{{Short description|Species of bat}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Speciesbox | name = Western red bat | image = Lasiurus blossevillii.jpg | image_alt = The image depicts a captured desert red bat | status = | status_system = | status_ref = | genus = Lasiurus | species = frantzii | authority = (Peters, 1871) | range_map = Distribution of Lasiurus blossevillii.png | range_map_caption = Western red bat range in green and yellow }}
The '''western red bat''' or '''desert red bat''' ('''''Lasiurus frantzii''''') is a species<ref>{{cite web |title=Lasiurus frantzii, Desert Red Bat |url=https://mammaldiversity.github.io/explore.html#species-id=2479 |publisher=[[American Society of Mammalogists]] Mammal Diversity Database |access-date=September 12, 2020}}</ref> of [[microbat]] in the family [[Vespertilionidae]]. It is found in western [[North America]] and [[Central America]].
== Taxonomy == Previously, it was believed to be a subspecies of the [[southern red bat]] (''Lasiurus blossevillii''), and was called ''Lasiurus blossevillii teliotis'' (abbreviated ''L. b. teliotis'').<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1093/jmammal/gyv135| issn = 0022-2372| volume = 96| issue = 6| pages = 1255–1274| last1 = Baird| first1 = Amy B.| last2 = Braun| first2 = Janet K.| last3 = Mares| first3 = Michael A.| last4 = Morales| first4 = Juan Carlos| last5 = Patton| first5 = John C.| last6 = Tran| first6 = Christina Q.| last7 = Bickham| first7 = John W.| title = Molecular systematic revision of tree bats (Lasiurini): doubling the native mammals of the Hawaiian Islands| journal = Journal of Mammalogy| date = 2015-11-24| doi-access = free}}</ref> The western red bat is also very similar to the eastern red bat and is distinguished from each other by minor differences, such as the lack of white-tipped hair in the dorsal pelage in the western red bat and the presence of sparse fur in the lower third of their tail. Their habitats are separated by the Rocky Mountains and may overlap.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Solick |first1=Donald I. |last2=Barclay |first2=Robert M. R. |last3=Bishop-Boros |first3=Larisa |last4=Hays |first4=Quentin R. |last5=Lausen |first5=Cori L. |date=2020-03-03 |title=Distributions of Eastern and Western Red Bats in Western North America |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2563&context=wnan |journal=Western North American Naturalist |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=90 |doi=10.3398/064.080.0111 |bibcode=2020WNAN...80...90S |issn=1527-0904|url-access=subscription |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref>
== Distribution and habitat == The western red bat is found across western North America, ranging from southern Canada, through the [[western United States]], down to Central America. The species has been recorded in Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States. This species, along with most other ''Lasiurus'', is a migratory species. It migrates to the southern parts of the Americas in the winter, and migrates north in the summer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Western Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii)|url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/westred/|access-date=2022-02-09|website=tpwd.texas.gov}}</ref> ''Lasiurus frantzii'' is most often found in tree foliage, as are most species in the genus ''[[Lasiurus]]'', and is a [[Sociality|solitary]] species.<ref name="CCBSWesternRed">{{cite web|title=CENTRAL COAST BAT SURVEY|url=https://www.batcon.org/bat/lasiurus-blossevillii/|access-date=17 October 2020|website=Western Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii)|publisher=Central Coast Bat Survey}}</ref>
The common name implies that the desert red bat lives in the desert, but they actually hibernate under leaves in forests. Their coat color especially helps them [[camouflage]] with dead leaves.<ref name="BCIWesternRed2">{{cite web|title=LASIURUS BLOSSEVILLII|url=https://www.batcon.org/bat/lasiurus-blossevillii/|access-date=17 October 2020|website=Bat Conservation International - About Bats|publisher=Bat Conservation International}}</ref>
== Reproduction == Unlike most bats, which bear only one pup per season, the western red bat can give birth to as many as four pups at once.<ref name="BCIWesternRed">{{cite web|title=LASIURUS BLOSSEVILLII|url=https://www.batcon.org/bat/lasiurus-blossevillii/|access-date=17 October 2020|website=Bat Conservation International - About Bats|publisher=Bat Conservation International}}</ref> To compensate for larger litters, desert red bats have four nipples rather than two. The bats mate during August and September. Pups are born about 90 days after mating. Before the bats are able to fly, the mother carries up to four pups at a time. It takes up to six weeks for the bats to fly by themselves and one to three years to mature.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Western Red Bat|url=http://sibr.com/mammals/M033.html|access-date=2022-02-09|website=sibr.com}}</ref>
== Ecology == Male and female red bats have different migrating routines. Female bats are usually found in warmer climates during the month of June.<ref name=":0" />
== Diet and hunting == The desert red bat is an [[insectivore]]. They eat moths, flies, true bugs, beetles, and cicadas. The desert red bat is nocturnal. They use [[animal echolocation]] to hunt for insects. While they hunt, they are prone to predators, which include owls, blue jays, raccoons and opossum.{{fact|date=February 2022}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Vespertilioninae nav}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q20906601}}
[[Category:Lasiurus]] [[Category:Bats of Canada]] [[Category:Bats of the United States]] [[Category:Bats of Mexico]] [[Category:Bats of Central America]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1871]] [[Category:Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters]] [[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]