The head and body length of the least pipistrelle is 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in), the forearm measures 3 cm (1.2 in) and the wingspan is 18–24 cm (7.1–9.4 in). The bat weighs 6–8 g (0.21–0.28 oz). Females are larger than males. They are dark brown to black above, and lighter below. The wing membrane, face, and ears are black. with no pale margins like those of Indian pipistrelle. The muzzle is short and broad and the nostrils are small, rounded, and placed between facial swellings. The small ears have prominent tragi and antitragi. The fur is dense, short, silky, and covers the entire body.
^Temminck C. J. (1840) Monographies de Mammalogie, ou description de quelques genres de mammifères, dont les espèces ont été observées dans les différens musées de l'Europe. C. C. Vander Hoek, Leiden, p 229.
^Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). (2005). "Pipistrellus (Pipistrellus) tenuis". Mammal Species of the World. 3rd ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. accessed 11 Amarch 2009.
Further reading
John O. Whitaker J. O. Jr., Suthakar Issac S., Marimuthu G. & Kunz (1999). "Seasonal Variation in the Diet of the Indian Pygmy Bat, Pipistrellus mimus, in Southern India". Journal of Mammalogy80(1): 60-70. JSTOR