Desert long-eared bat

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Desert long-eared bat
Otonycteris hemprichii.jpg
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Otonycteris
Species:
O. hemprichii
Binomial name
Otonycteris hemprichii
Peters, 1859

The desert long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii) is a species of vesper bat found in North Africa and the Middle East.

Taxonomy[]

The systematic position of Otonycteris is unclear, but chromosomal analysis suggests close affinity to bats of the genera Barbastella and Plecotus.[2]

Description[]

The bat's head and body length is about 73–81 mm; tail length is about 47–70 mm, and forearm length is 57–67 mm. Desert long-eared bats weigh 18–20 g (0.63–0.71 oz).[3] The large ears, about 40 mm in length, are directed nearly horizontally, and are connected across the forehead by a low band of skin. Five female specimens revealed two pairs of pectoral mammae, a unique condition in mammals. It is not known if both pairs are functional.

The coloration above is pale sandy to dark brown, and the underparts are usually whitish. The skull and teeth of the genus Otonycteris resemble those of bats of the genus Eptesicus.

Ecology and behavior[]

This bat normally inhabits extremely barren and arid regions.[4] Its habitat is xeric, sparsely vegetated, and rocky. In the Negev Desert, a pair was found roosting in a rocky crevice on a hill. This bat has also been found in buildings.

Otonycteris hemprichii has a flight pattern described as "floppy and slow".[5]

Diet[]

Based on an analysis of its body mass, low aspect ratio, and low relative wing loading, the species is assumed to be carnivorous.[6] Observations in Kyrgyzstan indicate that the bat forages close to the ground, using echolocation to detect large flying or surface-dwelling invertebrates. They feed mostly on arachnids and orthopterans that are seized directly from the ground.[7][8] Through echolocation, the bats can detect scorpions as they walk. A study in Israel found that up to 70% of the bat droppings contained scorpion fragments, including the highly venomous Palestine yellow scorpion along with other less venomous species. The bat catches the scorpion, biting its head off. The bats are often stung in the face with the scorpion’s stinger with no recorded signs of toxicity, suggesting that the bats are immune to the venom.[9][10] Despite the immunity, the painful stinger will still cause the bat to contort in pain.

Courtship and breeding[]

Otonycteris hemprichii on a 2001 stamp of Uzbekistan

Breeding colonies of 3–15 females have been found, and seven pregnant females, most with two embryos, have been collected in central Asia.[8][11] Three pregnant females, each with two embryos, were found in a deserted hut in Jordan.[12]

Distribution and range[]

When the desert long-eared bat included the species now recognized as the Turkestani long-eared bat, its range included Morocco, northern Niger, Egypt, the Arabian peninsula, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and northwest India.[13][14][15][8][11][16] However, when the recognition of the Turkestani long-eared bat split the genus Otonycteris into two species, the range of the desert long-eared bat was reevaluated. Its range is now recognized to include Afghanistan; Algeria; Egypt; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Israel; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Libya; Morocco; Niger; Oman; Pakistan; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; United Arab Emirates; and Uzbekistan.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Monadjem, A.; Aulagnier, S.; Hutson, A.M.; Benda, P. (2017). "Otonycteris hemprichii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T85294528A22118826. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T85294528A22118826.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ Qumsiyeh, M. B.; Bickham, J. W. (1993). "Chromosomes and Relationships of Long-Eared Bats of the Genera Plecotus and Otonycteris". Journal of Mammalogy. 74 (2): 376–382. doi:10.2307/1382393. JSTOR 1382393.
  3. ^ Gaisler, J., Madkour, G., & Pelikán, J. (1972). On the bats (Chiroptera) of Egypt. Academia.
  4. ^ Harrison, D. L. (1964). The Mammals of Arabia: Insectivora. Chiroptera. Primates (Vol. 1). E. Benn.
  5. ^ Nowak, R. M. (1994). Walker's bats of the world. JHU Press
  6. ^ Norberg, Ulla M.; Fenton, M. Brock (1988). "Carnivorous bats?". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 33 (4): 383–394. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00451.x.
  7. ^ Arlettaz, Raphaël; Dändliker, Gottlieb; Kasybekov, Erkin; Pillet, Jean-Marc; Rybin, Stanislav; Zima, Jan; Arlettaz, Raphael; Dandliker, Gottlieb (1995). "Feeding Habits of the Long-Eared Desert Bat, Otonycteris hemprichi (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)". Journal of Mammalogy. 76 (3): 873. doi:10.2307/1382757. JSTOR 1382757.
  8. ^ a b c Horacek, I. (1991). "Enigma of Otonycteris: ecology, relationship, classification". Myotis. 29: 17–30.
  9. ^ Holderied, M.; Korine, C.; Moritz, T. (2010). "Hemprich's long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii) as a predator of scorpions: Whispering echolocation, passive gleaning and prey selection". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 197 (5): 425–433. doi:10.1007/s00359-010-0608-3. PMID 21086132. S2CID 25692517.
  10. ^ Marshall, Michael (2010-12-01). "The hardest bat in the world". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  11. ^ a b Roberts, T. J., & Bernhard (principe d'Olanda.). (1977). The mammals of Pakistan. London: E. Benn.
  12. ^ Atallah, S. I. (1977). "Mammals of the eastern Mediterranean region: their ecology, systematics and zoogeographical relationships". Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen 25:241–320.
  13. ^ Aulagnier, S.; Mein, P. (1985). "Note sur la présence d'Otonycterus hemprichi Peters, 1859 au Maroc". Mammalia. 49 (4): 582–584.
  14. ^ Corbet, G. B. (1978). The mammals of the Palaearctic region: a taxonomic review. British Museum (Natural History), p. 341. ISBN 9780801411717
  15. ^ Fairon, J. (1980). "Deux nouvelles especes de cheiropteres pour la faune du Massif de l'Air (Niger): Otonycteris hemprichi Peters, 1859 et Pipistrellus nanus (Peters, 1852). J. Goemaere.
  16. ^ Shaimardanov, R. (1982). "Otonycteris-hemprichi and Barbastella leucomelas (Chiroptera) in Kazakhstan". Zoologichesky Zhurnal, 61(11), 1765–1765.


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