AN INTEGRATED METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH REVEALS THE COEXISTENCE OF AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN BATS ON THE PELAGIAN ISLANDS

Submission 74

Poster-32

Presented by: Pietro Di Bari

Pietro Di Bari ^{1, 2}, Emiliano Mori ^{2, 3}, Leonardo Ancillotto ^{2, 3}, Fabrizio Gili ⁴

¹ Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 22, Palermo 90123, Italy

² Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino (FI) 50019, Italy

³ National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Piazza Marina 61, Palermo 90133, Italy

⁴ Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Largo Tonolli 50, Verbania Pallanza (VB) 28922, Italy

⁵ Department of Agriculture, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 4, Palermo 90128, Italy

⁶ Natural History Museum “La Specola”, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Romana 17, Firenze 50125, Italy

Islands represent exceptional natural laboratories for investigating biogeographical patterns,

particularly when located at the boundary between major bioregions. However, island bat

communities remain poorly studied due to logistical constraints and related survey challenges.

The Pelagian Islands (Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione), lying at the interface between the

African and European bioregions, offer a unique opportunity to investigate bat diversity,

biogeographical affinities and conservation relevance at the southern margin of Europe, while

updating limited and outdated information.

Between 2022 and 2025, we investigated bat communities on the Pelagian Islands using an

integrated approach combining automatic acoustic monitoring, roost inspections, molecular

species identification from guano, and captures. Acoustic data were analysed to assess diversity,

activity patterns and the influence of habitat features on bat activity.

On Lampedusa, we documented at least eight bat species, including taxa with predominantly

North African distributions and marginal occurrence in Europe, such as Rhinolophus mehelyi,

Plecotus gaisleri and Myotis cf. punicus, substantially updating previous literature records.

Moreover, we detected the Maghrebian bent-winged bat Miniopterus maghrebensis,

representing the first record of this north western African species in Europe, confirmed by DNA

barcoding. Bat activity and diversity were primarily associated with temporary ponds and

remnants of natural scrubland linked to watershed areas. In contrast, Linosa exhibited markedly

lower species richness, with only two species confirmed, likely reflecting its small size.

Nevertheless, we captured several individuals of Pipistrellus cf. deserti, currently considered

an African morphotype of P. kuhlii, representing its first detection in Europe and contributing

to its molecular and morphological definition. Overall, our findings highlight the Pelagian Islands as biogeographical reservoirs and potential

crossroads for bat fauna, emphasising the importance of Mediterranean islands for bat

conservation in Europe.

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