Sardinian long-eared bat

Description

P. sardus is a small bat with a head-and-body length of about 45 mm, ears of about 38 mm and a weight of up to 9 g. The snout is cone-shaped with a fleshy knob on the chin. The ears are oval and joined above the forehead by a fine membrane. The tragus is tapered with a blunt tip and is half as long as the ear. The wing membranes are attached to the rear part of the base of the fifth toe. The tail is long and extends a short way beyond the interfemoral membrane. The fur is fine, long and woolly and is greyish-brown dorsally and whitish or pale brown ventrally. The wing membranes are brown. Two features which distinguish this bat from related species are the cylindrical penis in males and the short, Y-shaped penile bone.

Ecology and distribution

The Sardinian long-eared bat is only known from three caves where it roosts. Two of these are in the Gennargentu National Park and one near the coast. Its distribution is highly localized, mainly in central and north coastal areas of Sardinia, and includes the municipalities of Baunei, Busachi, Dorgali, Lula, Oliena, Orgosolo, Ula Tirso, Urzulei, and Gavoi. It hunts in forests at low elevation and favors calcareous terrain.

Conservation and threats

The primary threat to the Sardinian long-eared is climate change, which has resulted in recurring wildfires around its reproductive areas and in precipitation and temperature extremes during the summer. Secondary threats include direct human interference and competition with invasive feral pigeons for nesting sites.

Between 2003 and 2020, the total population of the long-eared bat dropped from 950 to 340 individuals, resulting in a population loss of around 63,4%. Due to its uniqueness and restricted range P. sardus requires a very specific management strategy for its protection to be successful.

References

References

1. Russo, D.. (2023). "''Plecotus sardus''".
2. {{MSW3 Chiroptera
3. (2002). "A new species of long-eared bat (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Sardinia (Italy)". Acta Chiropterologica.
4. Bosso, Luciano. "Island Life and Interspecific Dynamics Influence Body Size, Distribution and Ecological Niche of Long-Eared Bats". Journal of Biogeography.
5. . (). ["Orecchione Sardo"](https://www.sardegnaforeste.it/fauna/orecchione-sardo). *Autonomous Region of Sardinia*.
6. (22 October 2021). "Wildfires, Heatwaves and Human Disturbance Threaten Insular Endemic Bats". [[Springer Science+Business Media]].
7. . (1 February 2022). ["Drastica riduzione della popolazione del Pipistrello endemico di Sardegna"](https://www.sardegnaforeste.it/notizia/drastica-riduzione-della-popolazione-del-pipistrello-endemico-di-sardegna). *Autonomous Region of Sardinia*.
8. (2013). "A short review of the roles of climate and man in mammal extinctions during the Anthropocene". Anthropocene—Natural and Man-made Alterations of the Earth's Fragile Equilibrium.
9. (2016-12-29). "A gap analysis for threatened bat populations on Sardinia". Hystrix: The Italian Journal of Mammalogy.