Bat Fauna of Tunisia: Review of Records and New Records, Morphometrics and Echolocation Data
Vespertilio 16: 211–239, 2012 ISSN 1213-6123 Bat fauna of Tunisia: Review of records and new records, morphometrics and echolocation data Sebastien J. PUECHMAILLE1,2, Wassim M. HIZEM3, Benjamin ALLEGRINI4 & Awatef ABIADH5 1 Sensory Ecology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany 2 School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland 3 Tunis Superior Institute for Biological Applied Sciences, Tunisia 4 Naturalia environnement, Gallargues-le-Montueux, France 5 Association des Amis de Belvédère, B.P. 349-1002, Tunis Belvédère, Tunisia Abstract. New records of 18 bat species from Tunisia are reported; these include Rhinolophus ferrum- equinum, R. hipposideros, R. euryale, R. mehelyi, R. blasii, Asellia tridens, Rhinopoma cystops, Tadarida teniotis, Miniopterus schreibersii, Eptesicus isabellinus, Pipistrellus cf. kuhlii, P. cf. pipistrellus, Otonycteris hemprichii, Plecotus gaisleri, Hypsugo cf. savii, Myotis capaccinii, M. emarginatus, and M. punicus. For at least five species, our records represent the first records in nearly last 30 years and we report for the first time on the possible presence of Nyctalus leisleri in northern Tunisia. We provide a critical review of records of Rhinolophus euryale and R. mehelyi from Tunisia, many of which were incorrect. We also propose a new synonymy for Rhinolophus (Euryalus) barbarus Andersen et Matschie, 1904 and R. (E.) meridionalis Andersen et Matschie, 1904. Tunisia, Chiroptera, Maghreb, North Africa, taxonomy, echolocation Introduction The bat fauna of Tunisia remains relatively poorly known among North African faunas with only 19 species recorded to date in the country (Dalhoumi et al. 2011). Among these 19 species, two are only known from one locality (Hypsugo savii and Pipistrellus rueppellii; Vaughan et al.
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