastern forest bat (V. pumilus)
- Southern forest bat (V. regulus)
- Eastern cave bat (V. troughtoni)
- Little forest bat (V. vulturnus)
- Parti-coloured bat (V. murinus)
- Asian particolored bat (V. sinensis)