The common pipistrelle is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and may extend into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles. In Europe, the northernmost confirmed records are from southern Finland near 60°N.
Common pipistrelle
Pipistrellus pipistrellus in flight
Pipistrellus pipistrellus baby
Microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). Bats have long been differentiated into Megachiroptera (megabats) and Microchiroptera, based on their size, the use of echolocation by the Microchiroptera and other features; molecular evidence suggests a somewhat different subdivision, as the microbats have been shown to be a paraphyletic group.
Microbat
Ventral view of a Florida Freetail bat (Tadarida cyanocephala) skull, highlighting both the stylohyal and tympanic bones. Specimen from the Pacific Lutheran University Natural History collection.
A series of Romanian postage stamps. The bats depicted are (from top to bottom and left to right): the greater mouse-eared bat, the lesser horseshoe bat, the brown long-eared bat, the common pipistrelle, the greater noctule bat, and the barbastelle, Romanian post miniature sheet, 2003
