NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Giant Noctule
Nyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) is a rare carnivorous bat found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to 46 centimetres (18 in) and is one of the few bat species to feed on passerine birds. Greater noctule bats are the only bat species to hunt birds on the wing rather than when roosting. The greater noctule bat has wings adapted for open-air hunting and uses echolocation frequencies above the hearing range of birds.
Wikipedia contributors, Greater noctule bat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:03:43.498522+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780)
- Name authority
- (Schreber, 1780)
- Common name
- Giant Noctule
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Genus
- Nyctalus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
- suborderYangochiroptera Koopman, 1984
- superfamilyVespertilionoidea Gray, 1821
- familyVespertilionidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyVespertilioninae Gray, 1821
- tribePipistrellini Tate, 1942
- genusNyctalus Bowditch, 1825
- speciesNyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nyctalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Azorean BatNyctalus azoreum (Thomas, 1901) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Japanese Lesser NoctuleNyctalus furvus Imaizumi & Yoshiyuki, 1968 | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common NoctuleNyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chinese NoctuleNyctalus plancyi (Gerbe, 1880) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leisler's NoctuleNyctalus leisleri (Kuhl, 1817) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bird-like NoctuleNyctalus aviator (Thomas, 1911) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Himalayan NoctuleNyctalus montanus (Barrett-Hamilton, 1906) | VespertilionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Vespertilio lasiopterus Schreber, 1780 Schreber, 1780 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632066 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:484X9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.