Mustachioed night bat description. Mustachioed night bat: description, photos and interesting facts. Distinctive features of the species

The wing membrane connects to the base of the outer finger. There is no epiblem. The tail is elongated, some individuals may have equal to length of the whole body. The ears are large, elongated and slightly extended forward. The skull has an irregular shape. The front part is slightly narrowed in front. They have a massive body. The hairline grows in a chaotic manner.

Dimensions: the length of the body of the mustachioed bat is 4-5 cm.

Colour: upperparts dark brown or dark grey. The underside of the body is white or grey-brown.

mustachioed bat feeds mainly on invertebrates - various insects and their larvae (mosquitoes, house flies, grasshoppers, cockroaches, butterflies, beetles and others). They fly out to hunt in the evening or at night. Catch insects at a height of 1-5 meters.

Broods appear in June-July. Young individuals begin to lead a lifestyle on their own within a month after birth.

The mustachioed bat can be found throughout Europe, Asia, China, near the Black and mediterranean seas. They live in various areas, can be found on the plains, in the mountains, forests, steppes and deserts. They live in various caves, attics, walls, crevices.

A type:

Class:

Squad:

Bats - Chiroptera

Systematic position

The smooth-nosed family - Vespertilionidae.

Status

3 "Rare" - 3, RD.

Global population endangered category on the IUCN Red List

"Low Risk / Least Concern" - Lower Risk / Least Concern, LR/lc ver. 2.3 (1994).

Category according to IUCN Red List criteria

The regional population is categorized as Near Threatened, NT. S. V. Gazaryan.

Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation

Do not belong.

Brief morphological description

The sizes are small. Body length 34–49 mm, tail 30–46 mm, ear 11–15.5 mm, forearm 31–37 mm. Weight 3–9 g. Ear with a retracted apex, extended forward, protrudes beyond the tip of the nose, with a noticeable notch on its outer edge; 4-5 transverse folds. On the upper and lower jaws, the first small premolars are noticeably higher than the second. The wing membrane is attached to the base of the outer toe. The foot is small. Wool middle length, slightly wavy; coloration of the upper side of the body from dark to light brown, without gloss, lower body ♂
light gray; the end of the muzzle is dark. In adults, the penis is without thickening in the lower part.

Spreading

In connection with the isolation of several new species that were previously part of M. mystacinus, its current distribution needs to be clarified. The global range of the whiskered bat in the former sense of this species (including the golden bat M. aurascens) covered the whole of Europe south of the 60th parallel, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Western and Central Asia, the Himalayas, Siberia to Transbaikalia, Mongolia and China. The picture of the distribution of the bat bat proper needs to be clarified both within the entire range and in the Russian Federation. The subspecies M. mystacinus caucasicus Tsytsulina, 2000 is described from the Caucasus. The regional range includes mountains and foothills on the territory of the region. The extreme western find in KK belongs to Gelendzhik, the northern boundary of distribution runs along the wooded slopes of the mountainous part of the region.

Features of biology and ecology

Sedentary species, closely associated with woody vegetation and forest landscapes. When choosing habitats, it prefers uncut oak and beech forests. It hunts in open spaces - under the crowns of tall forests, on edges, clearings, forest roads, over meadows and river banks. The feeding grounds of one individual are 20–35 hectares and are usually located at a distance of no more than 1 km from the shelter. Summer shelters - in hollows or under the bark of trees, as well as in human buildings. Brood colonies up to several dozen ♀
, in a brood usually one cub. Summer and barren ♂
♀
live separately, often staying in wintering shelters. Wintering takes place in caves and other dungeons. In the Caucasus, the places of mass wintering are unknown, only individual animals were found in the caves.

Numbers and trends

The abundance of this species is quite high in the KGPBZ and its environs, and is rare in other parts of the region.

Limiting factors

Reduction of the range and area of ​​habitats due to cutting down of massifs of primary forests and old hollow trees. Reducing the number of caves - winter shelters due to anxiety during their uncontrolled visitation by tourists, arrangement and operation for excursion purposes, carrying out archaeological sites. The use of pesticides in agriculture and forestry, treatment of wooden structures with insecticides.

Necessary and additional security measures

Similar to those of the long-eared bat (Myotis bechsteinii).

