Publication: Quaternary fauna of bats in Spain:
Paleoecologic and biogeographic interest
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Publication Date
1989
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Charles University Pres
Abstract
The study of fossil bat material collected in Quaternary localities in
Spain has yielded interesting information on the characteristics of this fauna
during the Pleistocene and Holocene in Spain. Out of the 25 species of Chiroptera
actually living in Spain, 15 have been detected from the Middle Pleistocene
onwards: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. euryale, R. mehelyi, R. hipposideros,
Myotis myotis, M. bechsteini, M. nattereri, M. emarginatus, Plecotus
austriacus, Eptesicus serotinus, Barbastella barbastellus, Nyctalus leisleri, N.
lasiopterus, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, and Miniopterus schreibersi. The presence
of Myotis blythi and Plecotus auritus, quite common in the rest of Europe
during the Pleistocene, and actually present in Spain, cannot be ascertained up
to the Holocene.
No important morphologic or metric differences with the corresponding extant
species have been observed; thus we conclude that the use of bats for biostratigraphical
purposes during the Quaternary is very limited. On the other hand,
important changes have been observed in the geographical distribution of some
species in the Quaternary, compared to the present one; these changes can be
interpreted in paleoecologica1 terms. The study of the association of bat species
present in a locality can provide important paleoclimatic information as well.