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Chiroptera

Chiroptera generally refers to bats, which are the only mammals that can truly fly; in addition to the characteristics of general mammals, they also have a series of morphological characteristics adapted to flight. Bats have strong flying abilities and are also natural hosts for a variety of zoonotic viruses, capable of carrying dozens of viruses. Bats can be divided into two suborders, with a total of 16 families, 185 genera, and 962 species worldwide, and about 7 families, 30 genera, and 120 species in China.

I. Introduction to Chiroptera

1. General Characteristics:

  • Forelimbs Modified into Wings: Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained, flapping flight. Their elongated fingers support a wing membrane (patagium).

  • Echolocation (Most Species): While most microbats use echolocation to navigate and hunt insects, fruit bats (family Pteropodidae) generally rely more on their well-developed vision and smell, with little or no echolocation.

  • Diverse Diets: Bats occupy a wide range of dietary niches—many are insectivorous, while others consume fruit, nectar, pollen, small vertebrates, fish, and even blood.

  • Ecological Importance: As pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect controllers, bats play vital ecological roles and contribute to the balance of various ecosystems.

2. Diversity and Abundance:

  • With over 1,400 described species, Chiroptera is the second-largest order of mammals after Rodentia.

  • Bats are nearly cosmopolitan, found worldwide except in polar regions and some isolated oceanic islands.


II. Evolutionary History

1. Origin and Fossil Record:

  • The earliest known bat fossils date back to the early Eocene, about 52 million years ago.

  • Fossils indicate that early bats were already well-adapted for flight, sharing key skeletal features with modern bats.

2. Biogeographic Radiation:

  • As continents shifted and climates changed, bats dispersed worldwide and diversified.

  • Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) specialized in frugivory and nectarivory, while New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) display a wide range of feeding adaptations (fruits, nectar, insects, blood).

3. Molecular Insights and Revised Classification:

  • Traditionally, bats were split into Megachiroptera ("fruit bats") and Microchiroptera ("microbats"). However, molecular studies showed that this division is not strictly reflective of evolutionary relationships.

  • Current molecular phylogenies divide bats into two major suborders: Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. Yinpterochiroptera includes the fruit bats and several echolocating families, whereas Yangochiroptera includes the majority of the echolocating bat lineages.


III. Classification Overview

Order Chiroptera

Suborder Yinpterochiroptera

FamilyRepresentative Genera/SpeciesNotes
Pteropodidae (Old World fruit bats)Pteropus (flying foxes)Primarily frugivorous/nectarivorous, rely on vision and smell; mainly in Old World tropics.
Rhinolophidae (Horseshoe bats)RhinolophusCharacteristic horseshoe-shaped noseleaf; echolocating insectivores in the Old World.
Hipposideridae (Leaf-nosed bats)HipposiderosSimilar to Rhinolophidae, echolocation via noseleaf structures, Old World distribution.
Rhinonycteridae (Trident and related bats)Triaenops and relativesOld World leaf-nosed bats closely related to Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae.
Megadermatidae (False vampire bats)MegadermaSome species feed on small vertebrates; tailless, Old World distribution.
Craseonycteridae (Kitti’s hog-nosed bat)Craseonycteris thonglongyaiOne of the world’s smallest mammals, found in Thailand and Myanmar.

Suborder Yangochiroptera

FamilyRepresentative Genera/SpeciesNotes
Emballonuridae (Sheath-tailed bats)Taphozous (sac-winged bats)Possess wing sacs; insectivorous.
Nycteridae (Slit-faced bats)Nycteris (slit-faced bats)Complex nose structures, Old World insectivores.
Myzopodidae (Sucker-footed bats)MyzopodaEndemic to Madagascar; have suction cups on thumbs and ankles.
Mystacinidae (New Zealand short-tailed bats)Mystacina tuberculataUnique terrestrial foraging habits, endemic to New Zealand.
Thyropteridae (Disk-winged bats)ThyropteraSuction-cup structures on wings for clinging to leaves, Neotropical.
Furipteridae (Smoky bats)Furipterus horrensReduced thumbs enclosed in wing membrane, Neotropical.
Noctilionidae (Bulldog or Fishing bats)Noctilio (bulldog bats)Some species catch fish; found in the New World.
Mormoopidae (Mustached and Ghost-faced bats)Mormoops, PteronotusComplex facial folds, insectivorous, New World.
Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed bats)Desmodus (vampire bats), Glossophaga (nectar-feeding)Diverse diets: fruits, nectar, insects, blood; Neotropical.
Natalidae (Funnel-eared bats)NatalusFunnel-shaped ears, found from Mexico to South America.
Molossidae (Free-tailed bats)Molossus, Tadarida brasiliensisStrong fliers, tail extends beyond tail membrane, cosmopolitan.
Vespertilionidae (Evening bats)Nyctalus noctula, Lasionycteris noctivagansThe largest family of bats, worldwide distribution, mostly insectivorous.
Miniopteridae (Bent-winged bats)MiniopterusDistinctive wing joints, widely distributed in Old and New Worlds.
Cistugidae (Wing-gland bats)CistugoOnce included in Vespertilionidae, now recognized as a distinct family in Africa.

