Western Barbastelle
Barbastella barbastellus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderChiroptera (Bats)
- FamilyVespertilionidae (Evening Bats)
- GenusBarbastella (Barbastelles)
- SpeciesBarbastella barbastellus (Western Barbastelle)
About the Western Barbastelle
The western barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus Barbastella. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, where a sub-species was identified. It has a short nose, small eyes and wide ears. The conservation status of B. barbastellus is assessed as "near threatened", "vulnerable", "critically endangered" or "extinct" in various parts of its range.
The western barbastelle was described as a new species in 1774 by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who placed it in the genus Vespertilio, with a species name of Vespertilio barbastellus. The holotype had been collected in Burgundy, France. In 1836 it was placed in the genus Barbastellus, and the first use of its current name combination of Barbastella barbastellus was in 1897 by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. The name Barbastella barbastellus might be coming from the Latin barba (beard) and stella (star). Viewed from the side, it seems that the upper lip has a beard, or a moustache.
Two subspecies are recognized by Mammal Species of the World (2005): Barbastella barbastellus barbastellus: distributed... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Ecrins National Park
Kuhl's pipistrelle
Pipistrellus kuhlii
Common Pipistrelle
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Lesser Noctule
Nyctalus leisleri
Daubenton's bat
Myotis daubentonii
Savi's Pipistrelle
Hypsugo savii
Natterer's Bat
Myotis nattereri
Gray big-eared bat
Plecotus austriacus
particolored bat
Vespertilio murinus
Greater Horseshoe Bat
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Rhinolophus hipposideros
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 4 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 7 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France |