| Seminole bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Lasiurus |
| Species: | L. seminolus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lasiurus seminolus (Rhoads, 1895) | |
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TheSeminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus) is a species ofbat in the familyVespertilionidae.
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| Relationship ofL. seminolus withinLasiurus, based on an analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.[2] |
The Seminole bat was firstdescribed in 1895 by Samuel N. Rhoads.[3] Theholotype had been collected inTarpon Springs, Florida in 1892 by William S. Dickinson. Rhoads placed it in the now-defunct genusAtalpha, identifying it as asubspecies of theeastern red bat with a scientific name ofAtalpha borealis seminolus. In 1932, the nameLasiurus seminolus was applied to the taxon for the first time byEarl Lincoln Poole.[4]
The Seminole bat is often confused with the red bat. This is due to the coloring of the Seminole bat, which is a mahogany color with a frosted look due to white tipped dorsal hairs.[4] Coloring is not sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females are similar in color.[4] Average weight is around 12 grams with females being larger than males.[4]
Seminole bats areinsectivores. Insectivores are animals that feed primarily on insects. They have been found to eat relatively large amount ofHymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps),Coleoptera (beetles),Lepidoptera (moths).[5] They have also been shown to eat smaller amounts ofHomoptera (cicadas) andDiptera (flies).[5]
The Seminole bat is found in theSoutheastern United States. This includes Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and parts of Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina. There are also records of Seminole bats as far as Mexico.[4] It is a migratory species, living along theGulf Coast, in the Carolinas, and southern Arkansas during the winter. In the summer, they migrate as far north as Missouri and Kentucky.[6]
In 2015, it was documented for the first time in northwestern North Carolina.[7]
The bats prefer to live in forested areas. In winter months they are found to useleaf litter andSpanish moss as insulation in their roost sites.[8] Spanish moss is also thought to be an important factor in Seminole bat environments year round and is believed to be a limiting factor in distribution of these bats.[4]
