Anatolian serotine bat
Eptesicus anatolicus (Felten, 1971)
Vespertilionidae
Least Concern
| Other names | |
|---|---|
| Catalan | Ratpenat dels graners d'Anatòlia |
| Spanish | Murciélago hortelano anatólico |
| English | Anatolian serotine bat |
| French | Sérotine d'Anatolie |
| Basque | Serotino anatoliar |
| Galician | Morcego das hortas da Anatolia |
Description
A small serotine bat, it presents a forearm length between 43 to 52 mm and a weight between 14 to 21 g. It presents a deep black face, ears and wing membranes, highly contrasted with the paler sand to blonde-coloured dorsal fur and the whitish ventral fur. Dorsal hairs are bicoloured with a brown base and blonde tips. Younger individuals daker and more greyish-coloured with less contrast between dorsal and ventral parts.
Smaller than the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) adn with shorter and silkier hair. The fur is also paler and the skin areas much darker than the serotine and the meridional serotine (Eptesicus isabellinus). It can also be differentiated by characters of the penis.
Distribution
Distributed in Anatolia, along the coast from the middle of the Aegean coast and from Cyprus to Syria and Lebanon, reaching western Iran to the east. In Europe, only found in the island of Rhodes, but it is believed to be possibly found in other islands of the Turkish coast.
Roosts and phenology
Breeding colonies with volant juveniles in Turkey comprise individual females and their young, or small groups of up to 11 animals. Larger colonies are not yet known. Roosts are known in wall crevices in ancient ruins, under bridges and in building cracks.
Habitat and diet
On Rhodes, the hunting grounds in coastal areas with sparse vegetation or with overgrown Mediterranean scrub and dry stream courses. Absent in forest areas and the mountain zones of the island. In Turkey, found in similar habitats along the coast, at low altitudes and to 50 km inland algon river valleys.
It probably has a similar diet as other southern Eptesicus species, hunting hymenopters like ants, wasps, as well as moths, coleopters and other flying insects. Adult females mainly feed on beetles (Carabidae family). Hunts in open areas, but also around street lamps adn semi-open areas around cliffs and vegetation. Wings are narrower than in other serotine bats, with a faster flight more similar to Nyctalus species.
Echolocation
Similar to other serotine species, it presents almost CF calls with a reduced initial FM portion, and an end frequency of 28 kHz and a call duration of 14 ms. The call structure is similar to the northern bat (Eptesicus nilsonii) and so, it is has a slightly higher frequency than other sympatric serotine species. It is included in the Eptesicus/Nyctalus/Vespertilio phonic group.
Status
According to the IUCN Red List, this species is considered as Least concern with a stable population trend. These bats are protected by national laws in many countries by the Eurobats Agreement, Bern Convention and EU Habitats and Species Directory. Forest degradation, forest fires and landscape changes are thought to be the main causes behind its decline. While the use of pesticides and roost disturbances can negatively affect its populations, they are not though to be causing significant population declines at a global level.