First record of four species of bats from the nationale park of El Feidja (NW Tunisia) with a note on the non-flying mammals of the Khroumiria region

Abstract

During a field study carried out in the Tunisian National Park of El Feidja (Khroumiria region, NW Tunisia) in May 2000, we captured four species of bats never previously recorded in this area: the Mediterranean horseshoe bat Rhinolophus euryale, the greater horseshoe bat R. ferrumequinum, the Mehely's horseshoe bat R. mehelyi and the Geoffroy's bat Myotis emarginatus. Considering the already well-known diffusion of the Schreibers' bat Miniopterus schreibersi, the common pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, the lesser mouse-eared bat Myotis blythi and the greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis, these new records raise to 8 the species of bats known for the region. The mammalians' checklist of the Khroumiria region includes 27 species.