# List of nycterids

Nycteridae is one of the twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the microbat suborder. Members of this family are called nycterids or slit-faced bats. They are found in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southeastern Asia, primarily in forests and savannas, though some species can also be found in deserts, shrublands, grasslands, or caves. They range in size from the dwarf slit-faced bat, at 3 cm (1 in) plus a 3 cm (1 in) tail, to the large slit-faced bat, at 9 cm (4 in) plus a 9 cm (4 in) tail. Like all bats, nycterids are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from 3 cm (1 in) to 7 cm (3 in). They are all insectivorous and eat a variety of insects and spiders, and the large slit-faced bat also regularly eats fish, frogs, birds, and bats. No nycterids have population estimates or are categorized as endangered species.
The 16 extant species of Nycteridae are all contained in a single genus, Nycteris. A few extinct prehistoric nycterid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

## Conventions

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the nycterid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

## Classification

The family Nycteridae consists of sixteen species in a single genus, Nycteris.

## Nycterids

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Genus Nycteris – Geoffroy & Cuvier, 1795 – fourteen species :
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
| Andersen's slit-faced bat | N. aurita K. Andersen, 1912 | Eastern Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2–2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Savanna and desert | LC  Unknown |
| Bates's slit-faced bat | N. arge Thomas, 1903 | Central and western Africa | Size: 5–7 cm (2–3 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | LC  Unknown |
| Dwarf slit-faced bat | N. nana (K. Andersen, 1912) | Central and western Africa | Size: 3–5 cm (1–2 in), plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail 3–4 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | LC  Unknown |
| Egyptian slit-faced bat | N. thebaica Geoffroy, 1813 Eight subspecies N. t. adana N. t. angolensis N. t. brockmani N. t. capensis N. t. damarensis N. t. labiata N. t. najdiya N. t. thebaica | Africa and western Arabian Peninsula | Size: 4–6 cm (2 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 3–6 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, caves, and desert | LC  Unknown |
| Gambian slit-faced bat | N. gambiensis K. Andersen, 1912 | Western Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest, savanna, and caves | LC  Unknown |
| Hairy slit-faced bat | N. hispida Schreber, 1775 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | LC  Unknown |
| Intermediate slit-faced bat | N. intermedia Aellen, 1959 | Central and western Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–6 cm (2 in) tail 3–4 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | LC  Unknown |
| Ja slit-faced bat | N. major K. Andersen, 1912 | Central and western Africa | Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in), plus 5–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | DD  Unknown |
| Javan slit-faced bat | N. javanica E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1813 Two subspecies N. j. bastiani N. j. javanica | Indonesia | Size: Unknown length 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and caves | VU  Unknown |
| Large slit-faced bat | N. grandis Peters, 1865 | Central, eastern, and western Africa | Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in), plus 6–9 cm (2–4 in) tail 5–7 cm (2–3 in) forearm length Habitat: Savanna and forest | LC  Unknown |
| Large-eared slit-faced bat | N. macrotis Dobson, 1876 Four subspecies N. m. aethiopica N. m. luteola N. m. macrotis N. m. oriana | Sub-Saharan Africa | Size: 4–7 cm (2–3 in), plus 4–7 cm (2–3 in) tail 4–6 cm (2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest and savanna | LC  Unknown |
| Malagasy slit-faced bat | N. madagascariensis Grandidier, 1937 | Northern Madagascar | Size: Unknown length Habitat: Unknown | DD  Unknown |
| Malayan slit-faced bat | N. tragata K. Andersen, 1912 | Southeastern Asia | Size: 6–8 cm (2–3 in), plus 7–8 cm (3 in) tail 4–6 cm (2 in) forearm length Habitat: Forest, rocky areas, and caves | NT  Unknown |
| Parissi's slit-faced bat | N. parisii de Beaux, 1924 Two subspecies N. p. benuensis N. p. parisii | Eastern Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–5 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Savanna | DD  Unknown |
| Vinson's slit-faced bat | N. vinsoni Dalquest, 1965 | Southern Mozambique | Size: Unknown length Habitat: Unknown | DD  Unknown |
| Wood's slit-faced bat | N. woodi K. Andersen, 1914 Two subspecies N. w. sabiensis N. w. woodi | Southern Africa | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in), plus 4–5 cm (2 in) tail 3–5 cm (1–2 in) forearm length Habitat: Savanna and caves | LC  Unknown |