Rhinolophus euryale Blasius 1853
Creators: name: Burgin, Connor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Rhinolophidae
Rhinolophus
Rhinolophus euryale

description: 16. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat <i>Rhinolophus euryale</i> French: Rhinolophe euryale / German: Mittelmeer-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura mediterrànea <b>Taxonomy.</b> <i>Rhinolophus euryale</i> Blasius, 1853, Milan, <i>Italy</i>. <i>Rhinolophus euryale</i> is in the <i>euryale species</i> group, which seems to be close to the <i> <i>other</i> African species groups <i>(landeri, capensis,</i> <i>fumigatus, ferrumequinum,</i> and <i>maclaudi</i> groups) and the <i>xinanzhongguoensis</i> group from China. These groups form a large <i>Afro-Palearctic</i> clade, although phylogenetic relationships in this clade are still <i> <i>unresolved</i> . Following P. Benda and colleagues in 2006, subspecies <i>judaicus</i> is best treated under <i>R mehelyi</i> based on morphometric comparisons including the type specimen that clearly represented <i>R mehelyi. Populations</i> of <i>R euryale</i> from the Levant region seem to represent a separate unnamed subspecies; additional research is needed to clarify this. <i>Monotypic</i>.</i></i> Distribution. S Europe (from Iberian Peninsula and C &amp; S France to entire Balkan Peninsula, including <i>Corsica</i>, Sardinia, Sicily, Rhodes I, and isolated areas in S Slovakia and N Hungary), N <i>Africa</i> (N <i>Morocco</i>, N Algeria, and Tunisia), and SW <i>Asia</i> (Turkey, Caucasus, Levant region, N &amp; W Iran, and N Iraq). Possibly also Cyprus (known from a single specimen regarded as Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat, <i>R</i> mehelyi, <i>by</i> most authors) and Turkmenistan. Descriptive notes. Head—body 43—58 mm, tail 22—30 mm, ear 17—27 mm, hindfoot 9—11 mm, forearm 43—51 mm; weight 7-5—17- 5 g. The Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat is very difficult to distinguish from Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat. Dorsal pelage is grayish brown, with slight reddish, lilac, <i>or</i> yellowish tinge (hairs are whitish with grayish brown tips); ventral pelage <i>is</i> paler to much paler, although it is never close to white.Juveniles are <i>gray</i>. There is no orange morph. Males lack axillary tufts. Ears are short (c.42% <i>of</i> forearm length). Noseleaf has <i>straight-sided</i> subtriangular lancet, with blundy pointed tip; connecting process is <i>narrow</i>, forward curving, and pointed at tip; sella is naked, rounded, and tilted forward and has almost parallel sides and broad top; horseshoe is narrow <i>at</i> 6-5—7- 5 mm and does not completely cover muzzle, having no lateral leaflets and shallow median emargination. Lower lip has three distinct grooves. <i>Wings</i> and uropatagium are pale brown. Skull is delicately built, with subequal zygomatic and mastoid widths; rostrum is narrow, and nasal swellings are <i>relatively</i> low; frontal depression is shallow; supraorbital crests are poorly developed, and sagittal crest is absent <i>or very</i> low; bar between infraorbital foramen and orbit is short and broad, and infraorbital foramen is small. P2 is small but in tooth row, separating <i>C</i> 1 and P4; P3 is <i>very</i> small and <i>only</i> somewhat displaced labially, separating P2 and P4. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 58 and FNa = 60. <b>Habitat.</b> Various Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean shrublands and woodlands from sea level to elevations of c. 1360 m. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats seem to prefer habitats with broadleaf woodlands and riparian vegetation for foraging in <i>Italy</i> and avoid coniferous forests and shrublands in Italy. They are often associated with edge habitats in Spain, including hedgerows, woodland edges, and isolated trees. They are recorded in Mediterranean sclerophyllous forest, sub-Mediterranean semi-desert grassland and shrubland, and edge habitats throughout northern Africa. They are often <i>found</i> in limestone areas, with many caves and nearby water sources. Food and Feeding. The Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat feeds <i>by</i> slow <i>hawking</i>, flycatching, and probably gleaning off <i>of</i> vegetation and the ground. <i>After</i> prey has been captured, it is generally taken to night roosts to be eaten. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats seem to feed primarily on lepidopterans throughout their distribution and at all times of the year, generally favoring small- to medium-sized moths (5-11 mm and 25- 40 mm long, respectively) over larger moths. They are also known to eat dipterans (especially Tipulidae and brachycerans), coleopterans, hymenopterans, neuropterans, trichopterans, and psocopterans in smaller quantities and varying amounts <i>depending</i> on prey availability. In Spain, lepidopterans made up 68-99% of diets throughout the year and during and after lactation. Scarabaeid beedes <i>(Rhizotrogus)</i> also made up a variably but important food source (especially before breeding). Fecal samples from northern Algeria found that dipterans made up 29% <i>of</i> diets, and lepidopterans were only 19-1%; chilopods <i>were</i> also eaten (3-8%). In autumn and early winter in southern Slovakia and northern Hungary, moths remained the most important dietary item, being the <i>only</i> food source identified and <i>only</i> a single species recorded in fecal samples <i>(Colotois pennaria,</i> Geometridae). Breeding. