Tricolored Bat
Perimyotis subflavus (F. Cuvier, 1832)

Taxonomy

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class

Trogloxene

Realm

Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from 197 counties across 24 states.

Continent

North America

Countries

Canada, United States

States and provinces

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, NJ, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia

Counties

Alabama

Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Clarke, DeKalb, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, Shelby, St. Clair

Arkansas

Baxter, Benton, Franklin, Garland, Independence, Izard, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Newton, Pike, Polk, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, Washington

Connecticut

Litchfield

Florida

Alachua, Citrus, Gilchrist, Jackson, Levy, Marion, Washington

Georgia

Bartow, Bleckley, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Decatur, Floyd, Gordon, Grady, Polk, Randolph, Walker, Whitfield

Illinois

Adams, Alexander, Carroll, Hardin, Jackson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, LaSalle, Monroe, Pike, Pope, Randolph, Saline, Union

Indiana

Crawford, Greene, Harrison, Lawrence, Monroe, Owen

Kansas

Barber, Cherokee, Marshall

Kentucky

Breckinridge, Carter, Christian, Clark, Crittenden, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Green?, Hart, Jackson, Jessamine, Lee, Letcher, Madison, Meade, Menifee, Morgan, Muhlenberg, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Trigg, Warren, Wayne, Woodford

Massachusetts

Hampden

Missouri

Barry, Boone, Camden, Franklin, Iron, Madison, McDonald, Pulaski, Stone, Texas

Mississippi

Tishomingo, Wayne

North Carolina

McDowell

NJ

Morris, Union

New York

Albany

Ohio

Hocking, Ross, Seneca

Oklahoma

Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, Kiowa, LaFlore, Murray, Sequoyah, Woodward

Ontario

Addington, Hastings, Renfrew, Wright

Pennsylvania

Bucks, Center, Franklin, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Somerset

Tennessee

Bedford, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Cheatham, Claiborne, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, Fentress, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Marion, Montgomery, Overton, Pickett, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Sevier, Sullivan, Union, Van Buren, Warren, White

Texas

Bexar, Comal, Edwards, Shelby

Virginia

Bath, Craig, Giles, Lee, Rockingham, Russell, Shenandoah, Warren

Wisconsin

Grant, Iron, Richland

West Virginia

Grant, Greenbrier, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Monongalia, Monroe, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

VU Vulnerable

Assessed in 2018.

