The Mediterranean long-eared bat (''Plecotus kolombatovici''), also known as Kolombatovic's long-eared bat or the Balkan long-eared bat, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of vesper bat ranging from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

east through the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

east to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, and south to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Taxonomy

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

Plecotus ''Plecotus'' is a genus of vesper bat, commonly called long-eared bats. They are found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Many species in the genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family ...

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 Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, as well as

and parts of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. 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 Sazan ( sq-definite, Sazani) is an Albanian uninhabited island in the Mediterranean Sea. The largest of Albania's islands, it is a designated military exclusion zone; it lies in a strategically important location between the Strait of Otranto ...

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