The patagium ( pl. : patagia ) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flying . The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats , theropod dinosaurs (including birds and some dromaeosaurs ), pterosaurs , gliding mammals , some flying lizards , and flying frogs . The patagium that stretches between an animal's hind limbs is called the uropatagium (especially in bats) or the interfemoral membrane .
20-487: Vespertilio is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae . The common name for this family is vesper bats, which is a better-known classification than Vespertilio . They are also known as frosted bats. Species within the genus Vespertilio are: Vespertilio is the oldest accepted genus name for bats. When Vespertilio was described in 1758, it was equivalent to the modern taxonomic order, encompassing all of Chiroptera (all bats), which Carl Linnaeus grouped with
40-458: A 'little brown bat', although some species have fur that is brightly colored, with reds, oranges, and yellows all being known. The patterns of the superficial appearance include white patches or stripes that may distinguish some species. Most species roost in caves, although some make use of hollow trees , rocky crevices, animal burrows , or other forms of shelter. Colony sizes also vary greatly, with some roosting alone, and others in groups up to
60-528: A million individuals. Species native to temperate latitudes typically hibernate to avoid cooler weather, while a few of the tropical species employ aestivation as a method of evading extremes of climate. Vespertilioninae Myotinae Kerivoulinae Murininae The four subfamilies of Vespertilionidae separate the presumably related taxa, tribes, and genera of extant and extinct taxa. The subfamilial treatments, based on morphological, geographical, and ecological comparisons have been recombined since
80-412: 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
100-491: Is known from the Holocene of Hawaii . All species are carnivorous and most are insectivores , exceptions are bats of genera Myotis and Pizonyx that catch fish and the larger Nyctalus species known to capture small passerine birds in flight. The dentition of the family varies between species; the dental formula of the family is: They rely mainly on echolocation to navigate and obtain food, but they lack
120-448: Is no longer included following its move to the separate family Cistugidae . Miniopterinae is additionally no longer recognized as a subfamily, as it was elevated to family status. A 2021 study attempted to resolve the systematic relationships among the pipistrelle-like bats of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, with systematic inferences based on genetic and morphological analyses of more than 400 individuals across all named genera and
140-704: Is the classification published by the American Society of Mammalogists . Other authorities raise three subfamilies more: Antrozoinae (which is here the separate family of pallid bats ), Tomopeatinae (now regarded as a subfamily of the free-tailed bats ), and Nyctophilinae (here included in Vespertilioninae). Four subfamilies are recognized by Mammal Species of the World (2005), the highly diverse Vespertilioninae are also separated as tribes. Newer or resurrected genera are noted. The genus Cistugo
160-404: The latissimus dorsi caudalis and triceps scapularis muscles. Similarly the fleshy pad that houses the follicles of the remiges (primary and secondary feathers) caudal to the hand and the ulna is also often referred to as a patagium. The interremigial ligament that connects the bases all the primary and secondary feathers as it passes from the tip of the hand to the elbow is thought to represent
180-461: The primates due to certain characteristics mentioned by Linnaeus that bats seemed to share with actual primates. The second chiropteran genus, Pteropus , was described four years later in 1762. Vespertilio , as the oldest genus name, is thus the type genus of the family Vespertilionidae , which was not described until 1821. Variably, until 1779, Vespertilio was considered either the only chiropteran genus, or one of two, including Pteropus . It
200-538: The closest relatives to the family are the free-tailed bats of family Molossidae . The monotypic genus Tomopeas , represented by the blunt-eared bat ( Tomopeas ravum ), is acknowledged as the potentially closest link between the Vespertilionidae and Molossidae, as it is the most basal member of the Molossidae and has intermediate characteristics of both families. The grouping of these subfamilies
220-478: The configuration of their broader wing shape and may give a fluttery appearance as they forage and glean. Others are specialised as long-winged genera, such as Lasiurus and Nyctalus , that use rapid pursuit to capture insects. The size range of the family is 3 to 13 cm (1.2 to 5.1 in) in head and body length; this excludes the tail, which is itself quite long in many species. They are generally brown or grey in colour, often an indiscriminate appearance as
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#1732801909007240-522: The elaborate nose appendages of microbats that focus nasal emitted ultrasound . The ultrasound signal is usually produced orally, and many species have large external ears to capture and reflect sound, enabling them to discriminate and extract information. The vespertilionids employ a range of flight techniques. The wing surface is extended to the lower limbs, and the tails of this family are enclosed in an interfemoral membrane . Some are relatively slow-flying genera, such as Pipistrellus , that manipulate
260-656: The flying foxes and fruit bats of the megabat group Megachiroptera . The treatments of bat taxonomy have also included a placement amongst the Vespertilioniformes , or Yangochiroptera , as suborder Vespertilionoidea . Molecular data indicate the Vespertilionidae diverged from the Molossidae in the early Eocene period. The family is thought to have originated somewhere in Laurasia , possibly North America. A recently extinct species, Synemporion keana ,
280-487: 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 term "evening bat" also often refers more specifically to one of the species, Nycticeius humeralis .) They are allied to the suborder Microchiroptera , the families of microbats separated from
300-537: The inclusion of the phylogenetic implications of molecular genetics ; only the Murininae and Kerivoulinae have not been changed in light of genetic analysis. Subfamilies that were once recognized as valid, such as the Nyctophilinae , are considered dubious, as molecular evidence suggests they are paraphyletic in their arrangements. Within the concept Yangochiroptera , an acknowledged cladistic treatment,
320-484: The limbs; as in bats and pterosaurs, they also possess propatagia and uropatagia. Though the forelimb is not as specialised as in true flyers, the membrane tends to be an equally complex organ, composed of various muscle groups and fibers. Various species have styliform bones to support the membranes, either on the elbow ( colugos , anomalures , greater glider , Eomys ) or on the wrist (flying squirrels). In gliding species, such as some lizards and flying frogs ,
340-481: The majority of described African pipistrelle-like bat species, with a focus on previously unstudied samples of East African bats. The study proposed a revision of the pipistrelle-like bats in East Africa and described multiple new genera and species. Family Vespertilionidae Interfemoral membrane In bats, the skin forming the surface of the wing is an extension of the skin of the abdomen that runs to
360-411: The patagium is the flat parachute -like extension of skin that catches the air, which allows gliding flight . In birds , the propatagium is the elastic fold of skin extending from the shoulder to the carpal joint , making up the leading edge of the inner wing. Many authors use the term to describe the fold of skin between the body (behind the shoulder) and the elbow that houses the outer segments of
380-458: The tip of each digit, uniting the forelimb with the body. The patagium of a bat has four distinct parts: In the flying pterosaurs, the patagium was composed of the membrane forming the surface of the wing, supported primarily between the body and the elongated fourth finger. The patagium of a pterosaur had three distinct parts: Flying squirrels , sugar gliders , colugos , anomalures and other mammals also have patagia that extend between
400-489: Was considered by some to be the only genus of bats until as late as 1817. This Vespertilionidae article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vespertilionidae 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
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