Kuhl's pipistrelle

About the Kuhl's pipistrelle

Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) is a species of vesper bat that occurs in large areas of North Africa, Southern Europe and West Asia. It lives in temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, rural gardens, and urban areas.

Kuhl's pipistrelle was first described in 1817, under the name Vespertilio kuhlii, in a work by Heinrich Kuhl entitled Die deutschen Fledermäuse ("The bats of Germany"). The specific epithet was chosen by Johann Natterer, who had collected the first specimens, and commemorates Kuhl; under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, however, Kuhl himself is regarded as the authority, as the first to report the name.

The population in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan was formerly known as Pipistrellus deserti, which is now considered to be a junior synonym of Pipistrellus kuhlii. Kuhl's pipistrelle's fur is dark brown to yellowish, while the wings are black or dark brown. Some individuals have a white stripe at the wing edges. It has a body length of 40–55 mm (1.6–2.2 in) with a 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in) long tail, and it weighs around 5–10... Wikipedia →