Miniopteridae is one of the twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the Yangochiroptera suborder. A member of this family is called a miniopterid, a bent-winged bat, or long winged bat. They are found in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, primarily in caves, forests, shrubland, and grasslands, though some species can also be found in deserts or rocky areas. They range in size from the Shortridge's long-fingered bat, at plus a tail, to the great bent-winged bat, at plus a tail. Like all bats, miniopterids are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from for many species to in the western bent-winged bat. They are all insectivorous and eat a variety of insects and spiders. No miniopterids have population estimates, though two species—the Loyalty bent-winged bat and Southeast Asian long-fingered bat—are categorized as endangered species.
The 41 extant species of Miniopteridae are all included in a single genus, Miniopterus. A few extinct prehistoric miniopterid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.
Conventions
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the miniopterid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification The family Miniopteridae consists of a single genus, Miniopterus, containing 41 extant species.
Miniopterids The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group and the American Society of Mammalogists.
References Nowak, p. 221
Wilson, Reeder, pp. 519–521
Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 525–526 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 527–528
Sources