Asian barbastelle; eastern barbastelle
A species of bat (Barbastella leucomelas) found in East Asia. The name refers to the Chichibu region, but the species is not limited to that area.
The Asian barbastelle also inhabits Japan.
We found a colony of eastern barbastelles in the cave.
Katakana spelling is standard for this species name.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
Named after the Chichibu region (秩父) where it was first described or is commonly found, combined with 蝙蝠 (こうもり, 'bat'). The exact origin of the name is uncertain.