New records of the Ethiopian long-eared bat Plecotus balensis in central Ethiopia

Authors

  • Ahmed Seid Ahmed Department of Biology, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
  • Anagaw Atickem Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Afework Bekele Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Diress Tsegaye Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
  • Nils Stenseth Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
  • David Zinner Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
  • Christian Roos Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
  • Zinner Dietmar Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11099537

Keywords:

Chiroptera, Vespertilioninae, Horn of Africa, distribution range, molecular species identification, cytochrome b

Abstract

The diversity of bats in Ethiopia comprises at least 80 species, among them the Ethiopian long-eared bat that was described in 2000. It is most likely endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia. However, knowledge of the distribution of the species is limited. During a bat survey in 12 regions of central Ethiopia stretched over 700 km along the Ethiopian Rift, we trapped long-eared bats at sites in three regions and confirmed the species' identity by molecular analysis. All occurrence sites of P. balensis were above 2500 m, confirming this taxon as a high-altitude species. Two of the regions are additions to the known range of P. balensis but it is most likely present in more high-altitude areas of Ethiopia than currently known. Additional surveys in so far unsampled areas are therefore indicated.

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Published

2024-05-02

How to Cite

Ahmed, A. S. ., Atickem, A. ., Bekele , A. ., Tsegaye, D. ., Stenseth , N. ., Zinner, . D. ., Roos , C. ., & Dietmar, . Z. . . (2024). New records of the Ethiopian long-eared bat Plecotus balensis in central Ethiopia. Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity, 8(2), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11099537

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2024): Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity

Section

Original Article

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