Nycteridae is one of the twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the microbat suborder. Members of this family are called nycterids or slit-faced bats. They are found in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southeastern Asia, primarily in forests and savannas, though some species can also be found in deserts, shrublands, grasslands, or caves. They range in size from the dwarf slit-faced bat, at 3 cm (1 in) plus a 3 cm (1 in) tail, to the large slit-faced bat, at 9 cm (4 in) plus a 9 cm (4 in) tail. Like all bats, nycterids are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from 3 cm (1 in) to 7 cm (3 in). They are all insectivorous and eat a variety of insects and spiders, and the large slit-faced bat also regularly eats fish, frogs, birds, and bats.^[1] No nycterids have population estimates or are categorized as endangered species.

The 16 extant species of Nycteridae are all contained in a single genus, Nycteris. A few extinct prehistoric nycterid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.^[2]

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 nycterid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

Classification

The family Nycteridae consists of sixteen extant species in a single genus, Nycteris.

Nycterids

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 and the American Society of Mammalogists.^[3]

Genus Nycteris – Geoffroy & Cuvier, 1795 – fourteen species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Andersen's slit-faced bat	N. aurita K. Andersen, 1912	Eastern Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2–2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Savanna and desert[5]	LC  Unknown [5]
Bates's slit-faced bat	N. arge Thomas, 1903	Central and western Africa	Size: 5–7 cm (2–3 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[6]	LC  Unknown [6]
Dwarf slit-faced bat	N. nana (K. Andersen, 1912)	Central and western Africa	Size: 3–5 cm (1–2 in), plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail 3–4 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[7]	LC  Unknown [7]
Egyptian slit-faced bat	N. thebaica Geoffroy, 1813 Eight subspecies N. t. adana N. t. angolensis N. t. brockmani N. t. capensis N. t. damarensis N. t. labiata N. t. najdiya N. t. thebaica	Africa and western Arabian Peninsula	Size: 4–6 cm (2 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 3–6 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, caves, and desert[8]	LC  Unknown [8]
Gambian slit-faced bat	N. gambiensis K. Andersen, 1912	Western Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest, savanna, and caves[9]	LC  Unknown [9]
Hairy slit-faced bat	N. hispida Schreber, 1775	Sub-Saharan Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[10]	LC  Unknown [10]
Intermediate slit-faced bat	N. intermedia Aellen, 1959	Central and western Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–4 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[11]	LC  Unknown [11]
Ja slit-faced bat	N. major K. Andersen, 1912	Central and western Africa	Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in), plus 5–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[12]	DD  Unknown [12]
Javan slit-faced bat	N. javanica E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1813 Two subspecies N. j. bastiani N. j. javanica	Indonesia	Size: Unknown length 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and caves[13]	VU  Unknown [13]
Large slit-faced bat	N. grandis Peters, 1865	Central, eastern, and western Africa	Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in), plus 6–9 cm (2–4 in) tail 5–7 cm (2–3 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Savanna and forest[14]	LC  Unknown [14]
Large-eared slit-faced bat	N. macrotis Dobson, 1876 Four subspecies N. m. aethiopica N. m. luteola N. m. macrotis N. m. oriana	Sub-Saharan Africa	Size: 4–7 cm (2–3 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 4–6 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and savanna[15]	LC  Unknown [15]
Malagasy slit-faced bat	N. madagascariensis Grandidier, 1937	Northern Madagascar	Size: Unknown length[4] Habitat: Unknown[16]	DD  Unknown [16]
Malayan slit-faced bat	N. tragata K. Andersen, 1912	Southeastern Asia	Size: 6–8 cm (2–3 in), plus 7–8 cm (3 in) tail 4–6 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest, rocky areas, and caves[17]	NT  Unknown [17]
Parissi's slit-faced bat	N. parisii de Beaux, 1924 Two subspecies N. p. benuensis N. p. parisii	Eastern Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–5 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Savanna[18]	DD  Unknown [18]
Vinson's slit-faced bat	N. vinsoni Dalquest, 1965	Southern Mozambique	Size: Unknown length[4] Habitat: Unknown[19]	DD  Unknown [19]
Wood's slit-faced bat	N. woodi K. Andersen, 1914 Two subspecies N. w. sabiensis N. w. woodi	Southern Africa	Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–5 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Savanna and caves[20]	LC  Unknown [20]

References

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