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats are seasonally monoestrous and probably have delayed fertilization. Breeding probably occurs before hibernation, although there is <i>only</i> limited information regarding reproductive habits. Gestation lasts c.90 days. Births occur in summer (June-July) in Europe, and litter <i>size</i> is one. Males reach sexual maturity <i>between</i> 15 months and 2-2 years; females take 2—3 years. They <i>reportedly</i> live <i>C</i>.13 years. <i>Activity</i> patterns. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats roost most often in large caves, but they have been found in buildings in Europe. They stay further in caves in summer and <i>closer</i> to entrances during winter hibernation. <i>Night roosts</i> are generally where individuals can hang and rest or consume <i>prey</i>, such as <i>groves</i> of trees. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats are nocturnal. They spend the day roosting and leave late in the evening to forage at <i>night</i> They are highly maneuverable and fly <i>relatively</i> slow, being able to hover for short periods of time. They hibernate in winter in deep torpor but frequentiy arise and leave roosts to forage. <i>Winter</i> foraging is limited <i>by</i> temperature and might result in foraging on moths in roost caves, although this has <i>yet</i> to be confirmed. Reports from the Iberian Peninsula show that foraging occurred an average <i>of</i> 1-3 km (at most 4- 2 km) from roosts; lactating females foraged an average <i>of</i> 4- 3 km (at most 9- 2 km) from roosts; and males foraged much closer to their roosts, averaging 1 -9 km. <i>After</i> young are no longer lactating, adults traveled an average <i>of</i> 4-6 km from roosts to forage;juveniles only traveled an average <i>of</i> 2-6 km. Call shape <i>is</i> FM/ <i>CF</i> /FM, with mean F component <i>of</i> 104-8 kHz in Greece, 104-106 kHz in Bulgaria, 102-3 kHz across France, 100-104 kHz in <i>Italy</i>, and 102-4 kHz in Tunisia, generally 100-109 kHz. Mean call duration was 53-8 <i>milliseconds</i> in Greece, and mean interpulse interval was 84-5 milliseconds in Greece. Males and females can recognize sex of conspecifics <i>by</i> their echolocation calls. Movements, <b>Home</b> range and Social organization. Although mosdy sedentary, Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats are known to travel <i>relatively</i> short distances (0-5-16- 7 km in the Carpathian region) between summer (maternity) and winter (hibernating) roosts. Longest recorded movement is 134 km in Europe. They roost in colonies <i>of</i> up to 2000 individuals during winter hibernation and then segregate into smaller maternity <i>colonies</i> of 50-400 individuals in summer. Males usually create their own roosts in summer but are occasionally found with females in maternity colonies. In spring, males and females roost together, and roosts <i>of</i> up to 200 individuals have been recorded in <i>Algeria</i>. Colonies of Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats usually group in small clusters and will hang in contact with one another when active, although torpid individuals generally do not touch other bats. They have been reported sharing roosts with other species <i>of Rhinolophus, Rhinopoma, Plecotus, Myotis,</i> and <i>Miniopterus.</i> Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on <i>The</i> IUCN <i>Red List.</i> Although the Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat has a wide distribution, its overall population is considered to be declining. It is stable and common in central and eastern Balkans but declining in Portugal and <i>Italy</i>, where populations are already small. In France, populations declined <i>by</i> c.70% from 1940 to 1980, although trends seem to have stabilized after the 1980s. Large population declines have also been reported in Spain, and the Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat appears to be extirpated in Gibraltar and Switzerland. Caves in Iran that once had thousands <i>of</i> individuals (20,000 bats of various species) just 30 years ago now have no bats, indicating the Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat is also declining outside <i>of</i> Europe. <i>Major</i> threats seem to be general habitat destruction from urbanization and intensive agriculture. Habitat fragmentation and roost destruction are also prevalent threats. Use of organochlorine pesticides is thought to have been a contributing factor to the major decline in France. The Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat is protected throughout Europe by national legislation and is Annex II and IV on the EU Habitats and Species Directive. <b>Bibliography.</b> ACR (2018), Ahmim &amp; Moali (2013), Aihartza, Garin <i>et</i> al. (2003), Al-Sheikhly, Haba, Görföl &amp; Csorba (2015), Benda, Andreas <i>et</i> al. (2006), Benda, <i>Faizolâhi</i> et <i>al.</i> (2012), Benda, Hanâk et <i>al.</i> (2007), Benda, LuCan <i>et</i> al. (2010), Brasset et al. (1988), Csorba et al. (2003), DeBlase (1972), <i>Gaisler</i> (2013a), Goiti, Aihartza, <i>Almenar et</i> al. (2006), Goiti, Aihartza &amp; Garin (2004), Goiti, Aihartza, Garin &amp; Zabala (2003), Goiti, Garin <i>et al.</i> (2008), Horéóek et al. (2008), Hutterer étal. (2005), ibânez (1999), Juste &amp; <i>Alcalde</i> (2016a), Koselj &amp; <i>Kryâtufek</i> (1999), Mikové et al. (2013), Russo, Almenar et al. (2005), Russo, Jones &amp; <i>Migliozzi</i> (2002), <i>Russo</i>, Jones &amp; Mucedda (2001), Salsamendi <i>et al.</i> (2006), Siemers &amp; Ivanova (2004), Stoffberg <i>et</i> al. (2010), Szekely et <i>al.</i> (2015), <i>Turni</i> &amp; <i>Kock</i> (2008),Tuttle &amp; Stevenson (1982), Uhrin étal. (2012).
description: Published as part of <i>Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, pp. 280-332 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on pages 288-289, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3748525