Plecotus Macrobullaris Research Articles

Trophic niche partitioning of cryptic species of long-eared bats in Switzerland: implications for conservation

Dietary niche partitioning is postulated to play a major role for the stable coexistence of species within a community, particularly among cryptic species. Molecular markers have recently revealed the existence of a new cryptic species of long-eared bat, Plecotus macrobullaris, in the European Alps. We studied trophic niches as well as seasonal and regional variations of diet in eight colonies of the three Plecotus species occurring in Switzerland. Faeces were collected monthly from individuals returning to roost after foraging. Twenty-one arthropod categories were recognized from the faeces. All three species fed predominantly on Lepidoptera, which made up 41%, 87% and 88% (means across colonies) of the diet composition of P. auritus, P. macrobullaris and P. austriacus, respectively. The occurrence of numerous fragments of both diurnal and flightless insects in the diet of P. auritus (but rarely in the diet of the other two species) indicates that this species mostly gleans prey from substrates. P. austriacus and P. macrobullaris are more typical aerial feeders. The latter two species have narrow trophic niches, whilst P. auritus has a much broader diet. Comparison of intraspecific and interspecific niche overlaps in P. auritus and P. macrobullaris in sympatry suggests dietary niche partitioning between these two species. In contrast, the high similarity of the trophic niches of P. austriacus and P. macrobullaris, associated with a typical parapatric distribution, indicates competitive exclusion. The best conservation measures are preservation and restoration of habitats offering a high abundance of moths, the major prey of the three Plecotus species.

Emergence and flight routes of the lesser horseshoe bats Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800) from a church at Ljubljansko barje, central Slovenia

The flight routes from roosts to feeding habitats are important for efficient conservation of bats, but in Slovenia they are poorly known. Emergence and flight routes of the lesser horseshoe bats Rhinolophus hipposideros from the Church of Sveti Duh at Vnanje Gorice, Ljubljansko barje, were monitored on ten different days in August and September 2009. In the beginning of August, 72 lesser horseshoe bats were counted in the attic; the number decreased to 29 in the beginning of September. Individuals of three other bat species were also found in the attic and belfry: the greater mouse eared bats Myotis myotis, serotine bats Eptesicus serotinus and a group of alpine long-eared bats Plecotus macrobullaris. The lesser horseshoe bats emerged only from a single opening in the attic. The first bat flew out on average 16 minutes after the sunset, while the first bat amongst those that did not return to the roost left on average 20 minutes after sunset. The lesser horseshoe bats flew few metres above the ground into the nearby forest Gulč on the northwestern side of the church. We observed flying bats at nine locations in this forest and at three locations on the forest edge, where they probably foraged. Bats flew along a lit road next to houses, close to a major road they had to cross, and next to a railway southwest from the church. The spatial and temporal distribution of observations indicated the flight towards the mixed forest Plešivica, where a lesser horseshoe bat was observed app. 1.7 km bee-line distance SW from the church at Vnanje Gorice. Considering that bats generally follow linear elements in the landscape, and on the basis of our observations at 21 locations and flight behaviour we envisaged the most likely course of their flight route. These data are important for efficient conservation of the lesser horseshoe bats roosting at Vnanje Gorice and maintenance of important landscape elements in the surrounding landscape.

Multiple morphological characters needed for field identification of cryptic long‐eared bat species around the Swiss Alps

The identification of cryptic species may significantly change our view about their distribution, abundance, ecology and therefore conservation status. In the European Alps, molecular studies have revealed the existence of three sibling species of plecotine bats Plecotus auritus, Plecotus austriacus and, very recently, Plecotus macrobullaris. Knowledge of the ecological niche partitioning of cryptic species is a requisite to develop sound conservation policies. Yet, this requests the development of unambiguous identification methods easily applicable in the field. This study investigates the reliability of several morphological methods used for species recognition and proposes a new identification key for field workers. We captured 214 Plecotus bats from 29 sites in four bioregions within Switzerland, collected biopsy punches for genetic analysis, described and measured external morphological characters. All three species occurred as mono-specific colonies, except at one site where P. auritus and P. macrobullaris shared the same church attic. Qualitative traits alone did not allow a reliable separation of the three species. A series of multivariate analyses conducted on external linear measurements resulted in a discriminant function enabling correct species classification with a 97.5% probability. Compared with genetic analysis, our multivariate morphological method represents a valuable, rapid and cost-effective alternative.

Revisión y aportación de datos sobre Quirópteros de Catalunya: propuesta de Lista Roja

With the aim of broadening the knowledge on the distribution of the bats in Catalonia, between the years 2004 and 2009 it has been carried out an important effort of survey: 556 sessions of capture, 317 reviews of shelters, 3,336 reviews of 788 bat boxes and 2,663 sessions of bat detectors (22,683 minutes of sounds analysed) in all type of habitats situated between 0 and 2,700 meters above sea level. Information data has been obtained for 26 species of bats in 594 new grids of UTM 10x10 km. Besides, new information of the more little known species like: Nyctalus lasiopterus, Myotis alcathoe, Myotis mystacinus, Myotis escalerai, Myotis sp1, Myotis bechsteinii and Plecotus macrobullaris, has been updated. According to the existing datum the study propose a category of conservation (red list) of all the species of Catalonia and invite to promote to followup ecological studies for a correct management and conservation of the bats of Catalonia.

