The Indochinese thick-thumbed bat, Glischropus bucephalus, was described in 2011, but its molecular genetics (and the genetics of the whole genus Glischropus) are still poorly studied. We defined and annotated the complete mitogenome of Glischropus bucephalus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Vietnam. The complete mitogenome is 17,023 bp in total length, which includes 13 complete protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA, and one non-coding region (the origin of replication). The nucleotide composition is 33.2% A, 29.7% T, 13.6% G, and 23.5% C. The mitochondrial protein-coding genes use the standard start codon (ATN), one complete stop codon (TAA), and two incomplete stop codons (TA- and T-). The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the genus Glischropus belongs to the Pipistrellini tribe and revealed that Glischropus bucephalus is clustered with the “eastern” clade of Pipistrellus, supporting the paraphyletic nature of the latter genus.

There are evidences that the genus Pipistrellus (true pipistrelles) in its current understanding may be paraphyletic. We have studied for the first time the phylogenetic relationships between the majority of supraspecific taxa of the subtribe Pipistrellina based on the analysis of the sequences of three nuclear genes (RAG2, APOB, and DMP1). Our data support the monophyly of the subtribe itself, but definitely show that the genus Pipistrellus in the modern sense is paraphyletic with respect to noctules, Nyctalus, and thick thumb pipistrelles, Glischropus (which both are morphologically distinct taxa). Moreover, noctules are extremely close to the “western” clade of Pipistrellus. The latter genus should probably be divided into two or more separate genera, or Nyctalus and Glischropus should be treated as its subgenera.

Based on an integrative approach including molecular genetics and morphological data, the relationships of supraspecific taxa in the tribe Pipistrellini were considered. Based on the sequences of one mitochondrial (cytb) and four nuclear (rag2, dmp1, apob and thy) markers, phylogenetic relationships between representatives of the tribe and a number of other Vespertilioninae genera used as multiple outgroups were reconstructed. Also, 22 metric characters of the skull and teeth were analyzed. Previous indications of the paraphyly of the genus Pipistrellus relative to the genera Nyctalus and Glischropus, its distinct division into “western” and “eastern” clades, as well as the isolated position of P. nathusii among the “western” clade were all confirmed. Morphological data (both craniometry and some qualitative features of the teeth structure and penial bone proportions) also supported the special status of P. nathusii. In the “eastern” clade, the most basal position was occupied, contrary to expectations, not by the morphologically divergent P. stenopterus, but by P. abramus. Its isolated position was also supported by morphometric data and the structure of the penial bone. Based on these data, we propose to allocate P. nathusii into a separate subgenus, for which the name Nannugo Kolenati could be used as valid, with P. nathusii being fixed as its type species. We propose to consider the “eastern” clade of pipistrelles as a separate genus Alionoctula Kruskop, Solovyeva and Kaznadzey, within which we distinguish three species groups, namely “abramus”, “javanicus” and “stenopterus”. Thus, we accept the presence of eight genera in the tribe Pipistrellini: Pipistrellus, Nyctalus, Vansonia, Alionoctula, Glischropus, Scotozous and Scotoecus. A number of species native to Africa and Australasia were not included in the present analysis due to the lack of available collection specimens and published genetic sequences. Further study of these species may clarify the taxonomic boundaries we have proposed.

The available information on records of the black-gilded pipistrelle, Arielulus circumdatus sensu lato, in eastern Indochina was examined, and suggestions were made about its taxonomic position and status. The known range of this taxon spreads from Nepal to Vietnam and Java but seems to be extremely sporadic; in Vietnam, it is known from only nine locations, five of which are on the Dalat Plateau and neighboring Hon Ba Mountain. All records are confined to mountain forests at altitudes from 800 to 2200 m a.s.l. Analysis of the sequences of the cytb and COI mitochondrial genes showed that Arielulus specimen from northern Vietnam (Tay Con Linh) formed a common clade with a specimen from Nepal but showed about 12–13% differences in each of the genes from the A. circumdatus from south and central Vietnam. Also, these northern and southern Arielulus lineages show a difference in pelage color. We believe that the northern form should be defined as a separate species, the valid name of which could be A. drungicus (Wang 1982), the form described from China. Thus, Arielulus sensu stricto is represented by two species in Vietnam, of which A. drungicus has quite a limited distribution range in the northern region. Received 27 August 2024. Accepted 28 March 2025.