The genus Myotis is comprised of about 100 species that are unequally distributed between the Northern (81% of the species) and the Southern hemisphere (19% of the species). Only eight species of Myotis occur in the Ethiopian region, but this is the only biogeographic region with representatives of all four classical subgenera, suggesting a diverse assemblage of morphotypes. We used sequences of a mitochondrial DNA gene (cyt b) to investigate the evolution and the phylogenetic position of seven of the eight Ethiopian species, and compared them to a broad sampling of Myotis from the World and of other vespertilionids. Phylogenetic reconstruction was based on 91 complete sequences representing 79 species of bats. The two endemic southern African species of the subgenus Cistugo were not placed within the genus Myotis, but were basal to the vespertilionid radiation, as suggested by earlier work based on karyology. The remaining Ethiopian species formed a strong monophyletic clade within Myotis, further stressing the importance of biogeography as a good predictor of phylogenetic relationships. This Ethiopian clade includes one Western Palaearctic and one Oriental species, both of which probably secondarily colonized these areas from the Ethiopian region. Molecular dating based on Bayesian inferences suggest that these faunal exchanges occurred at the end of the Miocene, while the split of the Ethiopian clade from the other Old World Myotis dates back to the middle Miocene, quite early in the Myotis radiation. Thus, the relative paucity of species in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be attributed to a late entry into this continent. Instead, these molecular results suggest that other evolutionary processes are responsible for the poor species diversity of Myotis found in Africa today.

The distribution of pipistrelles of the Pipistrellus pipistrellus complex (= P. pipistrellus s.l.) reaches only marginally the African continent. These bats are known only from a narrow belt of the Mediterranean zone in Maghreb and from NE Libya. We analysed museum specimens of African populations of P. pipistrellus s.l. using both morphologic and genetic techniques and compared them with Eurasian specimens of the complex. The African representatives of P. pipistrellus complex include two morphologically, genetically and geographically distinct populations. One of them inhabits the Mediterranean part of Cyrenaica, Libya. Belonging to the P. pygmaeus genetic lineage, these bats are represented by larger and more rusty coloured individuals with large massive rostrum and canines. In morphologic traits, this population differs significantly from all Western Palaearctic populations of the P. pipistrellus complex. These bats differ by about 6–7% in genetic distance from P. pygmaeus s. str. Within the P. pygmaeus lineage Libyan bats seem to be unique in their echolocation calls: the maximum energy of terminal frequencies was recorded at about 45 kHz. We consider the Libyan pipistrelles to represent a separate species, Pipistrellus hanaki sp. nov. Another distinct African pipistrelle population inhabits the Mediterranean parts of NW African countries, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Individuals from the latter population are small and somewhat darker members of the P. pipistrellus genetic lineage, with relatively short and narrow mesial part of rostrum. Although both morphological and genetic differences between this population and Eurasian P. pipistrellus s. str. were found (genetic distance about 3–5%), they are probably not sufficient for the separation of this form at the specific level. However, the differences from European samples show rather not a cline character and therefore potential subspecific level of NW African P. pipistrellus has to be taken into consideration.

A new species of Kerivoula is described. Currently, it is known only from Namdee Forest in southern Kachin State, Myanmar. Externally, superficially similar to Kerivoula papillosa and with a dentition comparable to that of Kerivoula lenis, it is distinguished by its flattened skull. It was collected in evergreen forest in an area that also includes some mixed deciduous forest, shifting cultivation, and bamboo groves.

We describe a species of Chaerephon (Molossidae) new to science from western Madagascar. This bat differs from the other two Chaerephon occurring on the island and from comparably sized African and Asian Chaerephon based on measurements, pelage and wing coloration, and cranial and dental characters. Chaerephon sp. nov. occurs at three sites in the drier western portion of the island. We also provide some natural history and distributional information on other Malagasy members of this family.

