Barbastella
Barbastella
a genus of bats of the suborder Microchiroptera. The body is 4–6 cm long and weighs 6–10 g. The very broad ears are concresced at the forehead. There are two species—the European barbastel (B. barbastellus) and the Asiatic barbastel (B. leucomelas)—which are distributed in temperate and subtropical latitudes of Eurasia and in North Africa. In the USSR the European barbastel inhabits the Caucasus and western and southern regions of the European portion; the Asiatic barbastel inhabits the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and Middle Asia. During the day the bats hide in caves, rock crevices, tree hollows, and buildings. They feed on insects. The females bear one or two young.