Кажани Галичини та Буковини 1830–1850 років: склад і зміни фауни за 180 років

Abstract

The chiropterological component of one of the most significant zoological written monuments of the 19th century of Ukraine in general and the Carpathian region in particular is analysed. This is Stanislaw Petruski’s monograph titled ‘Natural History of Wild Mammals of Galicia’ (1853). The translation of this part has been arranged and commented in accordance with modern schemes of bat taxonomy and nomenclature supplemented with appropriate descriptions from the works of Alexander Zawadski (1840) and Ivan Verkhratsky (1869). Consequently, the most complete picture of the species composition and some features of the biolo-gy of the bat fauna of Prykarpattia (essentially the Carpathian region on the whole) within Ukraine was reconstructed and described, which is important for understanding the composition of past fauna states in neighbouring countries, including Poland and Romania. Descriptions of 12 species from 9 genera are presented and commented taking into account the current state of knowledge. The underestimation concerned only rare species and those morphologically simi-lar to other more common ones (e.g. lesser horseshoe bat, Brandt’s bat, Nathusi-us’s pipistrelle, lesser noctule, etc.). Features of contemporary taxonomy, fauna composition, descriptions of dwellings and display of synanthropy are considered. Special attention is paid to the consideration of fauna changes that have occurred over almost 100 years, as well as the features of the fauna of that time, which shows obvious signs of the ‘warm phase.’ The latter is evidenced by descriptions of species in the fauna in general, which are currently more southern, and descrip-tions of winter finds of those species that in the last period of research (second half of the 20th century) were considered migratory and distant migrants. The main body of data by Petrusky, as follows from his text, dates from 1830–1850, and this corresponds to the period of climatic optimum reconstructed for Poland, where the period 1820–1850 was characterised by warm late winters and early springs. Apparently, the same period extended to Galicia, and later descriptions of ‘warm fauna’ in Ukraine are known for the period of the 1920–1930s and the modern period (1990–2020). The phenomenon of constant cycle of fauna and its regular changes due to climate fluctuations is considered.