Bats are one of the major components of the indigenous mammalian fauna of Madagascar, in addition to tenrecs, lemurs, euplerid carnivores, and nesomyine rodents. Forty-six bat species have so far been recorded on Madagascar, of which thirty-six occur only on the island. However, new species continue to be discovered, causing the number of species to rise rapidly; for example, Nick Garbutt's Mammals of Madagascar (2007) listed only 36 species. Most Malagasy bats have their origins in nearby mainland Africa, but on at least three occasions—Pipistrellus raceyi, Pteropus rufus, and the species pair Emballonura atrata–E. tiavato—bats have colonized Madagascar from Asia.
The following bat genera and families include species found on Madagascar (all species counts are for Madagascar only):
Family Pteropodidae (3 endemic species)
Genus Eidolon (1 endemic species)
Genus Pteropus (1 endemic species)
Genus Rousettus (1 endemic species)
Family Hipposideridae (6 endemic species)
Genus Hipposideros (2 endemic species, one of which is extinct)
Genus Paratriaenops (2 endemic species)
Genus Triaenops (2 endemic species, one of which is extinct)
Family Emballonuridae (2 endemic, 2 non-endemic species)
Genus Coleura (1 non-endemic species)
Genus Emballonura (2 endemic species)
Genus Taphozous (1 non-endemic species)
Family Nycteridae (1 endemic species)
Genus Nycteris (1 endemic species)
Family Myzopodidae (2 endemic species)
Genus Myzopoda (2 endemic species)
Family Molossidae (5 endemic, 3 non-endemic species)
Genus Chaerephon (2 endemic, 1 non-endemic species)
Genus Mops (1 endemic, 1 non-endemic species)
Genus Mormopterus (1 endemic species)
Genus Otomops (1 endemic species)
Genus Tadarida (1 non-endemic species)
Family Miniopteridae (9 endemic, 2 non-endemic species)
Genus Miniopterus (9 endemic, 2 non-endemic species)
Family Vespertilionidae (8 endemic, 4 non-endemic species)
Genus Hypsugo (1 non-endemic species)
Genus Myotis (1 endemic species)
Genus Neoromicia (3 endemic species)
Genus Pipistrellus (1 endemic, 1 non-endemic species)
Genus Scotophilus (3 endemic, 1 non-endemic species)
Pteropodidae are a diverse family, with 186 species recognized in 2005, which occurs across the tropical regions of the Old World. They include the largest bats, but also some smaller species, and are mostly diurnal and frugivorous. Three species are known from Madagascar; each is classified in its own genus and is most closely related to species from outside Madagascar.
Hipposideridae are a moderately diverse family—81 species were listed in 2005—and occur across the Old World tropics. Insectivorous, cave-roosting, and characterized by an elaborate noseleaf, they have often been united with the horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus; absent from Madagascar) into a single family Rhinolophidae, but are currently classified separately. Six species, all endemic, are known from Madagascar, of which four are extant. Hipposideros commersoni is the largest non-pteropodid bat of Madagascar and the extinct Hipposideros besaoka was even larger. The other species belong to the closely related genera Triaenops and Paratriaenops; the latter was split from Triaenops in 2009 and is restricted to Madagascar and the western Seychelles.
With 51 species (2005), Emballonuridae are a moderately diverse family. Found in tropical and subtropical regions across the world, they are characterized by a tail that extends beyond the uropatagium (tail membrane), but may be retracted into a sheath. Four species are known from Madagascar, of which two are endemic and two others are shared with mainland Africa.
Nycteridae is a small family of 16 species (2005) in a single genus found in Africa and east to the Sunda Islands. They are characterized by a groove on their face and are insectivorous. A single, poorly known species has been recorded from Madagascar.
This family, characterized by suction disks on the hand and feet, is unique to Madagascar. (It does, however, have a fossil record in Africa extending from the late Eocene to the Pleistocene.) A single species has historically been recognized, but eastern and western populations were classified as separate species in 2007.
This diverse family of 100 species (2005) occurs across the world in tropical regions. The tail conspicuously projects from the uropatagium and the wings are long. Eight species are known from Madagascar, four of which are endemic.
This family contains a single genus, Miniopterus, with 19 species recognized in 2005, which was classified in Vespertilionidae until recently. Insectivorous and characterized by long fingers, the species are all quite similar, leading to a confused classification. On Madagascar, four species were recognized as recently as 2007, but systematic research has led the number to increase to eleven, of which nine are restricted to Madagascar and two shared with the Comoros.
With 407 species (2005; including Miniopterus, which is now classified in its own family), Vespertilionidae is the largest bat family. Characterized by a tail contained in the uropatagium, they occur around the world in many habitats and are insectivorous. Madagascar hosts an endemic species of the extremely widespread genus Myotis, four species (three endemic) of the house bat Scotophilus, and at least six (four endemic) of small vespertilionids ("pipistrelles") in the genera Hypsugo, Eptesicus, Neoromicia, and Pipistrellus. The classification of the "pipistrelles" is confused, leading to many changing identifications. In addition to the six "pipistrelles" listed here, the African Neoromicia nanus has also been recorded from Madagascar, but the identification of the Madagascar records needs to be confirmed.
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