Formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle, technically an inaccurate classification, the new more descriptive common name tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) was chosen because of the distinct tricoloration of each hair, which is black at the base, yellow in the middle and brown at the tips. This species of bat is widely distributed throughout the eastern parts of America and Canada, ranging west until Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, from Honduras up north until southern Ontario. It is the only member of the genus Perimyotis.