Theriologia Ukrainica (Dec 2021)
Composition of winter aggregations of bats (Chiroptera) in cave-type shelters in the Middle Dnister region (census of 2021)
Abstract
In 2021, the authors, with the assistance of speleological clubs, conducted winter surveys of bats in underground cavities of in the Ternopil part of the Middle Dnister Region. Twenty wintering shelters of different origin and size were inspected, of which ten are described for the first time. A total of 2573 individuals of 6 species were recorded. The most abundant species (92.84%) was Rhinolophus hipposideros. The most noticeable accumulations of this species were found in the caves Kryshtaleva, Vitrova, Verteba, Yuvileyna, and Ozerna. The second most abundant species was Myotis myotis. A total of 134 individuals of this species were found, which is 5.2% of the total number of recorded bats. On the third place were Myotis daubentonii (1.1%) and Plecotus auritus (0.7%), which were found in five shelters each, albeit in small numbers. The largest number of bats was found in Kryshtaleva Cave—1188 individuals belonging to 2 species. Several hundred individuals were found during the winter in the caves Verteba and Vitrova, and more than a hundred in the caves Khomach, Juvyleyna, and Ozerna. The highest species richness was recorded in the caves Ugryn, Teklivska, and Mlynky (four species in each). There have been no noticeable changes in the abundance and species composition of bats during the winter in the underground cavities of the studied region since 2019 (at the time of preliminary surveys). It is possible to trace an increase in the abundance of Rhinolophus hipposideros in Kryshtaleva Cave, of Myotis daubentonii in Ugryn Cave, and of Plecotus auritus in several shelters. This indicates that the mode of use of caves (for scientific and recreational purposes) does not prevent them from fulfilling the role of wintering shelters for this group of animals. The Ternopil part of the Middle Dnister Region is characterized by the absolute dominance of Rhinolophus hipposideros, whereas in the neighbouring Kamenets part of the region this species ranks second in abundance after Myotis myotis. Cold-tolerant species are much more common in the Kamianets-Podilskyi area. These differences are related to the different types of the most common wintering shelters in the region.
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