Desert Long-eared Bat
Status: Category VII, Lower Risk - Least Concern, LR/lc.
Distribution general and in the country. From Algeria and Egypt through the Middle East to the Western Tian Shan, Pamir, and Kashmir. In Kyrgyzstan, a specimen was collected on May 18, 1966, in the southern foothills of the Chatkal Range (10 km northwest of Tash-Kumyr), almost 300 km northeast of the nearest find in Uzbekistan. In 1992, bats were captured to study their feeding behavior in the rocky foothills of the Aravan district in the Duvakhan, Chil-Ustun, and Ashkana areas at an altitude of 850 m [42].
Habitat. Semi-desert slopes with sparse pistachio bushes. They are noted to emerge on rocky, conglomerate, sandstone, and schist cliffs, with crevices in the rocks serving as shelters. Colonies are often found in populated areas and even cities, particularly in Dushanbe [40].
Population. Undoubtedly a rare and probably stenobiont species. In favored habitats, it is quite common; for instance, over five nights in September 1992, 18 individuals were captured in mist nets in the rocky foothills of the Aravan district, including 12 adult males, 3 young males, 2 adult females, and 1 young [42, 43].
Life style (life cycles). It leads a crepuscular and nocturnal lifestyle. Reproduction in Kyrgyzstan is poorly studied, likely starting in late May to early June, with young beginning to feed independently in July. In Dushanbe, O.P. Bogdanov found females with embryos and newborns in early June [40]. They hunt by flying close to the ground at heights of 0.4-1 m. Upon spotting prey, they quickly land for 2-5 seconds to catch it, then soar to heights of 3-7 m, chewing their catch in mid-air, flying slowly and gliding during this time. Analysis of feces from 13 specimens indicates a predominance of arachnids in their diet (solifuges - 21.9%, acridids - 18.8%), and scorpions (Arachnidae and Aranidae - both 9.2%). Overall, the diet consists of half arachnids and half insects: beetles, adult lepidopterans, and others [43]. They hibernate alone in loess caves.
Limiting factors. Natural enemies, competitors, and diseases are not studied. Instances of physical destruction by humans of bats forming colonies within populated areas are not excluded.
Breeding (keeping in captivity). Not bred.
Existing conservation measures. Listed in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR [9].
Recommended conservation measures. Creation of mini-reserves in suitable habitats, protection of shelters, and awareness-raising among the population of villages and settlements adjacent to the habitats of this species.
Desert Long-eared, or Hemprich’s Arrow-eared, Bat
Otonycteris hemprichi (Peters, 1859)
Status: Category VII, "Lower Risk - Least Concern", LR/lc. This comparatively large (body length is 69 mm) light-colored bat is a very rare resident species in Kyrgyzstan. It is included in the IUCN RLTS, a locally distributed stenoeic west-south-Palaearctic (from Northern Africa up to Kashmir) representative of the monotypic relic genus. In Kyrgyzstan, the Desert Long-eared Bat was registered in the southern spur of the Chatkal Mountain Range (vicinity of Tash-Kumyr town) in 1966 and in the vicinity of Aravan village in 1992, where it populates semi-desert slopes with sparse pistachio forest; retreats are clefts in rocky, sandstone, or schistose denudations. Bats hibernate one by one in loess caves, the period of reproduction starts in May - June, young animals begin feeding on their own in July, and the males/females ratio is 5 in the examined population (18 individuals captured over five nights in their habitat). These bats have specific hunting behavior (low searching flight and catching at land surface), half of their prey consists of arachnids (scorpions, sun spiders, orb-web spiders), and the other half is insects (mainly acridids). Ecology and limiting factors are insufficiently studied in Kyrgyzstan; probably, colonies in settlements are destroyed by humans. It is not held in captivity in Kyrgyzstan, and special protection measures have not been undertaken. For conservation of the species, options offered include the creation of micro-reservations in habitats and awareness-building work for local people.