From July 1986 to August 1991 the junior author collected bats in various localities in Malawi. About 450 of these animals were preserved. In the present study the Megachiroptera are reported. Epomophorinae (Megachiroptera) collected in Malawi by H. Jachmann in 1982 are also reviewed. In addition, a number of specimens in collections in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have been examined by the junior author, while data on some other samples from Malawi in various other collections, examined earlier by the senior author, have been reconsidered as well. The combined collections contain eight species of Megachiroptera, including Epomophorus cf. labiatus, E. gambianus crypturus, a new species of Epomophorus (described herein), E. wahlbergi, Epomops dobsonii, Rousettus aegyptiacus leachii, R. lanosus, and Eidolon helvum. For the new species, an IUCN Red List category is proposed.

Fossil material from 12 caves situated in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (southern Poland) was studied. In 17 samples of osteological material, 8,275 individuals (Minimal Number of Individuals, MNI = 4,571) of 12 bat species were identified. Thirteen separate thanatocoenoses were found (R × C test) from which bone material was dated using the ¹⁴C AMS method; 13 dates from 6,725 to 820 ¹⁴C yr BP (yr BP) were obtained. Correspondence analysis for thanatocoenoses from the Atlantic and Subboreal periods distinguished two bat species groups and two thanatocoenosis groups: 1) pontic-mediterranean species with a higher frequency during the Atlantic period, e.g., Rhinolophus hipposideros which reoccurs more abundantly at the end of the Subboreal period and Myotis emarginatus, which is absent in earlier sediments with the exception of one episode; 2) Myotis daubentonii, Plecotus auritus, and Myotis dasycneme which increase in frequency during humid and cool periods (5,500–1,200 and 3,000–2,700 yr BP); 3) thanatocoenoses from the Holocene climatic optimum (6,000–5,500 yr BP) characterized by a dominance of Myotis nattereri; a decrease in its frequency occurred during the cooler end of the Atlantic period; 4) thanatocoenoses from the Subboreal period (4,100–3,500 yr BP) characterized by a dominance of Myotis bechsteinii. The maximum frequency of M. bechsteinii correlates with an increasing share of Fagus and Carpinus in forest ecosystems, while its decrease was probably caused by disease and was independent of human activity. Myotis myotis was found in assemblages from the Atlantic period, while the remains of a nursery colony in Nietoperzowa Cave (820 ± 25 yr BP) indicate that reproduction of this species occurred to the north of the Carpathians before the appearance of houses with attics. The presence of mass concentrations of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (s.l.) in caves was confirmed for the Subatlantic period (2,325 ± 30 yr BP), which shows its independence from both thermal balance and human influence on contemporary ecosystems. The low frequency of Barbastella barbastellus in thanatocoenoses prevents reconstructions. Reconstructions for the Atlantic and Subboreal periods show that the composition of the bat fauna depends on changes in climate and vegetation, while human activity seems to have marginal impact. A comparison of paleozoological and radiocarbon datings revealed large differences in age estimation of the thanatocoenoses.

Thyroptera lavali (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae) is a rare Neotropical species that until now has been recorded from only five localities in the Amazonian rainforests of Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil. Fewer than 10 specimens of T. lavali exist and, accordingly, little is known about its distribution, natural history, and phylogenetic affinities. We report new records for the species from southeastern Peru. Together with other recently published records, these expand the known range of the species considerably, as well as increase our knowledge of its ecology. Thyroptera lavali seems to prefer primary forest near swamps, and probably roosts in palms; its reproductive pattern is similar to that of other Neotropical insectivorous bats, with parturition at the beginning of wet season. Finally, we used two different data matrices to assess its phylogenetic relationships: one of discrete morphological characters, the other of DNA sequences of mitochondrial genes. Both data sets support a sister relationship between T. lavali and T. tricolor, with T. discifera as the basal member of the genus Thyroptera.

We tested for differential habitat use by Pacific sheath-tailed bats (Emballonura semicaudata) in three major vegetation types on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands. Acoustic surveys of bat activity were conducted on a 370-m grid with 50 stations that covered the entire island. We controlled for a variety of extraneous factors through sampling design and use of a generalized linear model. Bat activity was significantly higher in native and nonnative forests than in non-forest habitats. There was no significant difference between activity levels in the two forest types. However, our sample size in non-native forest was limited to seven stations, thus the conclusion that non-native forest is an important habitat for the species should be viewed with caution. Our finding that E. semicaudata may be reliant on forest is critical because forests on Aguiguan are threatened by feral goats.

