Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Eastern Mediterranean. Part 4. Bat fauna of Syria: Distribution, systematics, ecology

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2006
Authors:P. Benda, Andreas, M., Kock, D., Lučan, R. K., Munclinger, P., Nová, P., Obuch, J., Ochman, K., Reiter, A., Uhrin, M., Weinfurtová, D.
Journal:Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem.
Volume:70
Pagination:1-329
Date Published:2006
Keywords:Aves, Chiroptera, diet, distribution, echolocation, ecology, ectoparasites, Emballonuridae, Europe, food, Hipposideridae, Miniopteridae, Molossidae, morphology, Near East, North Africa, parasitism, predation, Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, Rhinopomatidae, Strigiformes, systematics, taxonomy, Vespertilionidae
Abstract:

A complete list of bat records available from Syria was compiled from literature and from new records, based on field studies and examination of museum specimens. The record review is complemented by distribution maps, summaries of the distributional statuses of particular species, files of field observations, reviews of taxonomy, and data on feeding ecology. To some species sheets, also the echolocation data are added. From the territory of the modern Syrian Arab Republic, 290 records of 27 bat species belonging to eight families are reported; viz. Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810) (5 record localities), Rhinopoma microphyllum (Brünnich, 1782) (2), Rhinopoma hardwickii Gray, 1831 (4), Taphozous nudiventris Cretzschmar, 1830 (9), Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774) (25), R. hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800) (10), R. euryale Blasius, 1853 (2), R. mehelyi Matschie, 1901 (6), R. blasii Peters, 1866 (3), Asellia tridens (Geoffroy, 1813) (10), Myotis myotis (Borkhausen, 1797) (6), M. blythii (Tomes, 1857) (10), M. nattereri (Kuhl, 1817) (6), M. emarginatus (Geoffroy, 1806) (5), M. aurascens Kusjakin, 1935 (4), M. capaccinii (Bonaparte, 1837) (13), Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774) (13), E. bottae (Peters, 1869) (10), E. anatolicus Felten, 1971 (4), Hypsugo savii (Bonaparte, 1837) (11), Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) (16), P. kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817) (69), Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774) (4), Otonycteris hemprichii Peters, 1859 (13), Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzjakin, 1965 (5), Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817) (9), and Tadarida teniotis (Rafinesque, 1814) (16). The records labelled from Syria in the historical broader sense (which included also the modern Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and parts of southern Turkey) and thus of indefined origin, were also added and discussed. Eptesicus anatolicus, which is here considered a separate species according to results of profound morphological analysis, is in Syria recorded for the first time. From the territory currently ruled by the Syrian Arab Republic (i.e., without the Golan Heights), R. hipposideros, M. nattereri, H. savii, N. noctula, and T. teniotis are reported for the first time. The reviews of taxonomic opinions concerning particular species, supplemented in some cases by original analyses, present discussions and revisions of taxonomy of Syrian populations, namely in Taphozous nudiventris, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. euryale, R. mehelyi, Myotis myotis, M. nattereri, M. emarginatus, Eptesicus serotinus, E. bottae, Hypsugo savii, Otonycteris hemprichii, and Miniopterus schreibersii. The name Rhinolophus (Euryalus) judaicus Andersen et Matschie, 1904 is found to be a synonym of the name R. mehelyi Matschie, 1901 instead of R. euryale Blasius, 1853. New interpretations on the type localities are discussed and/or suggested (Vespertilio Microphyllus Brünnich, 1782, Taphozous kachhensis babylonicus Thomas, 1915, Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1866, and Myotis Escalerai Cabrera, 1904).

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith