Mammals of the WorldGobi Serotine
Cnephaeus gobiensis
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Genus
- Cnephaeus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Iran|Kazakhstan|Kyrgyzstan|Tajikistan|Russia|Mongolia|China|Afghanistan|Pakistan|India|Nepal?
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Gobi Big Brown Bat
About this species
- Size
- 57–65mm body length
- Diet
- Insects
- Habitat
- Desert, semi-desert, and mountain regions
- Range
- Central Asia, including Mongolia
The Gobi serotine is a fairly small vesper bat, formerly placed in Eptesicus. It measures roughly 57–65mm in head-and-body length, with a 38–42mm forearm. Dorsal fur is reddish yellow over dark-brown bases, while the underparts are brownish white. Its inner upper incisors stand distinctly higher than the outer pair. The type specimen came from the Altai Mountains in the Gobi Desert. (Smith and Xie 2008, as reported on Wikipedia)
Its Central Asian range extends through Mongolia and neighbouring parts of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Iran. It occupies desert, semi-desert, and mountain country, roosting alone or in small groups in shaded places, rock fissures, old buildings, and sometimes cave entrances. It is an insectivore; butterflies have been suggested among its prey, although the species remains little studied. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)