Bats of the genus Carollia feed mainly on plants of the genus Piper, dispersing their seeds in all localities where they occur together. Interactions among these bats, their food plants, and the climate were studied in an Atlantic Forest area in Southeastern Brazil. Path analysis was used to estimate the strength of direct and indirect effects through which variables determine the timing of bat reproduction. Temperature had a small direct influence, but a strong indirect one. Rainfall affected bat reproduction through indirect ways. Although the consumption of Piper fruits by bats did not have a significant influence, the timing of production of Piper fruits was a strong variable directly affecting bat reproduction. We therefore suggest that Piper plants and climate may play a keyrole in the timing of reproduction in C. perspicillata bats.

An inventory of the bat fauna at the Reserva Nacional Allpahuayo-Mishana documented 63 species. Coupled with previous records, this becomes the second most species-rich site for bats in Peru, with 65 species. Reproductively, there was a peak in activity in the early rainy season (October—December) that steadily declined to a low in the late rainy or early dry season (May—June). The community was dominated by Carollia perspicillata in terms of relative abundance and biomass. Most species were frugivores (28) or insectivores (26), but frugivores were predominant in the community based on cumulative abundance and biomass. The bat fauna was sampled to 85–91% completion based on extrapolations of local species richness. Nonetheless, only 56% of the regional species pool was captured locally. The fauna was compositionally similar to that of other western Amazonian sites. Although the Reserva Nacional Allpahuayo-Mishana enjoys a relatively high protected status, this has yet to be translated into sustained conservation. As a hotspot of biodiversity in Peru, it deserves protection at the highest possible level.

Researchers often use harp traps and mist nets to capture bats, and need to be aware of factors that affect trap capture efficiency. Ultrasound reflects from small targets in a frequency-dependent manner, so we predicted that higher frequency sound pulses would return stronger echoes from the fine wires and net of bat traps than would lower frequency signals. We also predicted that mist nets would return stronger echoes than harp traps because mist nets are made of a higher density (and often diameter) of material. Ensonification experiments with pulses of 20–110 kHz showed that both harp traps and mist nets reflected higher frequency pulses more strongly. Pocketed areas of mist nets returned stronger echoes than harp traps although at some frequencies differences between trap types were small. Our results provide one verified reason why harp traps are more effective than mist nets at capturing bats, and also predict that bats using high frequency echolocation calls may be more difficult to trap than species emitting low frequency signals. Interspecies differences in how traps are detected are therefore likely sources of bias in field surveys. Observations of bats encountering harp traps in the field showed less than 4% of encounters resulted in capture, and only 8.8% of encounters could be interpreted as a failure to detect the trap. A comparison between two species that differ in echolocation call and flight characteristics (Rhinolophus hipposideros and Myotis nattereri) showed no difference in trap detection or avoidance. However, differences in behaviour during trap encounters were apparent.

Identification of bat species based on analysis of echolocation calls can be affected by the way data are manipulated, the diversity of species, and call variability. We document the effects of sample sizes and a priori assignment of calls by species on the outcome of discriminant function analysis (DFA) and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) of features of echolocation calls, and determine which features of calls are most useful for identification. We used recorded echolocation calls of eight species readily distinguishable by call features, including molossids, emballonurids and a moormopid recorded at sites in Belize, Brazil, and Mexico. On individual calls, we measured four features: frequency with most energy, highest and lowest frequencies and call durations obtained from sequences consisting of 10 calls. Cluster analysis and multiple analyses of variance indicated significant differences between the calls of different species. Outcomes of DFA and MLR were affected by both sample sizes (numbers of calls, numbers of sequences) and the subjective approach that researchers take to their data (i.e., categorizing calls or sequences of calls by species). Levels of variation in calls of some species in our sample often precluded the use of single calls in making call-based identifications. Accurate documentation of variability in echolocation behavior of sympatric bats is a prerequisite for an effective sound-based bat survey.