NatureServe

G3 Vulnerable

National ranks

Canada

N1 Critically Imperiled

United States

N2 Imperiled

Subnational ranks

Ontario

S3 Vulnerable

Quebec

S1 Critically Imperiled

New Brunswick

S1 Critically Imperiled

Nova Scotia

S1 Critically Imperiled

Colorado

S2 Imperiled

Connecticut

S1 Critically Imperiled

Oklahoma

S3 Vulnerable

DE

S1 Critically Imperiled

NE

S3 Vulnerable

Texas

S2 Imperiled

Maryland

S1 Critically Imperiled

North Carolina

S3 Vulnerable

Indiana

S1 Critically Imperiled

Kentucky

S2 Imperiled

Illinois

SNR Unranked

Minnesota

S3 Vulnerable

RI

S4 Apparently Secure

Louisiana

S3 Vulnerable

District of Columbia

S4 Apparently Secure

Virginia

S2 Imperiled

Iowa

S4 Apparently Secure

Georgia

S2 Imperiled

Ohio

S1 Critically Imperiled

Missouri

S2 Imperiled

Alabama

S3 Vulnerable

Florida

S2 Imperiled

New York

S1 Critically Imperiled

Wisconsin

S1 Critically Imperiled

Wyoming

S1 Critically Imperiled

West Virginia

S2 Imperiled

Kansas

S4 Apparently Secure

Pennsylvania

S1 Critically Imperiled

Mississippi

S3 Vulnerable

Arkansas

S5 Secure

ME

SU Unrankable

South Carolina

S3 Vulnerable

NH

S1 Critically Imperiled

New Mexico

S3 Vulnerable

Michigan

S1 Critically Imperiled

Tennessee

S2 Imperiled

Massachusetts

S1 Critically Imperiled

Vermont

S1 Critically Imperiled

NJ

S1 Critically Imperiled

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act listed 2022

References

• Bailey, V. 1933. Cave Life of Kentucky. US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, DC, USA. 256 pp.
• Banta, A.M. 1907. The fauna of Mayfield's Cave. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 67: 1–114. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/60987.
• Barr, T.C., Jr. & Kuehne, R.A. 1971. Ecological studies in the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky. II. The Ecosystem. Annales de Speleologie 26: 47–96. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.3.1.10
• Brennan, J.M. & White, J.S. 1960. New records and description of chiggers (Acarina, Trombiculidae) on bats in Alabama. Journal of Parasitology 46: 346–350.
• Cassidy, J.J., O'Hagan, G.G., Sanders, J.S. & Harvey, M.J. 1979. Swarming of bats at two southern Ozark caves. Proceedings of the Tennessee Academy of Science 54: 73.
• Cobb, R.M. 1985. A reconnaissance of caves in Lauderdale and Colbert counties, Alabama for the Alabama cavefish, Speleoplatyrhinus poulsoni. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. 28 pp.
• Collins, J. & Sanders, C. 2016. A summary of bat-friendly gates and applications in Pennsylvania. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 201–208. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Davis, W.H. 1959. Taxonomy of the eastern pipistrel. Journal of Mammalogy 40: 521–531.
• DiSalvo, A.F., Bigler, W.J., Ajello, L., Johnson, J.E. & Palmer, J. 1970. Bat and soil studies for sources of histoplasmosis in Florida. Public Health Reports 85: 1063–1069. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2031812/.
• Dunivan, J.D., Tumlison, C.R. & McDaniel, V.R. 1982. Cave fauna of Arkansas: further records. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 36: 87–88. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol36/iss1/28.
• Fenolio, D.B. 2011. 2011 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 6 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B. 2012. 2012 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 3 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B. 2014. 2014 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 21 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B. 2016. 2016 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 11 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B., Niemiller, M.L., Slay, M.E. & Carter, E.T. 2017. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2017 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 17 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B. 2017. 2017 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 15 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B., Niemiller, M.L., Slay, M.E. & Carter, E.T. 2018. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2018 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 25 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2023 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2022 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.
• Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E., Niemiller, M.L. & Richard, K. 2024. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2024 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 17 pp.
• Franz, R., Bauer, J. & Morris, T. 1994. Review of biologically significant caves and their faunas in Florida and south Georgia. Brimleyana 20: 1–109. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/229726.
• Gage, L. 2025. Preliminary observation of terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial fauna in Breathing Hole Cave. Northern Indiana Grotto Newsletter: 1–7.
• Giovannoli, L. 1933. Invertebrate life of Mammoth and other neighboring caves. In: Bailey, V. (ed), Cave Life of Kentucky, pp. 600–623.
• Godwin, J.C. 2008. Biological inventory of the cave and karst systems of The Nature Conservancy's Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve. Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Auburn, Alabama, USA. 40 pp.
• Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1979. Caves and associated fauna of Eastern Kentucky, Volume 3. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 130 pp.
• Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1980. Caves and associated fauna of the Western Kentucky coal field, Volume 2. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 114 pp.
• Hauer, C.L., McGovern, E.E. & Whidden, H.P. 2016. Impacts of white-nose syndrome on bats in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 167–179. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Heath, D.R., Saugey, D.A. & Heidt, G.A. 1986. Abandoned mine fauna of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 40: 33–36.
