Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The upper Neretva River valley with river and tributaries, preserved forests, natural caves and buildings represents a very interesting area for bats. During two field expeditions in summer 2022, we collected data on bats using a variety of methods: inspecting the potential roosts, mist netting, an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Natura Sloveniae |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uni-lj.si/NaturaSloveniae/article/view/17241 |
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| author | Maja Zagmajster Vojo Milanović Behare Rexhepi Ester Premate Špela Borko Anton Vorauer |
| author_facet | Maja Zagmajster Vojo Milanović Behare Rexhepi Ester Premate Špela Borko Anton Vorauer |
| author_sort | Maja Zagmajster |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The upper Neretva River valley with river and tributaries, preserved forests, natural caves and buildings represents a very interesting area for bats. During two field expeditions in summer 2022, we collected data on bats using a variety of methods: inspecting the potential roosts, mist netting, and recording bat echolocation calls. We used manual and automatic ultrasound detectors most frequently at sites along and near the Neretva River. The morphological identification of some species was confirmed using DNA analyses. We detected at least 13 bat species in the study area extending from Krupac to Konjic. With one addition, known from the literature, 14 different bat species have been found in the upper Neretva River valley, presenting nearly a half of all bat species recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We confirmed the presence of three species of the highest conservation concern in Europe, listed in the Annex II of the Habitats directive: lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), and greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis). Our finding of the alcathoe bat (Myotis alcathoe) presents new confirmation of this species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, observation of the parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus) is one of the few records of the species in this country. The upper Neretva River valley can be considered as an area of high conservation importance for bats. Additional fieldwork, including during other seasons, would likely reveal more bat species and their sites in the area of the upper Neretva River valley.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e589409200564b6eb2001817a7b66d0d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1580-0814 1854-3081 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natura Sloveniae |
| spelling | doaj-art-e589409200564b6eb2001817a7b66d0d2025-01-29T20:47:05ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Natura Sloveniae1580-08141854-30812023-12-0125310.14720/ns.25.3.181-200Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina)Maja Zagmajster0Vojo Milanović1Behare Rexhepi2Ester Premate3Špela Borko4Anton Vorauer5University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty, Department of Biology, SubBioLab, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 LjubljanaCentre for Karst and Speleology, SarajevoUniversity of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty, Department of Biology, SubBioLab, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 LjubljanaUniversity of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty, Department of Biology, SubBioLab, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 LjubljanaUniversity of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty, Department of Biology, SubBioLab, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 LjubljanaEcotone Enviromental Office The upper Neretva River valley with river and tributaries, preserved forests, natural caves and buildings represents a very interesting area for bats. During two field expeditions in summer 2022, we collected data on bats using a variety of methods: inspecting the potential roosts, mist netting, and recording bat echolocation calls. We used manual and automatic ultrasound detectors most frequently at sites along and near the Neretva River. The morphological identification of some species was confirmed using DNA analyses. We detected at least 13 bat species in the study area extending from Krupac to Konjic. With one addition, known from the literature, 14 different bat species have been found in the upper Neretva River valley, presenting nearly a half of all bat species recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We confirmed the presence of three species of the highest conservation concern in Europe, listed in the Annex II of the Habitats directive: lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), and greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis). Our finding of the alcathoe bat (Myotis alcathoe) presents new confirmation of this species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, observation of the parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus) is one of the few records of the species in this country. The upper Neretva River valley can be considered as an area of high conservation importance for bats. Additional fieldwork, including during other seasons, would likely reveal more bat species and their sites in the area of the upper Neretva River valley. https://journals.uni-lj.si/NaturaSloveniae/article/view/17241Bosnia and HerzegovinaNeretva Riverbatsecholocationmist nettingroosts |
| spellingShingle | Maja Zagmajster Vojo Milanović Behare Rexhepi Ester Premate Špela Borko Anton Vorauer Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Natura Sloveniae Bosnia and Herzegovina Neretva River bats echolocation mist netting roosts |
| title | Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| title_full | Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| title_fullStr | Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| title_short | Study of bats in the upper Neretva River valley (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| title_sort | study of bats in the upper neretva river valley bosnia and herzegovina |
| topic | Bosnia and Herzegovina Neretva River bats echolocation mist netting roosts |
| url | https://journals.uni-lj.si/NaturaSloveniae/article/view/17241 |
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