Distribution of Bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in the Republic of Bashkortostan

Abstract Information on bats was collected during field surveys in 2001–2024 in 22 administrative districts of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ural region, and eastern European Russia. Our studies summarize new and previously published information on the habitats and distribution of 14 species of bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). For the first time in Bashkortostan, habitats of the Giant Noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus were identified and the presence of the Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus was established. Information on the locations and dates, the relative abundance and occurrence, the age and sex composition, and the nature of stay and environmental status is presented. The species Vespertilio murinus, Myotis brandtii, Eptesicus nilssonii, M. daubentonii, Plecotus auritus, P. nathusii, N. noctula, M. mystacinus, and M. dasycneme are especially widespread and abundant in the Republic of Bashkortostan, amounting to 93.1% of all bats trapped. M. nattereri is widespread in the forest zone, but uncommon (5.1% of all captures). N. leisleri is a rare and only locally distributed species (1.2%), while M. davidii, P. pygmaeus, and N. lasiopterus are classified as very rare (0.6%). The bat fauna of Bashkortostan shows the highest similarity in species composition to that of the Orenburg oblast (KS = 93.3%), the lesser similarity to the fauna of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan (KS = 88.9%), and the lowest similarity (KS = 83.3%) to the fauna of the Perm oblast and the Sverdlovsk oblast. The distribution limits of four species of bats lie in the study territory: the northern distribution limits of M. davidii and the eastern limits for N. lasiopterus, N. leisleri, and P. pygmaeus. Since the bat fauna of the Republic of Bashkortostan includes species that are widely distributed in Europe, it is to be considered as a variant of the Central European bat complex, but a very poor one. The results form a basis for monitoring studies, as well as the development and implementation of measures for the conservation of bats in the Republic of Bashkortostan.