Histomorphology of the Penis Bone (Baculum) in the Gray Long‐Eared Bat Plecotus austriacus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

For the first time, the histomorphology of the penis bone of a bat (Plecotus austriacus) was examined in detail. From Plecotus austriacus, 14 whole penes and 11 isolated bacula were studied and compared to bacula of Plecotus auritus and Plecotus macrobullaris. The baculum was located on specimen microradiographs and in micro-CT images in the tip of the penis. Using serial semithin sections and surface-stained, undecalcified ground sections, the types of bone and other tissues constituting the baculum were examined by light microscopy. 3D reconstructions were generated from the serial semithin sections and from micro-CT images. The shaft and the proximal branches of the Y-shaped baculum form a tubular bone around a medullary cavity. Since the small diameter of this channel and the main lamellar bone around it resemble a Haversian canal, the baculum is equivalent to a single-osteon bone. Several oblique nutrient canals enter this medullary cavity in the shaft and branches. All ends of the baculum consist predominantly of woven bone. The collagen fiber bundles of the tunica albuginea of both corpora cavernosa insert via fibrocartilage into the woven bone of the branches. Thus, the microscopic structures support the hypothesis that the baculum functions as a stiffening element in the erect penis. In this study, several microscopic imaging techniques were evaluated for displaying the microscopic structures of the baculum. Specimen microradiography, but especially micro-CT proved to be suitable nondestructive methods for accurate and reproducible demonstration and comparison of the three-dimensional structures of the baculum in different bat species.

Food and Feeding Habits of Some Bats from Turkey

Food habits data were obtained from 26 species of bats from Turkey. Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis capaccinii, M. mystacinus, Plecotus auritus, P. austriacus, P. kolombatovici, P. macrobullaris, and Rhinolophus euryale were primarily moth feeders. Eptesicus bottae, E. serotinus, Myotis myotis, and Taphozous nudiventris fed heavily on beetles. Myotis aurascens and, M. brandtii fed heavily on Diptera. Myotis blythii and Tadarida teniotis were tentatively classified as cricket feeders at least in Turkey. Hypsugo savii, Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis emarginatus, M. nattereri, Pipistrellus kuhlii, P. pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, and R. mehelyi preyed on a variety of insects and may be treated as generalists. In 17 species, the foods found paralleled those previously reported in the literature, but in nine (some with notably small samples) they did not. These are apparently the first data on the food of Plecotus macrobullaris, P. kolombatovici, M. schreibersii, and M. aurascens.

The Distribution of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Syria

The present study consists of both new records and literary data for 23 species of bats reported from Syria. Sixteen species of bats belonging to 6 families have been collected either by mist nets or recovered from owl pellets during the present study. Families Pteropodidae, Emballonuridae, Hipposideridae, and Molossidae are represented by a single species for each family; Rousettus aegyptiacus, Taphozous nudiventris, Asellia tridens, and Tadarida teniotis respectively. Family Rhinolophidae is represented by three species; Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus hipposideros, and Rhinolophus euryale. Family Vespertilionidae is represented by fi ve genera (Eptesicus, Myotis, Pipistrellus, Otonycteris, and Miniopterus) and nine species; Eptesicus bottae, Eptesicus serotinus, Myotis myotis, Myotis blythii, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis capaccinii, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Otonycteris hemprichii, and Miniopterus schreibersii respectively. We also include distributional data for seven species which have been collected previously but have not during the present study (Rhinolophus blasii, Rhinolophus mehelyi, Myotis aurascens, Myotis nattereri, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Hypsugo savii, and Plecotus macrobullaris). Thus, the bat fauna of Syria consists of 23 species belonging to twelve genera and six families. External and cranial measurements are given for most species. Notes on biology and ecology as well as distribution maps and a complete listing for all previous and recent records are provided for each species. Tadarida teniotis is mentioned for the fi rst time for Syria in this review.

Echolocation signals of the plecotine bat, Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzyakin, 1965

Plecotus macrobullaris was recorded in an alpine region in Switzerland. Like other species of the genus Plecotus, P. macrobullaris emitted multiharmonic, downward frequency-modulated signals consisting mostly of the 1st and the lower part of the 2nd harmonic. Signal structure depended on the distance to the background. The shortest signals (0.8 ms) were recorded close to the background. The first harmonic began at about 46 kHz and ended around 23 kHz. Signals were emitted in groups. The longest signals (up to 7.3 ms) were recorded above a meadow, far from background targets. These signals, which were more shallowly modulated, started at about 42 kHz and ended around 15 kHz. They occasionally lacked the 2nd harmonic and were often emitted only every 2nd or 3rd wing beat cycle. In short signals of up to 4 ms, the 1st and 2nd harmonic did not overlap, whereas overlap was prominent in longer signals. Although P. macrobullaris is genetically more closely related to P. auritus, its signal structure is closer to that of P. austriacus. Taking further evidence from morphological data, signal structure, and flight behaviour into account, we conclude that P. macrobullaris occupies a similar niche in mountainous areas as P. austriacus does in the lowland.

The Alpine Long-Eared Bat ( Plecotus alpinus Kiefer and Veith, 2001) is present also in Piedmont Region: first record revealed by DNA analysis

Riassunto L'orecchione alpino ( Plecotus alpinus Kiefer e Veith, 2001) e presente anche in Piemonte: prima segnalazione accertata mediante analisi del DNA Viene riportata la prima segnalazione per il Piemonte della specie Plecotus alpinus (Kiefer e Veith, 2001) recentemente descritta. Per l'esatta determinazione specifica si e fatto ricorso a tecniche genetiche, in quanto non sono state ancora messe a punto tecniche discriminanti basate su parametri biometrici. La presenza di questa nuova specie anche in Piemonte dovrebbe indurre ad un monitoraggio su larga scala, per definirne in dettaglio la distribuzione e le preferenze di habitat, finalizzate anche alla determinazione dello status delle popolazioni presenti.