Lesser Asiatic Yellow Bat

The lesser Asiatic yellow bat is a medium-sized vesper bat whose forearm measures 44–56.4 mm in the account opened. Its upper fur is chestnut or brown and the underside is paler, usually without the stronger yellow wash associated with the larger greater Asiatic yellow bat. Average forearm length provides the most reliable external distinction between the two. A Hainan study of 85 animals recorded a mean forearm of 50.41 mm and mean mass of 19.81 g (Bats of the Indian Subcontinent; Zhu et al. 2012).

This adaptable aerial insectivore uses towns, villages, farms, forest and forest edge. Colonies can occupy caves, hollow trees, palm fronds, roofs and cracks in buildings, sometimes numbering several hundred bats. Research on Hainan found fast flight in open spaces and around tree crowns and street lights; moths and beetles dominated the sampled diet, with bugs and hymenopterans also eaten. Females bear one or two young after a reported gestation of 105–115 days (Bates and Harrison 1997, cited in the species account; Zhu et al. 2012).