via EUROBATS > Croatia and bats of croatia and BE2, DS4, and EUROBATS Protected Bat Species list.

Threatened bat species in Croatia (species listed in the Annex II of the Habitats Directive marked in bold). Tvrtković N., ed. (2006): Red book of mammals of Croatia. Ministry of Culture, Nature Protection Directorate & State Institute for Nature Protection. Zagreb

The distribution of twelve resident species of bats in Croatia listed in Appendix II of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC was mapped in 10 km squares of the UTM projection grid: Rhinolophus blasii, R. euryale, R. ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, Myotis bechsteinii, M. blythii, M. capaccinii, M. dasycneme, M. emarginatus, M. myotis, Barbastella barbastellus and Miniopterus schreibersii. (via THE ATLAS OF CROATIAN BATS (CHIROPTERA) Part I)

Rhinolophus blasii / Blazijev potkovnjak

This is the rarest of all species of the genus Rhinolophus found in Croatia. All findings are restricted to inland caves of the Mediterranean region with the exception of records from the islands of Cres, Krk and Rab.

Rhinolophus euryale / južni potkovnjak

The Mediterranean horseshoe bat greatly resembles Blasius’s horseshoe bat, not only in its appearance and size but also in its preference for the warm and comparatively dry Dinaric region where some of the largest agglomerations are known. The species has been recorded in all parts of Croatia, with the only exception being the Pannonian lowland.

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum / veliki potkovnjak

The greater horseshoe bat is a widespread species mostly in the Mediterranean region where it inhabits mostly low altitudes and southern mountain slopes. Most of its localities have been recorded in the Mediterranean region. Only 9 localities (all of them caves) were found to be used both by wintering and nursery colonies – 5 were in the Mediterranean region (the Miljacka II, Tradanj, Vilina, Vištičina and Zagorska caves) and 4 were in the Continental region (the Dragina, Matešića, Barićeva and Vrlovka caves).

Rhinolophus hipposideros / mali potkovnjak

Considered as the most common and widespread Rhinolophus species, the lesser horseshoe bat is largely unknown in Croatia, especially when it comes to maternity roosts. Its range somewhat resembles that of the greater horseshoe bat, having most of its hibernacula in the Dinaric area (15 UTM squares) and none in the Pannonian region. Vertical distribution is similar to that of the greater horseshoe bat.

Myotis bechsteinii / velikouhi šišmiš

Although found in all regions of Croatia, this forest-dwelling species seems to be very rare.

Myotis blythii / oštrouhi šišmiš

According to the new mitochondrial DNA analysis (RUEDI & MAYER, 2001; SIMMONS, 2005), species occurring in Europe and Croatia should probably be regarded as M. blythii oxygnathus.

Myotis capaccinii / dugonogi šišmiš

Distribution in Croatia follows the general pattern determined by two closely connected factors – limestone caves and natural still or flowing water bodies. The 318 Pavlini}, I. et al.: The Atlas of Croatian bats, Part I northernmost Croatian records in Bizečka, Ozaljska and Vrlovka caves were clearly conditioned by karstic isolates but are today considered extinct with only sporadic individual findings.

Myotis dasycneme / močvarni šišmiš

Only one hibernaculum is known from Croatia – the Uviraljka swallow hole on Papuk Mountain (TVRTKOVI] et al., 2001).

Myotis emarginatus / riđi šišmiš

This sedentary species has an interesting distribution pattern in Croatia where it clearly avoids the Continental Dinaric mountain part, inhabiting both the northern and southern part. Another similarity with overall distributions (DIETZ et al., 2009) is that in the Continental part summer roosts are in lofts, attics and roofs of churches and houses, while in the Mediterranean region it predominantly uses caves as roosts for colonies.

Myotis myotis / veliki šišmiš

Impossible to visually separate from M. blythii, the greater mouse-eared bat is more evenly distributed in the whole area of Croatia. Mixed colonies with M. blythii and other species are found only in the southern parts. A maternity roost was found on only one island – Rab, where in a sea cave a mixed maternity colony with M. blythii was discovered.

Barbastella barbastellus / širokouhi mračnjak

The limited distribution data on this typical forest species are available mostly as a result of intensive netting surveys in some areas. Additional data have been gathered by means of bat-detector transects from which this species can be unmistakably identified. Only single individuals were found hibernating in caves and in a bunker near Zagreb, and in some caves in the Gorski kotar area.

Miniopterus schreibersii / dugokrili pršnjak

Croatia is part of a continuous Mediterranean (in the extensive sense) distribution of this species. Ringing data has revealed the existence of the Pannonian metapopulation consisting of bats from Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia. This species makes up the largest known winter and maternity colonies of all bat species in Croatia. All the records of maternity colonies relate to altitudes below 750 m., some individual specimens were found to 1200 m. The largest nursery colony was in the most important shelter of the Pannonian metapopulation, Trbušnjak cave, an object of intensive monitoring in 2008 and 2009.

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Note:

• Least Concern
• Near Threatened
• Vulnerable
• Endangered
• Data Deficient