Taxon name
Eptesicus bottae
(Peters, 1869)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Eptesicus bottae
(Peters, 1869)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Peters, 1869)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
In previous Red List assessments, Eptesicus anatolicus and E. ognevi were included in E. bottae (Juste et al. 2013, Artyushin et al. 2018). Those are now considered separately and have their own assessments.
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is newly recorded for the UAE following survey work in early 2018, when the species was found over a pool in Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah. The species is assessed as Data Deficient because there is only one confirmed record and the status of the species in the country has not been established. No regional adjustment is made to the Data Deficient assessment.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species was first recorded in the UAE by Jomat et al. (2018) who caught two individuals over a pool in Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah. There may be other records from echolocation calls but these have not yet been confirmed. In Oman, the species is recorded from Wadi Sahtan in the Hajar Mountains (Harrison and Bates 1991). This is a Palaearctic species, occurring from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran, the southern Caucasus and Central Asia to India, northwestern China and possibly Mongolia (Aulagnier et al. 2008).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The single UAE record was from a mountain wadi. Across its global range, this is a versatile species that occupies a wide range of habitats (Harrison and Bates 1991); it is usually a crevice-dwelling species, inhabiting buildings, ruins (including tombs), and natural rock crevices throughout the year. This bat feeds usually on ants and moths but also on beetles (Whitaker and KarataÅŸ 2009).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Unknown. The increasing extent and intensity of urban lighting may have a negative impact on nocturnal flying invertebrates, the main prey base. Species in the mountains may be affected indirectly by falling water tables due to over-abstraction and reduced precipitation.
History
This species was not listed by Hornby (1996) for the UAE Red List of mammals, but based on current knowledge the backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient.
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
