Nycticeius
Encyclopedia
Nycticeius is a small genus
of bat
s in the vesper bat
family, Vespertilionidae. It contains two species, the Evening Bat
(N. humeralis) and the Cuban Evening Bat
(N. cubanus). Some authorities include several other Old World species in Nycticeius, but recent genetic work shows that is a completely New World genus.
The Cuban Evening Bat
is found only on the Island of Cuba
, and very little is known about this species. It is similar in appearance to N. humeralis, but is considerably smaller (4–7 grams).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 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 in the vesper bat
Vesper bat
Vesper bats , also known as Evening bats or Common bats, are the largest and best-known family of bats. They belong to the suborder Microchiroptera . There are over three hundred species distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica...
family, Vespertilionidae. It contains two species, the Evening Bat
Evening Bat
The Evening Bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae, that is native to North America. It is a small bat found throughout much of the midwestern and eastern United States as well as northeastern Mexico. In many areas they are very common, but may be declining in some...
(N. humeralis) and the Cuban Evening Bat
Cuban Night Bat
The Cuban evening bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae, that is endemic to western Cuba. It is a small bat, even smaller than cogener Nycticeius humeralis. It is insectivorous, but otherwise little is known about its behavior and diet....
(N. cubanus). Some authorities include several other Old World species in Nycticeius, but recent genetic work shows that is a completely New World genus.
The Cuban Evening Bat
Cuban Night Bat
The Cuban evening bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae, that is endemic to western Cuba. It is a small bat, even smaller than cogener Nycticeius humeralis. It is insectivorous, but otherwise little is known about its behavior and diet....
is found only on the Island of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and very little is known about this species. It is similar in appearance to N. humeralis, but is considerably smaller (4–7 grams).
Species
- Nycticeius aenobarbus (TemminckCoenraad Jacob TemminckCoenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
, 1840) – Temminck’s Mysterious Bat - Nycticeius cubanus (GundlachJuan GundlachJuan Cristóbal Gundlach , born Johannes Christoph Gundlach was a Cuban naturalist and taxonomist.-Biography:...
, 1861) – Cuban Evening Bat - Nycticeius humeralisEvening BatThe Evening Bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae, that is native to North America. It is a small bat found throughout much of the midwestern and eastern United States as well as northeastern Mexico. In many areas they are very common, but may be declining in some...
(RafinesqueConstantine Samuel Rafinesque-SchmaltzConstantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, as he is known in Europe, was a nineteenth-century polymath who made notable contributions to botany, zoology, the study of prehistoric earthworks in North America and Mesoamerican ancient linguistics.Rafinesque was eccentric, and is often portrayed as an...
, 1818) – Evening Bat