Sources of information

1. Kozhurina, 1997; 2. Benda, Tsytsulina, 2000; 3 Boye and Dietz 2004; 4. horaek et al., 2000; 5. IUCN, 2004; 6. Schober and Grimmberger, 1989; 7. Unpublished data of the compiler.

Myotis mystacinus Kuhl, 1819

Order Bats - Chiroptera Family Smooth-nosed, or Common bats - Vespertilionidae

Short description. A bat of small size. The coloration on the back is brown. The fur is slightly disheveled, uneven. The wing membrane is attached to the base of the outer finger of the hind limb. The length of the foot does not exceed half the length of the leg. There is no epiblem. The ear is elongated along the head and protrudes 1-3 mm beyond the tip of the nose. The apex of the ear is narrow, mastoid elongated. A recess on the outer edge and 4-5 transverse folds are clearly visible. The tragus is pointed, evenly tapering towards the apex, exceeding half the length of the auricle. The base of the tragus and the inner edge of the ear are the same color as the entire auricle.

Habitats and biology. Most of finds is confined to the mountain-steppe landscape. In the Irkutsk region, the only find was made on the river. Urik. Biology is poorly understood. Well-known shelters in the Chita region are confined to outbuildings or stone cracks. Lives in small groups of 3 to 18 animals. There is usually one calf in a litter. Departure is late, but often occurs at dusk. Active all night. It hunts flying at a height of 1-6 m, usually above water bodies and near tree crowns. The flight is fast, with rather sharp turns. The young will be born in June-July. In the northern regions, it flies south for the winter [b].

Spreading. Widespread Paleoarctic species. Inhabits Europe, Northwest Africa and open landscapes of Asia to Mongolia and Northeast China. In the Irkutsk region, one reliable find is known in 1959 in the Cheremkhovo district on the river. Urik. It is possible that the meetings of myotis in the Nizhneudinsk region in the Bol cave belong to this species. Nizhneudinskaya and in the Olkhonsky district in the vicinity of the village. Mal. Kocherikovo (3). Winter finds in the Irkutsk region are not known. Bone remnants not found in caves.

population. Low, single occurrences in the Irkutsk region. In the Chita region, in the steppe regions, it is more common and second in number only to the two-colored kozhan.

Limiting factors. Not known, due to the fact that the species is located on the outskirts of its range. It is possible negative impact fires and deforestation, as well as the destruction of temporary shelters from dry trees with hollows and loose bark.

Conservation Measures Taken and Recommended. Special protection measures have not been developed. Need to find out state of the art species and, if new habitats are discovered, take measures to protect them. Attract bats by hanging birdhouses and other artificial shelters in the woods.

Sources of information: 1 - Botvinkin, 2002; 2 - Catalog..., 1989; 3 - Lyamkin, 1983; 4 - Ovodov, 1972; 5 - Rosina, Kirilyuk, 2000; b - Flint et al., 1970.

Compiler: V.V. Popov.

Artist: D.V. Kuznetsova.

Mustachioed bat – Myotis mystacinus Kuhl, 1817

Order Chiroptera - Chiroptera

Family Smooth-nosed bats - Vespertilionidae

Category, status. 3- rare view. It is included in the Red Books of the Leningrad and Smolensk regions, the republics of Belarus, Estonia, Latvia. It is under the protection of the Berne Convention (Appendix II). Guarded in Western Europe, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic republics under the 1991 Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS).

Short description. Small bat. Body length 39-46 mm. Forearm length 30-35 mm. The wingspan is 19-23 cm. The coloration of the back is dark, brown-brown. Lower body grayish tones. The fur is thick, long. The epiblema is undeveloped. The wing membrane is attached to the base of the outer toe. By outward signs difficult to distinguish from Brandt's bat.

Range and distribution. Distributed throughout Europe, North Africa, Southwest and Central Asia east to Mongolia; in Russia - the south and east of the European part, the Caucasus, Southern Urals and the Northern Caspian, mountainous regions of the south of the Western and Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia. Inhabits different landscapes from the forest zone to deserts (1).

In the Pskov region, it is known from the discovery of two females in the village of Trutnevo, Gdovsky district (2).

Habitats and features of biology. Settles in hollows of trees, human buildings. Late departure, active all night. It occurs singly or forms small colonies. Flies out to hunt in thick twilight. Feeds over forest roads, glades, park alleys, over reservoirs, along forest edges. The flight is fast, maneuverable. Mating after the end of lactation or during wintering. In late June - early July, the female brings one cub. A sedentary species that does not make long-distance migrations.

