Lasiurus
Encyclopedia
Lasiurus is the genus comprising hairy-tailed bats. The name Lasiurus is derived from the Greek
lasios (hairy) and oura (tail). It contains some of the most attractive bat
s (Chiroptera) in the whole continent
of North America
including such species as the red bat
, L. borealis, and the hoary bat
, L. cinereus. They are very robust and long-winged with fast and strong flight, several species flying during parts of the day especially when migrating south in autumn. The hoary bat and red bat will often fly in daylight during winter.
When roosting, this group is also interesting as they hang from twigs, usually hidden by leaves in tree
s and do not use caves. The northern species such as the red and hoary bats have particularly thick and dense fur for extra insulation and may migrate south in winter, although winter roosting sites can still be quite cool.
They are, as a genus, unusual, being the only bats apart from the parti-coloured bat
, Vespertilio murinus to possess an extra pair of nipples (four in total). This allows them to suckle more than the usual one pup per season that most bats produce, with two or three being common and sometimes four produced, though more rarely.
Subgenus Lasiurus
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
lasios (hairy) and oura (tail). It contains some of the most attractive bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s (Chiroptera) in the whole continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
including such species as the red bat
Eastern Red Bat
The Eastern Red Bat is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae. See also the Desert red bat , a related species....
, L. borealis, and the hoary bat
Hoary bat
The hoary bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It occurs throughout most of North America and much of South America, with disjunct populations in the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands...
, L. cinereus. They are very robust and long-winged with fast and strong flight, several species flying during parts of the day especially when migrating south in autumn. The hoary bat and red bat will often fly in daylight during winter.
When roosting, this group is also interesting as they hang from twigs, usually hidden by leaves in tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s and do not use caves. The northern species such as the red and hoary bats have particularly thick and dense fur for extra insulation and may migrate south in winter, although winter roosting sites can still be quite cool.
They are, as a genus, unusual, being the only bats apart from the parti-coloured bat
Parti-coloured bat
The Parti-coloured Bat or Rearmouse is a species of bats in the family of Vesper bats. It is a medium sized bat.- Description :...
, Vespertilio murinus to possess an extra pair of nipples (four in total). This allows them to suckle more than the usual one pup per season that most bats produce, with two or three being common and sometimes four produced, though more rarely.
Species
Subgenus Dasypterus- Lasiurus egaSouthern Yellow BatThe Southern Yellow Bat , is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It is native to South, North and Central America, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States to Argentina. This species roosts in trees and vegetation...
(Gervais, 1856) — Southern Yellow Bat - Lasiurus intermediusNorthern Yellow BatThe Northern Yellow Bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It can be found in the following countries: Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and United States....
(H.Allen, 1862) — Northern Yellow Bat - Lasiurus insularis — Cuban Yellow Bat
- Lasiurus xanthinusWestern Yellow BatThe Western Yellow Bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae.It is found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. This species roosts in trees such as Populus fremontii, Platanus wrightii, and Quercus arizonica...
(ThomasOldfield ThomasOldfield Thomas FRS was a British zoologist.Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and sub-species for the first time. He was appointed to the Museum Secretary's office in 1876, transferring to the Zoological Department in 1878...
, 1897) — Western Yellow Bat
Subgenus Lasiurus
- Lasiurus atratusLasiurus atratusLasiurus atratus is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Guyana and Suriname.-References:* Sampaio, E., Lim, B. & Peters, S. 2008. . Downloaded on 11 March 2009....
(Handley, 1996) - Lasiurus blossevilliiDesert red batThe desert red bat, also known as the Western Red Bat, is one of many species of bats. This particular one is from the Vespertilionidae family which is the largest family. It includes 35 genera and 318 species...
(Lesson and Garnot, 1826) — Desert Red Bat - Lasiurus borealisEastern Red BatThe Eastern Red Bat is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae. See also the Desert red bat , a related species....
(MüllerPhilipp Ludwig Statius MüllerPhilipp Ludwig Statius Muller was a German zoologist.Statius Muller was born in Esens, and was Professor of Natural Science at Erlangen. Between 1773 and 1776, he published a German translation of Linnaeus's Natursystem...
, 1776) — Eastern Red Bat - Lasiurus castaneusTacarcuna BatThe Tacarcuna Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Costa Rica, Panama and possibly Colombia.-References:...
(Handley, 1960) — Tacarcuna Bat - Lasiurus cinereusHoary batThe hoary bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It occurs throughout most of North America and much of South America, with disjunct populations in the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands...
(BeauvoisPalisot de BeauvoisAmbroise Marie François Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois 27 July 1752 Arras - 21 January 1820 Paris, was a French naturalist.Palisot collected insects in Oware, Benin, Saint Domingue, and the United States, during the period 1786 – 1797. Trained as a botanist, Palisot published a significant...
, 1796) — Hoary Bat - Lasiurus degelidus (Miller, 1931)
- Lasiurus ebenusHairy-tailed BatThe Hairy-tailed Bat , is a bat species from South America. It is found in Brazil....
(Fazzolari-Correa, 1994) — Hairy-tailed Bat - Lasiurus egregiusBig Red BatThe Big Red Bat , is a bat species from South, North and Central America. It is found in Brazil and Panama....
(PetersWilhelm PetersWilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens...
, 1871) — Big Red Bat - Lasiurus minor (Miller, 1931)
- Lasiurus pfeifferi (Gundlach, 1861)
- Lasiurus salinae (Thomas, 1902)
- Lasiurus seminolusSeminole BatThe Seminole Bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States....
(Rhoads, 1895) — Seminole Bat - Lasiurus varius — Cinnamon Red Bat