The Mediterranean long-eared bat (''Plecotus kolombatovici''), also known as Kolombatovic's long-eared bat, is a species of vesper bat ranging from Italy east through the Balkans east to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, and south to Jordan.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Dulić in 1980, following the identification of small bats from the

Plecotus ''Plecotus'' is a genus of Vespertilionidae, vesper bat, commonly called long-eared bats. They are found throughout Eurasia and North Africa, northern Africa. Many species in the genus have only been described and recognized in recent years. Spe ...

genus in Croatia. However, until 2010, the qualification of ''P.kolombatovici'' as species was subject to doubt. Specimens of ''Plecotus sp.'' were analysed in North Africa, the Canary Islands, and Asia over a period of years, and it was proposed that all the specimens were subspecies of the same species, ''Plecotus teneriffae''. However, the most recent studies confirm the status of species for ''P. kolombatovici.'' As several species of Plecotus can be leaving in sympatry in a same region, a clear identification of specimen can be very difficult.

Distribution

So far, ''P.kolombatovici'' has been recorded in Albania, Croatia and Greece, as well as Italy and parts of the Middle East. This species is often found in the islands of the Adriatic sea,Théou, P., & Loçe, E. 2017. but also inland with a recorded presence in most of Greece. In Albania, many specimens were found in former bunkers on the Sazan Island.

References

Literature cited

* Dietz, C. & von Helversen, O. 2004
Illustrated identification key to the bats of Europe.
Tuebingen & Erlangen, Germany. * Théou, P., & Loçe, E. 2017
First data on bats (Chiroptera) for Vlora bay and Sazan Island, Albania.
Journal of Bat Research & Conservation 10(1). * Tvrtkovic, N., Pavlinic, I., & Haring, E. (2005
Four species of long-eared bats (Plecotus, Geoffroy, 1818; Mammalia, Vespertilionidae) in Croatia: field identification and distribution
Folia zoologica, 54(1/2), 75. {{Taxonbar, from=Q805029 kolombatovici Bats of Europe Bats of Asia Fauna of the Balkans Mammals described in 1980