Eptesicus fuscus

(A. M. F. J. Palisot de Beauvois, 1796)

Big Brown Bat

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Chiroptera
Suborder : Vespertilioniformes
Superfamily : Vespertilionoidea
Family : Vespertilionidae
Subfamily : Vespertilioninae
Tribe : Eptesicini
Genus : Eptesicus

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Catal. Peale's Mus. [Philadelphia], p. 14, 1796. ]

Original name as described

Vespertilio fuscus

Type locality

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Biogeographic realm

Nearctic · Neotropic

Country distribution

Canada · United States · Mexico · Guatemala · Belize · Honduras · Nicaragua · Costa Rica · Panama · Colombia · Venezuela · Ecuador

Subregion distribution

USA(AL,AZ,AR,CA,CO,CT,DE,DC,FL,GA,ID,IL,IN,IA,KS,KY,LA,ME,MD,MA,MI,MN,MS,MO,MT,NE,NV,NH,NJ,NM,NY,NC,ND,OH,OK,OR,PA,RI,SC,SD,TN,TX,UT,VT,VA,WA,WV,WI,WY)

Taxonomy notes

previously included E. dutertreus; tentatively includes miradorensis, which was recently suggested to be a distinct species, although further research into whether E. fuscus as currently defined represents a species complex is needed before species are split from it; E. fuscus is retained in the genus Eptesicus, while all other species in the genus have been moved to Neoeptesicus (American species) or Cnephaeus (Afro-Eurasian species)

Taxonomy notes citation

Yi, X., & Latch, E. K. (2022). Nuclear phylogeography reveals strong impacts of gene flow in big brown bats. Journal of Biogeography. · Yi, X., & Latch, E. K. (2022). Systematics of the New World bats Eptesicus and Histiotus suggest trans-marine dispersal followed by Neotropical cryptic diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 175, 107582. · Ramírez-Chaves, H. E., Cifuentes, M. A., Noguera-Urbano, E. A., Pérez, W. A., Torres-Martínez, M. M., Ossa-López, P. A., ... & Morales-Martínez, D. M. (2023). Systematics, morphometry, and distribution of Eptesicus fuscus miradorensis (H. Allen, 1866)(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), with notes on baculum morphology and natural history. Therya, 14(2). · Cláudio, V. C., Novaes, R. L., Gardner, A. L., Nogueira, M. R., Wilson, D. E., Maldonado, J. E., ... & Moratelli, R. (2023). Taxonomic re-evaluation of New World Eptesicus and Histiotus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), with the description of a new genus. Zoologia (Curitiba), 40, e22029. · Mônico, P. I., & Soto-Centeno, J. A. (2024). Phylogenetic, morphological and niche differentiation unveil new species limits for the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Royal Society Open Science, 11(2), 231384.

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

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