Glauconycteris variegata (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Abstract

Glauconycteris variegata (Tomes, 1861), commonly known as the variegated butterfly bat, is 1 of 12 species in the genus Glauconycteris. It is a pale-yellow or light-gray bat with pale, translucent wing and tail membranes that are reticulated with a prominent lattice of darkly pigmented venation. It is widespread across savannah, woodland, and bushveldt habitats in sub-Saharan Africa. It roosts most often in trees, eats insects—especially moths—on the wing, and echolocates with high-intensity, frequency-modulated calls typically sweeping from 70 to 30 kHz. G. variegata is considered a species of “Least Concern,” albeit population trends are unknown.