Contributions to the Chiroptera of Mongolia with first evidences on species communities and ecological niches.

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) In this paper are presented the accounts of 13 identified bat species from a total of 628 captured specimens from 32 locations in Mongolia during three field expeditions. These species accounts include taxonomical, morphological, and ecological data resulting from observations and further analyses. As a result of this work the distribution of some bat species in Mongolia can be drawn in more detail. For instance, Vespertilio murinus is much wider distributed and abundant than the former records indicate. The Plecotus species were clearly identified by genetic analyses combined with morphological characteristics. Moreover, the second record for Eptesicus serotinus and the first for Plecotus turkmenicus and P. strelkovi were obtained during the expeditions. Furthermore, the technique of mist-netting of bat species enabled the identification of at least two bat species communities occurring in different vegetation zones. The species of cluster I are mainly distributed in arid and semi-arid steppes and desert region, whereas species of cluster II are mainly recorded in humid and fresh areas such as taiga and mountain steppes. Only V. murinus seems to be distributed from more humid to more arid areas and bridge the clusters. Moreover, diet analyses, in order to determine specific foraging strategies, show the first evidence for demarcated ecological niches, maximal resource utilization, and prevention of interspecies competition in these bat communities.