ON THE HABITATION OF SOPRANO PIPISTRELLE PIPISTRELLUS PYGMAEUS (LEACH, 1825) IN THE CIS-URALS AND THE URALS

Abstract

Literature data and new data on the distribution of bats of the Pipistrellus pipistrellus/pygmaeus complex in the Cis-Urals and the Urals are summarized. During the expeditionary work of 2015-2018 and 2023, the habitation of Soprano Pipistrelle P. pygmaeus was established in the Udmurt Republic, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Orenburg region, and the search for Common Pipistrelle P. pipistrellus s. str., as well as in the adjacent territories of the Volga region, did not give a positive result. Previously cited in literary sources, information about the habitation of P. pipistrellus in the Cis-Urals and the Urals was not supported by museum copies, so they cannot be veri ed. In this regard, we believe that all indications of nds in the Cis-Urals and Urals Common Pipistrelle P. pipistrellus made by other authors should be attributed to the form P. pygmaeus. In total, we caught ten individuals of P. pygmaeus (6♀♀ad, 3♀♀ and 1♂ sad). In examined animals, morphometric indicators and external diagnostic signs turned out to be typical for the species. Soprano Pipistrelle is found in oodplain forests in lowland and low-mountain areas with heights up to 250 m above sea level. The Cis-Urals and Urals are included in the eld of breeding by females of P. pygmaeus, as evidenced by the ndings of adult females and subadalt. Adult males in the study area were not recorded. Beyond the Ural Range, the nds of P. pygmaeus are unknown, thus, the western foothills of the Urals are the eastern border of the distribution of the species. The seasonal movement routes and wintering sites are not known. In the Cis-Urals and Urals, Soprano Pipistrelle is a very rare, locally common species. To preserve populations and identify ecological features of the habitat of P. pygmaeus on the border of the range, it is advisable to conduct monitoring studies and add the species to the Red Books of the Udmurt Republic, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Orenburg Region.