A Standardized Review of Bat Names Across Multiple Taxonomic Authorities

The Bat Eco-Interactions Working Group, in collaboration with GBatNet and the international Bat Taxonomy Group, developed the Bat Taxonomic Alignment (BTA) to reconcile taxonomic discrepancies across currently recognized bat species. As knowledge of bat population structure and evolutionary history advances, taxonomic boundaries and species names are frequently revised. To address these changes, the BTA integrates data from ten leading taxonomic authorities and consolidates relationships, synonyms, and historic combinations for over 1,480 valid bat species across 1,680 taxonomic treatments.

This open-access, searchable tool provides a time-calibrated inventory of Chiroptera taxonomy, documenting valid names, alternative names, subspecies, and synonymies. By aligning these classifications, the BTA enables users to identify unharmonized binomials and trace nomenclatural changes over time. It promotes taxonomic clarity critical for research, biodiversity assessments, and conservation planning, where misidentified or misaligned taxa can lead to gaps in knowledge, resource misallocation, or overlooked species. The BTA thus represents a foundational advancement in bat biodiversity informatics, emphasizing transparency, data provenance, and interoperability across digital taxonomic frameworks.