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 mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (Myotis) of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "myotis" itself is a Neo-Latin construction, from the Greek "muós and "oûs", literally translating to "mouse-eared".
Eptesicus is a genus of bats, commonly called house bats or serotine bats, in the family Vespertilionidae. The genus name is likely derived from the Greek words ptetikos 'able to fly' or petomai 'house flier', although this is not certain.
The Malagasy serotine, is a species of vesper bat. It is found only in Madagascar. It was formerly classified in Neoromicia before phylogenetic analysis found it to belong to Laephotis.
Neoromicia is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It contains the following species:
The Cape serotine is a species of vesper bat occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa. 'Serotine' is from Latin 'serotinus' meaning ‘of the evening'.
The Vespertilioninae are a subfamily of vesper bats from the family Vespertilionidae.
Nycticeinops is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It contains the following species:
Hesperoptenus is a genus of bats within the Vespertilionidae or vesper bat family.
The Isalo serotine is a vesper bat of Madagascar in the genus Laephotis. It is known only from the vicinity of the Isalo National Park in the southwestern part of the island, where it has been caught in riverine habitats. After the first specimen was caught in 1967, it was described as a subspecies of Eptesicus somalicus in 1995. After four more specimens were collected in 2002 and 2003, it was recognized as a separate species. Because of its small distribution and the threat of habitat destruction, it is considered "vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List.
Rosevear's serotine is a species of vesper bat that lives in Guinea and Liberia. It was described as a new species in 2013. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN.
Thomas's big-eared brown bat is a species of vesper bat found in South America.
Laephotis stanleyi, also called Stanley's serotine, is a species of vesper bat in the genus Laephotis. It is found across southern Africa. The species was formerly known as N. cf. melckorum, before being named as a species in 2017.
Eptescini is a tribe of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. This tribe has a cosmopolitan distribution.
Afronycteris is a genus of vesper bat containing two species, both of which are found in sub-Saharan Africa. Its members were previously classified in Neoromicia before phylogenetic analysis found them to comprise a separate genus.
Pseudoromicia is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. All species in this genus are native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Plecotini is a tribe of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. It contains several genera found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, in Eurasia, North Africa, and North America. Several genera in this tribe are known as big-eared bats or long-eared bats. It also contains the spotted bat and barbastelles.
Vespertilionini is a tribe of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. The largest of the tribes in Vespertilioninae, it contains many genera found throughout the Old World and Australasia.