The number of species and limiting factors. There are no long-term observations of the distribution and state of the population. The limiting factors include: low reproductive ability, felling of hollow trees, disturbance in the locations of brood colonies and wintering grounds.

Security measures. Organization of specially protected natural areas at wintering grounds and at the locations of brood colonies.

Sources of information:

1. Pavlinov et al., 2002; 2. Chistyakov, 2002; author data.

Compiled by: D. V. Chistyakov.

The mustachioed bat is a small bat distributed throughout Europe. This type was classified only in 1970 due to its significant similarity with the Mustachioed bats, often confused with water bats. Both species live in similar conditions and have common visually definable characters. How to distinguish mustachioed bats from relatives? Photos of these amazing animals, as well as their detailed description especially for you in our article.

Mustachioed night bat: photo and description of the species

This is one of eleven species of night bats found in Russia. Mustachioed bats belong to the family of smooth-nosed bats of the order Chiroptera. These bats are distributed throughout Europe, from Iran and North Africa to Mongolia. Sometimes there are representatives of the species and in South-East Asia. Animals of this species usually lead, and only in the northernmost habitats can they move to more southern regions with the onset of cold weather. The mustachioed bat, like most of its relatives, is active at night, and rests in the shelter during the day.

Distinctive features of the species

Mustachioed bats are small. The body size of a representative of this species is 35-48 mm, and the weight is 4-9 grams, the forearm of the animal is 31-37 mm. The body of the night bat is covered with thick, disheveled fur, the color of which varies from yellowish to black on the back and sides. The abdomen of the animal is always lighter, from white to yellowish. Often the hairs are colored at the tips in a lighter shade than at the roots. Flying membranes and ears in all individuals are dark in color. This species got its name because of the long sensitive hairs visible to the naked eye on the muzzle.

Behavior and lifestyle

The mustachioed bat lives in various natural landscapes. You can meet representatives of this species in the mountains, deserts, steppes, wooded areas. Often the animals settle near large reservoirs. V wild nature bats sleep in hollows of trees, caves, abandoned buildings. These bats can equip themselves with shelters in the neighborhood of a person. Often they live in cellars, attics, behind architraves and wall cladding. The animals are active throughout the night, go hunting at dusk. Representatives of this species feed on small insects flying at a height of 1-6 meters from the ground.

The flight of mustachioed bats is always swift, with sharp turns. These bats can hunt throughout the night. At the same time, animals rarely fly long distances from their habitat. During the day, night bats sleep, clinging to the ceiling of the shelter, hanging upside down. Most often, representatives of the species live in small colonies. But sometimes the animals prefer to stay apart or 2-3 individuals together. The desire for loneliness is more characteristic of males. For females to successfully raise offspring, it is much more convenient to live “in the family”.

Reproduction and stages of growing up cubs

The breeding season for baleen bats is the beginning and middle of summer. Mating can occur immediately after the end of lactation. Pregnancy lasts about 2 months. One female usually gives birth to 1-2 cubs. V summer period bats form small colonies, the number of which is usually no more than 12 individuals. The duration of lactation is 1.5 months. The newborn mustachioed bat does not leave the shelter. While the adults are hunting, the cubs huddle together and wait for their parents to return. The bats communicate with their relatives by ordinary sound signals. Each animal has its own voice, by which others recognize it. The sounds made by night bats lie on the threshold of human perception. We can hear a subtle squeak if we listen carefully.

One of the types of bats that live next to humans is the mustachioed bat. The photo of this animal clearly demonstrates its size. Often we are not even aware of the neighborhood with these amazing animals. Representatives of the species can create shelters for themselves in residential buildings, outbuildings and other structures erected by human hands. Neighborhood with night bats is completely safe for humans, animals will never be the first to attack such a large creature. Bats are excellent at navigating in space, even in total darkness. Their main secret- echolocation. Animals use signals in the range of 43-102 kHz, the maximum amplitude is 53 kHz. How do bats not lose their orientation, moving in a small cave with a whole colony? Each individual has an individual voice and intonation. In some separate regions of Russia, the description of the mustachioed bat can be found in the local Red Books as a species in need of special protection. With a global assessment of the total number of animals living throughout the country, such concerns do not arise. Officially, this species is considered common, normally distributed.