{{Short description|Species of bat}} {{expand french|topic=sci|date=November 2021}} {{Speciesbox | name = Alpine long-eared bat | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Piraccini, R. |date=2016 |title=''Plecotus macrobullaris'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T136229A22002229 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136229A22002229.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | image = Plecotus macrobullaris - Ph. Karol Tabarelli de Fatis.jpg | taxon = Plecotus macrobullaris | authority = Kuzjakin, 1965 | range_map = | range_map_upright = | range_map_caption = | synonyms = {{species list |Plecotus auritus macrobullaris| Kuzjakin, 1965 |Plecotus alpinus|Keifer & Veith, 2002 |Plecotus microdontus| Spitzenberger, 2002 }} }}
The '''Alpine long-eared bat''' or '''mountain long-eared bat''' ('''''Plecotus macrobullaris''''') is a species of long-eared bat. It was originally described from Switzerland and Austria as a species intermediate between the brown long-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat in 1965. It was later described in 2002, from France and Austria, respectively. Despite its name, this species is not restricted to the Alps, being found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina<ref name="sarajevo">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=SARAJEVO Otkrivena nova vrsta šišmiša u BiH |url=http://www.avaz.ba/clanak/235964/sarajevo-otkrivena-nova-vrsta-sismisa-u-bih |work=Dnevni avaz |location=Sarajevo |date=May 16, 2016 |access-date=May 10, 2017 }}</ref> and elsewhere. It differs from other European long-eared bats, such as the brown long-eared bat, by its white underparts.
==Taxonomy and etymology== thumb|left|Close view of the lip pad of the bat ''Plecotus macrobullaris''. It was described as a new subspecies in 1965 by A. Kuzjakin, who considered it a subspecies of the brown long-eared bat, ''Plecotus auritus''. Its trinomen at the time was ''Plecotus auritus macrobullaris''.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Andreas Kiefer and Michael Veith described a new taxon, ''Plecotus alpinus'', in the 2001 volume of the journal ''Myotis'', but the name was made available in 2002 only.<ref name="Kiefer 2001">{{cite journal| last1=Kiefer| first1= A.| last2= Veith| first2= M.| year=2001| title= A new species of long-eared bat from Europe (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)| journal= Myotis| volume= 39| pages= 5–16| url=https://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/mammalia/chiroptera/vespertilionidae/plecotus/Artbeschreibung-alpinus.pdf}}</ref> In 2002 too, another set of authors led by Friederike Spitzenberger described the same species under the name ''Plecotus microdontus''.<ref name="Spitzenberger 2002">{{cite journal| last1=Spitzenberger| first1= F.| last2= Haring| first2= E.| last3= Tvrtković| first3= N.| year=2002| title= Plecotus microdontus (Mammalia: Vespertilionidae), nova vrsta šišmiša iz Austrije| journal= Natura Croatica: Periodicum Musei Historiae Naturalis Croatici| volume= 11| issue=1| pages= 1–18}}</ref> DNA analysis showed that both "species" were synonymous, and according to the Principle of Priority, the oldest name should apply to this species. However, in 2003, it was determined that both ''P. alpinus'' and ''P. microdontus'' were synonyms of the previous taxon described Kuzyakin in 1965, which was then raised to species status as ''Plecotus macrobullaris''.<ref name=Spitzenberger2003>{{cite journal| last1=Spitzenberger| first1= F.| last2= Strelkov| first2= P.| last3=Haring| first3= E.| year=2003| title= Morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequences show that ''Plecotus alpinus'' Kiefer & Veith, 2002 and ''Plecotus microdontus'' Spitzenberger, 2002 are synonyms of ''Plecotus macrobullaris'' Kuzjakin 1965| journal= Natura Croatica| volume= 12| issue=2| pages= 39–53|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290023663}}</ref>
Its species name "''macrobullaris''" is from Ancient Greek "''makrós''" meaning "long" and Latin "''bulla''" meaning "knob-shaped," possibly referencing the auditory bulla.