• Hobbs, III., H.H. 1994. Assessment of the ecological resources of the caves of Russell Cave National Monument, Jackson County, Alabama and of selected caves at the Lookout Mountain Unit of Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, Dade County, Georgia and Hamilton County, Tennessee. 200 pp.
• Johnson, J.S., Scafini, M.R., Sewall, B.J. & Turner, G.G. 2016. Hibernating bat species in Pennsylvania use colder winter habitats following the arrival of white-nose syndrome. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 181–199. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Johnson, J.S., Sharp, N.W., Monarchino, M.N., Lilley, T.M. & Edelman, A.J. 2021. No sign of infection in free-ranging Myotis austroriparius hibernating in the presence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans in Alabama. Southeastern Naturalist 20: 20–28. doi:10.1656/058.020.0102
• Lamb, J. & Wyckoff, G. 2010. White-nose syndrome monitoring and response report for Tennessee. Tennessee Bat Working Group. 24 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. 2004. Interstate 66 karst faunal study. Environmental Impact Statement. 17 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. 2005. A biological inventory of caves of the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Chapter Cave Program, The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 156 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. & Lewis, S.L. 2005. Inventory of the subterranean fauna of Tims Ford State Park, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tennesee Natural Heritage Program, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 28 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. & Lewis, S.L. 2007. A biological reconnaissance of selected caves in the Highland Rim area of central Tennessee. Tennessee Chapter Cave Program, The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 42 pp.
• Linzey, D.W. 1995. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 1995 update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111: 1–81.
• Linzey, D.W. 2016. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 2016 revision. Southeastern Naturalist 15, Monograph 8: 1–93.
• Mays, J. 2018. Inventory of Florida's cave fauna with a focus on terrestrial invertebrate species. Progress Report for Florida Park Service. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. 9 pp.
• McDaniel, V.R. & Gardner, J.E. 1977. Cave fauna of Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 31: 68–71. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol31/iss1/22.
• McGregor, S.W., Rheams, K.F., O'Neil, P.E., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1994. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. 226 pp.
• McGregor, S.W., O'Neil, P.E., Rheams, K.F., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1997. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin 166: 1–198.
• McLaren, S.B. & Wible, J.R. 2016. Pennsylvania bats preserved as museum specimens: a storehouse of information. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 63–74. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Niemiller, M.L., Anderson, C.L., Maxwell, E.C., Midgette, H., Quering, C., Richards, M., Wilson, K. & Wirwa, N. 2025. A noteworthy range extension of the federally endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) south of the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. Southeastern Naturalist 24: N47-N58. doi:10.1656/058.024.0403
• Pinkley, J.E. 2014. Fern Cave: The Discovery, Exploration, and History of Alabama's Greatest Cave. Blue Bat Books, LLC, Taft, Tennessee, USA. 371 pp. ISBN 978–0-9903547–0-3.
• Poucher, S. 2022. Wildlife of Florida's Springs. An Illustrated Guide to over 150 Species. Pineapple Press, Palm Beach, Florida, USA. 196 pp. ISBN 9780000000000.
• Poulson, T.L. 1961. Cave adaptation in amblyopsid cavefishes. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 185 pp. doi:10.7302/9847
• Pylka, J.M. 1957. Cave vertebrates of Florida. The Florida Speleologist 1: 6–7.
• Reeves, W.K., Jensen, J.B. & Ozier, J.C. 2000. New faunal and fungal records from caves in Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 62: 169–179. https://caves.org/wp-content/uploads/Publications/JCKS/v62/v62n3-Reeves.pdf.
• Rheams, K.F., Moser, P.H. & McGregor, S.W. 1992. Geologic, hydrologic, and biologic investigations in Arrowwood, Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and selected caves, Madison, County, Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. 262 pp.
• Rice, D.W. 1955. Status of Myotis grisescens in Florida. Journal of Mammalogy 36: 289–290. doi:10.2307/1375896
• Smith, L.M., Doonan, T.J., Sylvia, A.L. & Gore, J.A. 2021. Characteristics of caves used by wintering bats in a subtropical environment. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 12: 139–150. doi:10.3996/JFWM-20-078
• Trumbore, L.E., Reynolds, R.J., Thomas, S.C., Orndorff, W., Cramphorn, B., Gladstone, N.S., Harden, C.W., Lewis, J.J., Milne, M.A., Ober, K.A., Shear, W.A., Stephen, C.D.R. & Zigler, K.S. 2024. Cave biodiversity of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 86: 13–24. doi:10.4311/2022LSC0116
• Wallace, R.L. 1984. Biological survey report of Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 33 pp.
• Wallace, R.L. 1990. Biological survey report of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 34 pp.
• Wallace, R.L. 1990. Myhr Cave fauna. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 5 pp.
• Webb, D.W., Taylor, S.J. & Krejca, J.K. 1993. The biological resources of Illinois caves and other subterranean environments. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA. 143 pp.
• Zigler, K.S., Niemiller, M.L., Stephen, C.D.R., Ayala, B.N., Milne, M.A., Gladstone, N.S., Engel, A.S., Jensen, J.B., Camp, C.D., Ozier, J.C. & Cressler, A. 2020. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82: 125–167. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0125

How to cite this account

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.