IV. Summary

Bats represent a remarkable evolutionary success, showcasing adaptations for powered flight, echolocation, and a wide range of feeding habits. Since their Eocene origins, bats have radiated globally to exploit niches from tropical rainforests to deserts. Whether pollinating flowers, dispersing seeds, controlling insect populations, or innovatively feeding on fish or blood, bats illustrate the profound evolutionary creativity that arises over millions of years.

Carnivora Primates Rodents Chiroptera Eulipotyphla Ungulata Cetacea Lagoiformes Pholidota Proboscidea Monotremata
Chinese Noctule

Chinese Noctule

Chinese Noctule,Nyctalus plancyi

Features:The short ears are blunt triangles, and the body hair is short and shiny.

The Chinese bat lives in old buildings, tree holes and caves. The cluster is usually lurking in the ceiling mezzanine, eaves and wall cracks, sometimes with the pipistrella, brown bat and the same habitat. The pregnancy period is about 2 months, the lactation period is 6-7 weeks, and each fetus is 1...

Nyctalus noctula

Nyctalus noctula

Nyctalus noctula

Features:The flight was extremely fast

Brown bats live in small groups. Generally, more than 10 clusters are active, and many are about 100. Mating before hibernation, females do not ovulate. The following spring ovulation is fertilized by sperm stored in the uterus. Gestation period 50 ~ 60d, 5 ~ 6 months to give birth. Lactation period...

Serotine

Serotine

Serotine,Eptesicus serotinus

Features:The back of the body is brown, and the primary color of the hair is strong.

Large brown bats live in a variety of habitats, including caves, rock crevices, eaves of houses, and gaps in doors, Windows, and walls. It mainly emits short, wide-band echolocation sound waves, which feed on coleoptera insects and also prey on diptera insects. There are four subspecies in China, na...

Vespertilio sinensis

Vespertilio sinensis

Vespertilio sinensis

Features:The ears are short and slightly triangular in width, and the base of the body hair is dark brown.

Eastern bats belong to human animals, often inhabit all kinds of artificial buildings, such as houses or building roof frames, ceilings, door and window frames and bridge gaps, can crawl or hang upside down in the gap between the roof beams of the shed. The number of populations varies greatly, few...

Miniopterus fuliginosus

Miniopterus fuliginosus

Big Bat, Big Night bat,Ia io

Features:The scientific name of the southern bat is the shortest name certified by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

Southern bats live in tall caves, with 3-5 or more than 10 individuals lurking high on the cave walls, mostly hanging as a single individual. They go out at night to hunt for flying insects and return before dawn. Large groups of Asiatic long-winged bats (<Miniopterus fuliginosus) and other speci...

Pipistrellus pulveratus

Pipistrellus pulveratus

Pipistrellus pulveratus,Hypsugo pulveratus

Features:The ears are triangular in shape, and the body hair is black with a few short sand-colored frost-like hairs, and no obvious penis bone.

It is a carnivorous bat that hunts in waters or near villages, feeding on insects such as mosquitoes and moths. The population is small, often single or small groups lying in the rock crevices. There are wide-eared Canis bats living in the same hole, and occasionally scattered b...

Pipistrellus circumdatus

Pipistrellus circumdatus

Pipistrellus circumdatus,Arielulus circumdatus

Features:The body hair base is bright black, the back hair tip chestnut brown or rusty brown, with a bronze luster.

Pipistrellus has previously been classified as <Pipistrellus> by Heller & Volleth (1984) as <P. societatis>, However, both Hill & Francis (1984) and Corbet & Hill (1992) considered it to be an independent species <P. circumdatus>. Csorba et al. (199...

CHIROPTERA

CHIROPTERA

CHIROPTERA,Pipistrellus minus

Features:The cranium is small and flat

Pipistrella is also known as the Jurassic wing. Wang Yingxiang (2003) identified Pipistrellus mimus as a separate species, but Smith & Xie Yan (2009) identified it as a subspecies of Pipistrellus mimus (<P. t. minus>). It is widely distributed at low latitudes. T...

Pipistrellus abramus

Pipistrellus abramus

Pipistrellus abramus

Features:The penis bone is very long, up to more than 10mm.