==Distribution== The Alpine long-eared bat has been recorded from Andorra, France and Spain in the Pyrenees; in the Alps it has been recorded from France to Slovenia, in the Dinaric Alps and through the Balkans to Greece. It is also found on Crete and Corsica. In Asia is occurs in Anatolia through the Caucasus as far south as Iran and Syria.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It mostly inhabits steep mountainous terrain, up to a maximum of {{convert|2800|m}}<ref name=Alberdi2018>{{cite journal |last1= Alberdi |first1= Antton |last2= Aizpurua |first2= Ostaizka |date= May 2018 |title= ''Plecotus macrobullaris'' (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) |journal= Mammalian Species |volume= 50 |issue= 958 |pages= 26–33 |doi= 10.1093/mspecies/sey003|doi-access= free }}</ref> but is known to reach sea level in some localities.<ref name=Pavlinic2004>{{cite journal |last1= Pavlinić |first1= I. |last2= Tvrtković |first2= N. |date= 2004 |title= Altitudinal distribution of four ''Plecotus'' species (Mammalia, Vespertilionidae) occurring in Croatia |url= https://hrcak.srce.hr/10493 |journal= Natura Croatica |volume= 13 |issue= 4 |pages= 395–401 |access-date= 28 January 2021}}</ref>
In 2015, it was reported that the species contains two distinct mitochondrial lineages, which diverged from each other over 1 million years ago. However, it remains unclear whether or not the lineages are distinct in other respects, and therefore whether or not they should be considered distinct subspecies.<ref name=Alberdi2015>{{cite journal |last1= Alberdi |first1= Antton |last2= Gilbert |first2= M.T.P.|display-authors=etal |date= May 2015 |title= Contrasting population-level responses to Pleistocene climatic oscillations in an alpine bat revealed by complete mitochondrial genomes and evolutionary history inference |journal= Journal of Biogeography |volume= 42 |issue= 9 |pages= 1689–1700 |doi= 10.1111/jbi.12535|bibcode= 2015JBiog..42.1689A |s2cid= 56247000 }}</ref> Nonetheless, two subspecies have been tentatively suggested:<ref name=Spitzenberger2003/>
* ''P. m. macrobullaris'' - populations east of the Alps * ''P. m. alpinus'' - the Alps and Pyrenees
==Description== The Alpine long-eared bat is a medium-sized bat, with a forearm length of approximately {{convert|4|cm}} and a body weight of {{convert|6|to|10|g}}. It has pale grey fur over the body, fading to near-white on the underparts and with a dark brown face. The ears are long and a pinkish triangular pad projects downwards from the chin. There is no distinction in the size or colouration of the sexes.<ref name=Alberdi2018/>
==Biology and behaviour== Tha bat's diet is mainly based on moths, which are captured in open areas such as grasslands and alpine meadows.<ref>Alberdi A, Garin I, Aizpurua O, Aihartza JR (2012) '[http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0035692 The foraging ecology of the Mountain long-eared bat ''Plecotus macrobullaris'' revealed with DNA mini-barcodes.]' ''PLoS ONE'' '''7(4)''': e35692.</ref> Its echolocation calls are similar to those of other long-eared bats, consisting of very faint multiharmonic signals, with the first harmonic sweeping down from 46 to 23 kHz and lasting up to 7 milliseconds.<ref name=Dietrich2006>{{cite journal |last1= Dietrich |first1= Susanne |last2= Szameitat |first2= Diana P. |display-authors=etal |date= December 2006 |title= Echolocation signals of the plecotine bat, ''Plecotus macrobullaris'' Kuzyakin, 1965 |journal= Acta Chiropterologica |volume= 8 |issue= 2 |pages= 465–475 |doi= 10.3161/1733-5329(2006)8[465:ESOTPB]2.0.CO;2|s2cid= 85921180 }}</ref>
The Alpine long-eared bat seems to be flexible in its choice of roosting habitats, being reported to roost primarily in natural rock crevices in the Pyrenees,<ref name=Alberdi2014>{{cite journal |last1= Alberdi |first1= Antton |last2= Aihartza |first2= Joxerra |display-authors=etal |date= 2015 |title= Living above the treeline: roosting ecology of the alpine bat ''Plecotus macrobullaris'' |journal= European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume= 61 |issue= 1 |pages= 17–25 |doi= 10.1007/s10344-014-0862-8|bibcode= 2015EJWR...61...17A |s2cid= 14059163 }}</ref> but to prefer the attics of human dwellings in the Alps.<ref name=Alberdi2013>{{cite journal |last1= Alberdi |first1= Antton |last2= Garin |first2= Inazio |display-authors=etal |date= December 2013 |title= Review on the geographic and elevational distribution of the mountain long-eared bat ''Plecotus macrobullaris'', completed by utilising a specific mist-netting technique |journal= Acta Chiropterologica |volume= 15 |issue= 2 |pages= 451–461 |doi= 10.3161/150811013X679071|s2cid= 86165807 }}</ref> Roosts are sometimes shared with other related species, but this is unusual.<ref name=Tvrtkovic2005>{{cite journal |last1= Tvrtković |first1= Nikola |last2= Pavlinić |first2= Igor |last3= Haring |first3= Elisabeth |date= 2005 |title= Four species of long-eared bats (''Plecotus'', Geoffroy, 1818; Mammalia, Vespertilionidae) in Croatia: field identification and distribution |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264876828 |journal= Folia Zoologica |volume= 54 |issue= 1–2 |pages= 75–78 |access-date= 28 January 2021}}</ref> While males change their roosting sites on an almost daily basis, females tend to remain in the same site for long periods, gathering together in brooding colonies of 5 to 25 individuals.<ref name=Alberdi2018/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Vespertilionidae|V.|Pl.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q309501}}
Category:Plecotus Category:Bats of Europe Category:Fauna of Austria Category:Fauna of Switzerland Category:Mammals described in 1965