Otonycteris

Otonycteris
Desert long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Tribe:	Plecotini
Genus:	Otonycteris Peters, 1859
Type species
Otonycteris hemprichii Peters, 1859
Species
Otonycteris hemprichii Otonycteris leucophaea

Otonycteris is a genus of vesper bats. Members of this genus are found in Northern Africa and Central Asia. Until recently, it was thought to be monotypic, but in 2010, the Turkestani long-eared bat was distinguished from the desert long-eared bat; previously, all populations were recognized as the desert long-eared bat.

Currently, it consists of two species:[1]

• Desert long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii)
  • Subspecies
    • Otonycteris hemprichii hemprichii: found in North Africa, the Levant, and the Middle East
    • Otonycteris hemprichii cinerea: found in the mountains of Iran and Oman
    • Otonycteris hemprichii jin: found in low-elevation deserts of the eastern Arabian Peninsula and southeast Iran
• Turkestani long-eared bat (Otonycteris leucophaea)

References

1. Benda, P.; Gvoždík, V. (2010). "Taxonomy of the genus Otonycteris (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Plecotini) as inferred from morphological and mtDNA data" (PDF). Acta Chiropterologica. 12 (1): 83–102. doi:10.3161/150811010x504617.