| Evening bat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Nycticeius |
| Species: | N. humeralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nycticeius humeralis (Rafinesque, 1818) | |
 | |
The evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) is a species of bat in the vesper bat family that is native to North America. [2] Hunting at night, they eat beetles, moths, and other flying insects.
The evening bat is a small bat weighing 7–15 g (0.25–0.53 oz) [3] found throughout much of the midwestern and eastern United States. Their forearms are 34–38 mm (1.3–1.5 in) in length. [4] The tip of each dorsal hair is a light gray, and one to two-thirds of the basal is dark brown. Though there have been some cases of white pelage, the majority of the population is mostly brown in color. [4] They have wide, dog-like muzzles, pronounced facial glands, and disproportionately large bacula. [4] [5] Evening bats can be mistaken for juvenile big brown bats, due to their physical resemblance but smaller size.
Evening bats have relatively robust jaws, compared to other insectivorous bats. [6] They have an unkeeled calcar and a short, round tragus. [7] The curvature of the tragus helps distinguish it from bats of the genus Myotis, which otherwise look very similar. [7] Their skull has one upper incisor on each side with 4 molariform teeth. [8]
The evening bat is a relatively short-lived, especially compared to other bats in its geographic range. [9] It has a maximum age of 6 years, though few individuals live past 4 years. [10] [9] Its short lifespan for a bat could be explained by its considerably higher reproductive output. Bats that only have one pup per year would need to live much longer to have the same fitness as a shorter-lived species with two or three pups per year. [9]
Evening bats mate in the fall and winter; the sperm is stored until the spring, when fertilization occurs. [11] Female bats form maternity colonies in May, [12] consisting of 15-300 individuals. [3] Of females that give birth, 90% have twins, but singletons and triplets are also possible. [11] [12] [13] Though it is more common for evening bats to nurse their own offspring, [3] a small proportion of offspring are nursed by unrelated females. The pups are capable of flight within a month of birth. [12] Pups are weaned within 42 days of birth. [3] Female pups exhibit natal philopatry, meaning that as adults, they return to the roost where they were born to give birth. [3]
These bats have varied diets. A majority of the bats' diet in Indiana and Illinois are beetles, including the spotted cucumber beetle, which is a serious agricultural pest. [14] In southern Illinois, the spotted cucumber beetle is almost 25% of the evening bats' diet. [15] Other beetles consumed include ground beetles and scarab beetles. [14] Moths are also a significant dietary component. [14] Bugs, winged ants, and flies are prey items of less significance. [15] [16] Evening bats partition resources with other insectivorous bats in their range, such as the eastern red bat and Seminole bat. [16] Despite foraging in the same areas at the same time, these three bat species choose different prey items at different points throughout the summer. [16]
At first, the evening bat was thought of as a southeastern bat species. [17] However, breeding evening bats have been found as far north as Michigan and as far west as the 100th meridian. [13] Evening bats roost in a variety of structures, including Spanish moss, under bark, in tree cavities, and in buildings. [18] For foraging habitat, evening bats in Georgia prefer pine forest, riparian zones, and open fields. [19] Evening bats have home ranges of approximately 300 hectare (1.15 mi2). [19] Because the evening bat is not found in the northernmost extent of its range in the winter, it is likely that at least some evening bats are migratory. [4]
While the evening bat is considered endangered in the state of Indiana, [20] it has a cosmopolitan distribution throughout the southeast and midwest. [18] Because evening bats do not enter or hibernate in caves, the species is not at-risk from white-nose syndrome, which has killed over six million bats in the United States since 2006. [21] The evening bat's avoidance of this disease, along with die-offs of many other species, is possibly responsible for the evening bat recently expanding its range into Wisconsin in 2015 and Minnesota in 2016. [21] [22]
| State | Conservation Status |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Lowest Conservation Concern |
| Arkansas | Not listed |
| Florida | Not listed |
| Georgia | Not listed |
| Illinois | Not listed |
| Indiana | State Endangered |
| Iowa | Not listed |
| Kentucky | Threatened |
| Kansas | Not listed |
| Louisiana | Not listed |
| Maryland | Not listed |
| Michigan | Threatened |
| Minnesota | Not listed |
| Mississippi | Not listed |
| Missouri | Not listed |
| Nebraska | Not listed |
| North Carolina | Not listed |
| Ohio | Species of Special Interest |
| Oklahoma | Not listed |
| Pennsylvania | Not listed |
| South Carolina | Not listed |
| Tennessee | Not listed |
| Texas | Not listed |
| Virginia | Not listed |
| West Virginia | Not listed |
| Wisconsin | Not listed |
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 families, specialised in many forms to occupy a range of habitats and ecological circumstances, and it is frequently observed or the subject of research. The facial features of the species are often simple, as they mainly rely on vocally emitted echolocation. The tails of the species are enclosed by the lower flight membranes between the legs. Over 300 species are distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica. It owes its name to the genus Vespertilio, which takes its name from a word for bat, vespertilio, derived from the Latin term vesper meaning 'evening'; they are termed "evening bats" and were once referred to as "evening birds".