The common pipistrella is a very common type of bat that lives in clusters and catches insects for food. In groups of 5 to 20, the activity is closely related to food, leaving the residence in the evening and returning at dawn. The activity frequency of the return is positively c...

Pipistrellus coromandra

Pipistrellus coromandra

Pipistrellus coromandra

Features:The ears are small and thin and elongated

Pipistrella indiensis is a small to medium sized Pipistrella. It lives in mountains, plains and other places, appears between buildings, and is also found in primitive forest areas. Tibet was caught in a tree hole. Pipistrellus coromandra portensis (Pipistrell...

Pipistrellus abramus

Pipistrellus abramus

Pipistrellus abramus

Features:The ears are small and slightly blunt triangular in shape

The East Asian pipistrella, also known as the Japanese Pipistrella, is the most common species in the evening sky in urban and rural areas. It usually inhabits buildings (especially tiled houses) and can gather several small groups lurking in the ceiling, under the eaves of tiled...

Myotis siligorensis

Myotis siligorensis

Myotis siligorensis

Features:

The size of the tall cranial Myotis bat in Vietnam varies greatly, so the subspecies of this species remains to be studied. The Chinese subspecies is <Myotis iligorensis sowerbyi> (Howell,1926). Cave habitat, sometimes can gather large groups, many up to thousands. It is commonly shared with o...

Myotis rufoniger

Myotis rufoniger

Myotis rufoniger

Features:The color is bright, ochre red, reddish-brown on the back, orange on the abdomen

Myotis Watasei feeds on insects, especially mosquitoes, and is beneficial to humans. Csorba et al. (2014) classified the goatley-eared bat (<Myotis formosus) and its related species. Dang Feihong et al. (2016), through morphological and molecular studies, showed that the "goat-eat-bat"...

Myotis ricketti

Myotis ricketti

Myotis ricketti

Features:The hind feet are large and several tibia length, the claws are strong and curved, and the backs of the feet have stiff hairs.

Big-footed mouse-eared bats have attracted much attention because of their special habit of catching fish on the surface for food. Often clustered in hills or mountains, caves. Estrus in late autumn and early winter, and 1 baby in June of the following year. The adult body weight is generally 20g-30...

Myotis petax

Myotis petax

Myotis petax

Features:

They often live in groups in caves, fly in forest glades, and also fly above water, suggesting that they may trawl the water for fish. The echolocation sound wave is typical frequency modulation, accompanied by 1-2 harmonics. They come out at dusk to hunt nocturnal insects. This specie...

Myotis muricola

Myotis muricola

Myotis muricola

Features:

Mountain Myotis bats often live in damp and ventilated caves or tunnels, but also have been reported to live in tree holes and eaves, and often gather in groups of dozens to hundreds of individuals. They've been found hibernating in the crevices of canals and tunnels. It feed...

Myotis macrodactylus

Myotis macrodactylus

Myotis macrodactylus

Features:Often emit short, wide-band FM echolocation sound waves

The Great toed Myotis bats inhabit the damp cave walls of the northeast in summer and migrate to warmer areas in winter. The population size is 200-2000, the population is relatively stable, and it is a common species in Changbai Mountain area of China.Great toed Myotis bats emit short, wide-band FM...

Myotis longipes

Myotis longipes

Myotis longipes

Features:The facial hair is soft and dense, extending to the face except around the eyes and mouth

Myotis capaccinii was once classified as a subspecies of Myotis capaccinii. However, Ellerman et al. (1951) separate it as a species, and Hanak et al. (1969), Corbet (1978), Bates (1997) and other scholars have also recognized this view. M. capaccinii is found mainly in the Medit...

Myotis petax

Myotis petax

Myotis petax

Features:Myotis minuscule

East Asian water myoets often live in groups in caves, fly in forest glades, and also fly above water, suggesting that they may trawl the water to hunt fish. The echolocation sound wave is typical frequency modulation, accompanied by 1-2 harmonics. They come out at dusk to hunt nocturnal insects. Th...

Myotis laniger

Myotis laniger

Myotis laniger

Features:The ear shell is short, the tragus is long and wide, and the tip is rounded.

The South China Water Myotis bat is a very common bat with a wide distribution range. It is mostly collected from caves, including natural caves and artificial caves with water. Yingxiang Wang (2003) included this species in the subspecies of <Myotis daubentonii>, and Topal (1997) considered i...

Myotis indochinensis

Myotis indochinensis

Myotis indochinensis

Features:The dorsal hair is darker than the ventral hair, the base is black, the tip is light gray, but the tip of the ventral hair is slightly pale.

Myotis chinensis is a separate species from the mountain Myotis montivagus by Son et al. (2013). Previously, it was found in China, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Indonesian island of Kalimantan. Son et al. (2013) collected some specimens from V...