The Arabian barbastelle (''Barbastella leucomelas''), also known as the levant barbastelle, is a species of vesper bat. Its habitat is temperate forests and caves. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in Egypt (
Sinai
Sinai commonly refers to:
* Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God
Sinai may also refer to:
* Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1826 by German scientist Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar.
Cretzschmar initially placed it in the genus '' Vespertilio'', with the binomial ''Vespertilio leucomelas''.
Its species name "''leucomelas''" is from Ancient Greek "'' leukomélās''" meaning "black and white."
Previously, it was also thought to have a wider range across much of Asia, and accordingly was named the "eastern barbastelle" or "Asian barbastelle". However, genetic studies indicated that the species was
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
as previously defined, with ''B. leucomelas'' from Egypt (''B. leucomelas sensu stricto'') being the sister species to the
Beijing barbastelle
The Beijing barbastelle (''Barbastella beijingensis''), also known as the Beijing wide-eared bat, is a species of vesper bat endemic to Beijing Municipality, China.western barbastelle (''B. barbastellus''). Populations of ''B. leucomelas'' from much of Asia formed a sister group to this whole clade.' Due to this, the
eastern barbastelle
The eastern barbastelle or Asian barbastelle (''Barbastella darjelingensis'') is a species of Vespertilionidae, vesper bat found throughout much of Asia, from Afghanistan to Taiwan.
Taxonomy
It was described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1855, ...
(''B. darjelingensis'') and
Caspian barbastelle
The eastern barbastelle or Asian barbastelle (''Barbastella darjelingensis'') is a species of vesper bat found throughout much of Asia, from Afghanistan to Taiwan.
Taxonomy
It was described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1855, and was previously ...
(''B. caspica'') were both split as distinct species (with the
Japanese barbastelle
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, ''B. pacifica'', formerly classified within ''B. leucomelas'' and later ''B. darjelingensis'', being described as a distinct species in 2019). The
American Society of Mammalogists
The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals, and professions studying them. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists ...
, IUCN Red List, and ITIS all follow the results of this study, although the IUCN Red List erroneously still lumps ''darjelingensis'', ''caspica'', and ''pacifica'' on its page for ''B. leucomelas''.
Range and habitat
Following taxonomic revisions, it is only known from a few scattered populations in North & East Africa and the Levant, on both sides of the Red Sea. It is known from northern
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
Its forearm is long and its tail is long.
Its ears are large and forward-facing.
The
tragi
The tragus is a small pointed eminence of the external ear, situated in front of the concha, and projecting backward over the meatus. It also is the name of hair growing at the entrance of the ear. Its name comes the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'g ...
are large as well and very hairy.
Its fur is blackish on its back but more brown on its ventral side.
Its thumb is quite small, at long including the claw.
Biology and ecology
During the day, it roosts in sheltered places such as old buildings.
Status
Although classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, this status includes '' darjelingensis'', '' caspica'', and '' pacifica'', which are now thought to be distinct species. According to the IUCN, the population size and trends of the North African population (''leucomelas sensu stricto'') are currently unknown. Activities associated with war may be a threat to this species, as they can disrupt its habitat as well as damage or disturb the caves and old buildings that this species roosts in.