The tricolored bat is a species of microbat native to eastern North America. Formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle, based on the incorrect belief that it was closely related to European Pipistrellus species, the closest known relative of the tricolored bat is now recognized as the canyon bat. Its common name "tricolored bat" derives from the coloration of the hairs on its back, which have three distinct color bands. It is the smallest bat species in the eastern and midwestern US, with individuals weighing only 4.6–7.9 g (0.16–0.28 oz). This species mates in the fall before hibernation, though due to sperm storage, females do not become pregnant until the spring. Young are born helpless, though rapidly develop, flying and foraging for themselves by four weeks old. It has a relatively long lifespan, and can live nearly fifteen years.
The big brown bat is a species of vesper bat distributed widely throughout North America, the Caribbean, and the northern portion of South America. It was first described as a species in 1796. Compared to other microbats, the big brown bat is relatively large, weighing 15–26 g (0.53–0.92 oz) and possessing a wingspan of 32.5–35 cm (12.8–13.8 in).
The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon resident of the Southern Bahamas. Populations east of the Andes in South America are now usually regarded a separate species, the flat-faced fruit-eating bat. The distinctive features of the Jamaican fruit bat include the absence of an external tail and a minimal, U-shaped interfemoral membrane.
Parnell's mustached bat is an insectivorous bat native to the Americas. It ranges from southern Sonora, Mexico, south to Brazil. It has a wider historical range; fossil specimens have been collected on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas.
The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g (0.16–0.34 oz). It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.
The pallid bat is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat, which is sometimes included in Antrozous. Although it has in the past been placed in its own subfamily (Antrozoinae) or even family (Antrozoidae), it is now considered part of the subfamily Vespertilioninae and the tribe Antrozoini.
The eastern red bat is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. Eastern red bats are widespread across eastern North America, with additional records in Bermuda.
The Hawaiian hoary bat, also known as ʻōpeʻapeʻa, is a species of bat endemic to the islands of Hawaiʻi. Whereas the mainland hoary bat is found throughout North America, the Hawaiian hoary bat is distributed only among the major volcanic islands of Hawaiʻi, making it the only extant and native terrestrial mammal in the state; although some studies also posit that the mainland hoary bat lives in sympatry on the Hawaiian Islands alongside the Hawaiian hoary bat, this has been disputed. The Hawaiian hoary bat was officially named the state land mammal of Hawaiʻi in 2015. It is a federally listed endangered taxon of the United States.
Schlieffen's serotine, also known as Schlieffen's bat or Schlieffen's twilight bat, is a species of vesper bat found in Africa. It has been placed in numerous genera since its first description in 1859, but morphological and genetic studies have confirmed it as the only species in the genus Nycticeinops. It is named for the collector of the original specimen, Wilhelm von Schlieffen-Schlieffiennburg.
The western or inland broad-nosed bat is a species of vesper bat. They are endemic to Australia and widespread throughout the inland, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This insectivorous microbat, measuring 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length, roosts in tree hollows during the day and forages over woodland and water at night.
The Seminole bat is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
The eastern small-footed bat is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in mountainous portions of the eastern United States from New England to northern Georgia, and westward to northern Arkansas. It is among the smallest bats in eastern North America and is known for its small feet and black face-mask. Until recently, all North American small-footed Myotis were considered to be "Myotis leibii". The western population is now considered to be a separate species, Myotis ciliolabrum. The Eastern small-footed bat is rare throughout its range, although the species may be locally abundant where suitable habitat exists. Studies suggest white-nose syndrome has caused declines in their populations. However, most occurrences of this species have only been counted within the past decade or two and are not revisited regularly, making their population status difficult to assess. Additionally, most bat populations in the Eastern U.S. have been monitored using surveys conducted in caves and mines in the winter, but Eastern small-footed bats hibernate in places that make them unlikely to be encountered during these surveys. Perhaps as a result, the numbers of Eastern small-footed bats counted in winter tend to be low and they are relatively variable compared to other species of bats. Many biologists believe the species is stable, having declined little in recent times, but that it is vulnerable due to its relatively restricted geographic range and habitat needs.
The long-legged myotis is a species of vesper bat that can be found in western Canada, Mexico, and the western United States.
The Yuma myotis is a species of vesper bat native to western North America.
The cinnamon red bat is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It was first described from a specimen that had been collected in Chile. For more than one hundred years after its initial description, it was largely considered a synonym of the eastern red bat. From the 1980s onward, it was frequently recognized as distinct from the eastern red bat due to its fur coloration and differences in range. It has deep red fur, lacking white "frosting" on the tips of individual hairs seen in other members of Lasiurus. It has a forearm length of 39–42 mm (1.5–1.7 in) and a weight of 9.5–11.0 g (0.34–0.39 oz).
The California myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found in British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the western United States, including California.
The western red bat or desert red bat is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in western North America and Central America.
A maternity colony refers to a temporary association of reproductive female bats for giving birth to, nursing, and weaning their pups. The colonies are initiated by pregnant bats. After giving birth, the colony consists of the lactating females and their offspring. After weaning, juveniles will leave the maternity colony, and the colony itself will break apart. The size of a maternity colony is highly variable by species, with some species forming colonies consisting of ten or fewer individuals, while the largest maternity colony in the world in Bracken Cave is estimated to have over 15 million bats.
Eumops nanus is a species of bat found in Central and South America.
Media related to Nycticeius humeralis at Wikimedia Commons 
Data related to Nycticeius humeralis at Wikispecies
