Schreiber's bat
Miniopterus schreibersii (Bonaparte, 1837)
Miniopterus schreibersi inexpectatus subspec. nov.: Heinrich, 1936: 34.
Order Chiroptera
Family Miniopteridae
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Vulnerable VU [A2c], BDA-II, III; International: IUCN- NT, BeC-II, III, BoC-II, HD-II, IV.
General distribution. Southern Europe, in the north to Central France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovakia and Northern Africa.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. The whole country, without the highest parts of the mountains. About 170 localities are known, most of which are at altitudes between 100 and 600 m [1]. The total numbers are about 170 000 individuals of the wintering population and about 120 000 individuals of the summer population. The difference is probably due to the bats coming from Northern Greece that winter in Dyavolskoto garlo cave (the village of Trigrad). For the cave-loving species of bats, to which Schreiber's bat belongs, a decline of the numbers was found by 20-40% at the average in the 1988-1992 period with respect to the 1955-1971 period [2].
Habitats. Karstic landscapes throughout the country.
Biology. It inhabits all the year round only underground shelters: caves and mine galleries. It forms numerous nursery colonies. Known are 19 nursery colonies and five summer non-nursery colonies. The maximum of birth givings is in the period 20 June – 10 July. It winters only in underground shelters. 14 winter shelters are known but over 95% of the wintering population is in three caves: Parnitsite, Devetashkata, Dyavolsko garlo. They make regular seasonal migrations between the shelters (50-150 km).
Similar species. None.
Negative factors. Anthriopogenic pressure on the shelters: direct disturbance and driving away, hindering the access and a change of the microclimate (placing doors, bars, etc.). The caves Magura, Devetashka, Emenska, Dyavolsko garlo have turned into objects of increased tourism not conforming to the requirements for the preservation of bats. Anthropogenic changes of hunting habitats and flight corridors, but concrete data in the country for them are absent.
Conservation measures taken. Protected according to the Biological Diversity Act, EUROBATS and all the other conventions (without CITES). Many of the underground shelters in Bulgaria fall within different categories of protected territories. The inclusion in the Natura 2000 network of protected zones of the known shelters is about to be effected.
Conservation measures needed. Preservation of underground shelters. Working out detailed management plans for those that are declared protected territories. Studies for clarifying the "interim" (spring and autumn) copulative shelters (swarming sites) and the concrete hunting habitats and flight corrdors so that they should also be protected. Continuation of the yearly monitoring in the significant underground shelters of bats [3].
References. 1. Benda et al., 2003; 2. Beshkov, 1993; 3. Ivanova, 2005.
Authors: Vasil Popov, Teodora Ivanova
