Close bat species in the Ukrainian fauna: differences and position in the structure of communities

Abstract

Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України (Київ, Україна) Адреса для зв'язку: І. Загороднюк; ННПМ; вул. Богдана Хмельницького, 15, Close bat species in the Ukrainian fauna: differences and position in the structure of communities. -I. Zagorodniuk. -Results of taxonomic revisions, analysis of identification criteria, spatial and ecomorphological differentiation of close pairs of species are summarised. Five superspecies are considered: Myotis "myotis", Myotis "mystacinus", Plecotus "auritus", Pipistrellus "pipistrellus", Eptesicus "serotinus" and other problematic pairs. The distribution of species by the forearm length as a key ecomorphological character (EMC) is analysed. It is shown that stable groups are formed from species with a wide distribution of EMC without their overlapping. However, superspecies, which include siblings and generally close species, are characterised by considerable spatial differentiation (allopatry). All pairs of close species are characterised by one of four statuses: 1) they are allopatric (e.g. the group Eptesicus "serotinus" and partly Myotis "mystacinus"), 2) they are marginally sympatric (M. "myotis"), 3) primary allopatry is disturbed by the expansion of one species into the range of another one (Plecotus "auritus"), 4) sympatry is unnatural and is determined by the synanthropy of one of the species (Pipistrellus "pipistrellus"). The phenomenon with the formation of guilds that include close species is analysed: in all cases, it should be a question of formal synanthropy, usually without symbiotopy, or secondary sympatry, due to the recent overlapping of geographical ranges or living in unnatural or substantially disturbed or transformed locations. K e y w o r d s : bats, taxonomy, distribution, differences, ecomorphology.Близькі види кажанів у фауні України: відмінності та місце в структурі угруповань. -І. Загороднюк. -Підведено підсумки таксономічних ревізій, аналізу критеріїв ідентифікації, просторової та екоморфологічної диференціації близьких пар видів. Розглянуто 5 надвидів: Myotis "myotis", Myotis "mystacinus", Plecotus "auritus", Pipistrellus "pipistrellus", Eptesicus "serotinus" та інших проблемних пар. Проаналізовано розподіл видів за довжиною передпліччя як ключовою екоморфологічною ознакою (ЕМО). Показано, що стабільні групи сформовані видами з широким розподілом ЕМО без їх перекривання. Проте надвиди, які включають двійників та загалом близькі види, характеризуються значною просторовою диференціацією (алопатрією). Всі пари близьких видів характеризуються одним із 4х статусів: 1) вони алопатричні (напр. група Eptesicus "serotinus" і частково Myotis "mystacinus"), 2) вони маргінально симпатричні (M. "myotis"), 3) первинна алопатрія порушена експансією одного виду в ареал іншого (Plecotus "auritus"), 4) симпатрія є неприродною і визначається синантропією одного з них (Pipistrellus "pipistrellus"). Аналізується феномен формуванням гільдій, що включають близькі види: у всіх випадках мова має йти про формальну синантропію, тобто без проявів симбіотопії, або п...

Range dynamics in sibling species: facts and reconstructions for the mammal fauna of Eastern Europe

“…belong to P. pygmaeus only (Zagorodniuk, 2005). The same is evidenced by mapping using ultrasonic detectors (Zagorodniuk, Korobchenko, 2009;Zagorodniuk, 2018;Godlevska, Rebrov, 2018) and signals similar in frequency to pipistrellus (s. str.)…”

“…str.) was reliably identified in old collections of bats only from the Crimea and Transcarpathia (Zagorodniuk, Negoda, 2001) and all later records of "small" pipistrelles refer only to P. pygmaeus, which is confirmed by both detector censuses and morphological analyses (Zagorodniuk, Korobchenko, 2008;Zagorodniuk, 2018;Godlevska, Rebrov, 2018 et al). Our hypothesis that P. pygmaeus is an alien species (Zagorodniuk, 2006) is supported by genogeographic studies of Balkan forms that are basal in the series of races distributed from the south to the north (Hulva et al, 2004).…”

“…New records beyond the currently recognised species range demonstrate a further expansion to the east and north: the species was found in Smila, Cherkasy Oblast (Bilushenko, 2009) and in vicinities of Kyiv (Godlevskaya, 2012), as well as in several underground localities of Chernivtsi, Khmelnytsky, and Vinnytsia Oblasts (Godlevska et al, 2012). A series of new findings was reported from the territory of Poltava Oblast (Velyki Sorochintsy, 2014: Godlevska et al, 2016 a;Prokhorovka, 2016: Godlevska, Rebrov, 2018), Cherkasy Oblast (Kaniv Reserve, 2017: Zagorodniuk, 2018, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (Spaske, Novomoskovsky Raion, 2016: Manyuk, Lahuta, 2017. Findings of the species were also reported from the south of Rivne Oblast (Ilyashevka, 2015;Novomalin, 2016: Godlevska et al, 2016.…”

“…Some of the discussed here reconstructions were partly presented in our earlier publications devoted to the revision of separate groups, such as ground squirrels (Zagorodniuk, 2002 b), voles (Zagorodniuk, 2007 b), long-eared bats (Zagorodniuk, Postawa, 2007), serotine bats (Zagorodniuk, 2009 b) and others. Another parts of data were included into recent reviews on bats (Zagorodniuk, 2018) and non-murid rodents (2019). Superspecies Plecotus auritus (sensu lato) General remarks.…”

“…The third species -P. pygmaeus -was first identified in the region in 2000 during our detector workshop near Nizhyn (Limpens, 2000). An analysis of geographical ranges of the two species was presented earlier both for Ukraine (Zagorodniuk, 2005(Zagorodniuk, , 2018 and the whole of Europe (Mayer, Helversen, 2001 a-b;Hulva et al, 2004). Each species of "small" pipistrelles differs by the frequency of ultrasonic signals: 45 kHz in pipistrellus (s.…”