Vertebrate fauna of
 Southeast Asia

  

 

   
Home  
——————————  
SE Asia fauna ...  
   
Primates
 Carnivorans
 Large Mammals
 Small Mammals
 Mammal calls
 Bats
—————
Birds
—————
 Snakes
 Lizards & Crocodilians
 Turtles
—————
 Amphibians
 Tadpoles
 Frog calls
—————
Freshwater Fishes
 Marine & Brackish Fishes
—————
Species Lists
 





 


 
——————————  
New Guinea herptiles ...  
Snakes   Lizards   Frogs  
——————————  
SE Asia Vert Records (SEAVR) archives ...  
  Indochina Records
  Indonesia & PNG Records
Philippines Records
 
——————————  
   
  New or updated pages ...
 
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
——————————  
 

Search this site ...

 
 


   

 
  ——————————  
 


Email :


Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless credited to others.
Copyright © Ecology Asia 2025

 
     
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

   
   
 
Pipistrelles 
-  Pipistrellus spp.
   
   

Fig 1
 

Fig 2
 

Fig 3
 

Fig 4
  

Fig 5
   

 

 

 

 

 

Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Vespertilionidae
Species : Pipistrellus spp.

Forearm Length : species vary between 2.9 and 4.6 cm
Weight : species vary between 3 and 22 grams

There are more than 30 species of pipistrelle in the genus Pipistrellus, around half of which occur in Southeast Asia and eastwards to Papua New Guinea.

Pipistrellus are small, insectivorous bats which inhabit a variety of open niches; some species are known to hunt for insects over lakes and rivers, while others forage amongst the treetops or in larger, sub-canopy spaces.

Different species weigh between 3 and 22 grams, and their manner of flight is similar to that of large butterflies or moths, with wing beats which have a 'fluttering' motion.

Pipistrellus typically have small, rounded ears, and a short muzzle. Their eyes are small, and their fur is dense. Many species are superficially similar in appearance and can only be separated on the basis of dentition and by the characteristics of the baculum (the bone inside the penis).

A related genus, Hypsugo, comprises (as of 2024) around 18 species of which 12 occur in parts of Southeast Asia.


Figs 1 to 4 : Two examples of Javan Pipistrelle Pipistrellus javanicus found in the grounds of a condominium in Singapore, near a large forested area.

Fig 5: Example from the margins of a large lake in Singapore. Tentatively Pipistrellus javanicus.


References :

Francis, C.M. 2019. A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia. Second Edition.  New Holland. 416 pp.

Kingston, T., Lim B.L., Zubaid, A., 2006. Bats of Krau Wildlife Reserve. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.