Common pipistrelle
Common pipistrelle | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Genus: | Pipistrellus |
Species: | P. pipistrellus
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Binomial name | |
Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774)
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Synonyms | |
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The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and may extend into Korea.[2] It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles. In Europe, the northernmost confirmed records are from southern Finland near 60°N.[3]
In 1999, the common pipistrelle was split into two species on the basis of different-frequency echolocation calls. The common pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the soprano pipistrelle echolocates at 55 kHz. Since the two species were distinguished, a number of other differences, in appearance, habitat and food, have also been discovered.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1774 by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber. Schreber initially placed it in the genus Vespertilio, calling it Vespertilio pipistrellus.[4] In 1839,
This classification stood until 1897, when Miller placed the species into the genus Pipistrellus, where it remains as Pipistrellus pipistrellus.[6] ItsThe soprano pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, was formerly considered synonymous with the common pipistrelle. In 1999,[7] it was formally split from the common pipistrelle based on differing echolocation signatures and a genetic divergence of 11%.[8] Despite being different species, the common pipistrelle and the soprano pipistrelle are able to hybridize, based on genetic analysis conducted in Poland.[9]
Description
The common pipistrelle is a very small species of bat. Its forearm is 27.7–32.2 mm (1.09–1.27 in) long. It has a short muzzle.[10] It is 3.5–5.2 cm (1.4–2.0 in) long along the head-and-body, with the tail adding 2.3–3.6 cm (0.91–1.42 in). The body mass can range from 3.5 to 8.5 g (0.12 to 0.30 oz), with the wingspan ranging from 18 to 25 cm (7.1 to 9.8 in).[11] Its brown fur is variable in tone. It is common in woodland and farmland but is also found in towns, where the females roost in lofts and buildings when rearing young.
Biology and ecology
Reproduction
Males attract females by creating courtship territories approximately 200 m (660 ft) in diameter; these territories are maintained from mid-July through the end of October, with particularly intense activity in September. Courtship territories are usually in the vicinity of popular winter roosts for the species. Males will patrol these territories while "singing" to attract the attention of female bats as they travel to winter roosts. Male courtship territories are densely-packed, offering female choice akin to a lek mating system.[12] While copulation occurs in the fall, fertilization does not occur until after its hibernation due to female sperm storage.[13] Females are pregnant in May and June. Pregnant females form large aggregations in roosts, called
Foraging and diet
The common pipistrelle is an edge specialist, preferring to forage along woodland edges and along isolated tree lines.[16] It is
Echolocation
The frequencies used by this bat species for echolocation lie between 45 and 76 kHz, have most energy at 47 kHz and have an average duration of 5.6 ms.[19][20]
Range and habitat
It has a Palearctic distribution.[1] It occurs in the British Isles, southern Scandinavia, much of Continental Europe, and parts of Northwest Africa. It is also found in India, China, and Myanmar in Asia.[1]
Conservation
It has been called the most common and abundant species of bat in Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.[15] Notably, however, these judgments were made before it was split into two species in 1999. The common pipistrelle is considered
Further reading
Dick, A. and Roche, N. 2017 Google Earth and Google Street View reveal differences in Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus roadside habitat use in Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 35(2) 83 – 93
References
- ^ . Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-0896723641.
- ^ "Pipistrellus pipistrellus", Science for Nature Foundation
- ^ von Schreber, Johann Christian Daniel (1775). Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Walther. pp. 167–168.
- ^ Keyserling, A. G. V.; Blasius, I. H. (1839). "Uebersicht der Gattungs-und Artcharaktere der europäischen Fledermäuse". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 5: 321–322.
- ^ Miller, G. S. (1897). "The nomenclature of some European bats". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6. 20: 384.
- .
- PMID 15288073.
- .
- ISBN 9781472935762.
- ISBN 978-0-691-09160-0.
- S2CID 56319926.
- PMID 19539620.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- .
- JSTOR 4632.
- .
- PMID 10934005.
- S2CID 86180828.
External links
- Media related to Pipistrellus pipistrellus at Wikimedia Commons
- ARKive Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus photographs and videos.