Nyctalus (N.F.), Berlin 8 (2003), Heft 6, S. 697 - 700

On the status and situation of the Barbastelle, Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774), in ltaly

Le statut et la situation de la Barbastelle, Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774), en Italie

Zum Status und zur Situation der Mopsfledermaus, Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774), in Italien

By LORENZO FORNAsARI, Milano, CARLO VIOLANI, Pavia, and B RUNO ZAVA, Palenno

Summary

A synoptic overview about the status and situation of the Barbastel le in Italy is presented. The species has been reported from all the regions except U mbria and Puglia, although in very low numbers. It seems to be related to woodland habitats and to low and medium altitudes. Due to its scarcity and habitat selectivity, it must be considered as a threatened species in Italy.

Resume

Un aper�u synoptique sur le statut et la situation de la Barbastelle en Italie est presente ici. Cette espece a ete observee dans toutes les regions, sauf I' Ombrie et la Pouille, bien que en tres petits nombres. Elle semble etre Iiee aux habitats de forets et aux faibles et moyennes altitudes. A cause de sa rarete et de sa selectivite pour I 'habitat, elle doit etre consideree une espece menacee pour I' Italie.

Zusammenfassung

Ein zusammenfassender Überblick zum Status und zur Situation der Mopsfledermaus in Italien liegt vor. Die Art wurde in allen Regionen in geringer Anzahl gefunden,jedoch nicht in Umbrien und Apulien. Es scheint, als ständen Waldhabitate in niederer und mittlerer Höhe in enger Beziehung. Schuld sind Mangel und trennscharfe Habitate, und deshalb muß diese Art in Italien als gefährdet gelten.

Introduction

The present paper is based on the literature pub­lished over the last 1 50 years, as weIl as on recent data collected mostly by bat detector du­ring field surveys conducted by us and our co­workers. We have also taken into account some original data recently obtained by other resear­chers.

Review of the historical distribution

The Barbastelle is considered as a European­Caucasian-Maghrebine species by LANZA & FI­NOTELLO ( 1 985). Its presence in Italy was known since 1 837, after BONAPARTE' s mention of ,,Bar­

bastellus coml1lunis" in "many localities, al­though infrequently". Unfortunately BONAPAR­

TE did not give details on the exact sites of ob­servation. Even CORNALIA ( 1 874) in his authori­tati ve "Fauna d' I tal ia -Mammiferi" did not add any particular locality for the species. This bat has always been considered as "not very common in Italy, even if more abundant in the North than in the South" (GULINO & DAL

PIAZ 1 939). According to the same authors, it was more often collected on the western coasts, and it was also found "at remarkable altitudes on the mountains".

Until 1 939, it was surely recorded from the following regions, mostly i n the North: Piemonte, Lombardia, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino - Aho Adige, Liguria, Toscana, Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania, Calabria and Sar­degna. In addition, ZAVA & V IOLANI ( 1 995) pointed out that a specimen collected by G. AL­TOBELLO in 1 92 1 came from Oratino (Campobas­so), a locality in the Molise region. This specimen is now preserved at the Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Ozzano Emilia (EI- I 3, 4 1 93, AB 1 38).

In 1 959, in the basic monograph on the Italian Chiroptera, LANZA reported that the Barbastelle had been found in Sic ily by KAHMANN ( 1 957) in Ficuzza wood near Corleone (Palenno), and on the Elba Island by KAHMANN & B ROTZLER

( 1 955). Again, in 1 96 1 , LANZA gave additional

698 L. FORNASARI u.a.: Zum Status und zur Situation der Mopsfledermaus in Italien

finding data for the cave "Tana delle Fate" near Soraggio (Lucca).

Few new data were collected between the Sixties and Eighties. For the Piemonte region SINDACO et al . ( 1 992) reported the observation by DINALE ( 1 965) of a hibernating group in the Grotta di Rio Martino near Crissolo (Cuneo ) during the winter 1 960/6 1 (at least 2 1 bats); the same authors also reported the presence of this taxon on the Ligurian and the Cottian Alps, afterthe confirrnation by TOFFOLl & PELLEGRINO.

Forthe Lazio region, CRUCllTl & TRINGALI ( 1 985) published a report with an observation of B.

barbastellus found in the cave "Inghiottitoio di Val di Varri" at Pescorocchiano (Rieti, 850 m asl ) in February 1 973, where Dinale had ringed a female in February 1 962 (DINALE 1 965).

Recent data

Recent data mainly derive from surveys con­ducted by means of bat detector techniques by our research group (see FORNASARI et al., in print a). Altogether, since 1 990, 1 656 km were inspected by means of night transects; moreover, several caves and buildings were searched and mist-netting was also performed. On the whole, we found 27 bat species out ofthe 30 historically known for Italy (FORNASARI et al. 1 997); the three missing taxa were Myotis dasycneme,

Rhinolophus mehelyi and Rhinolophus blasii. The Barbastelle represented 1 .32 % out of more than 3300 bats counted; we shall give here quantitative details on each observation with more than one individual recorded. For each loeality, we shall indicate the relative provinee in braekets.

We found B. barbastellus in Lombardy on se­veral oeeasions. During a survey eonducted in August 1 994 within the Regional Park Monte­veeehia - Valle dei Curone (Leeco) we counted six individuals, out of 405 bats pertaining to eight speeies. We also found two BarbastelIes in the outskirts of Santicolo, in Val Camoniea (Breseia), in July 1 995, and a single one in Cortenova village (Leeeo) in the vieinity of the Corno Lake, in September of the same year (ZAVA et al. I 996b).

The finding of a fern ale Barbastelle severely wounded is reported by VERGARI & DONDINI (in press) from Rata, near Rufina (Firenze), in Sep-

tember 1 994; the specimen is now preserved at the University Zoological Museum "La Speeo­la", Florenee. During a four years survey eon­dueted on the Elba Island, Tuseany (FORNASARI

et al. in print b) we deteeted a single Barba­stelle south ofProeehio village (Livorno). Again in Tuseany, in August 1 997 (FORNASARI et a1 . , in press a), we deteeted a Barbastelle between Mueehia and S. Lorenzo, nearCortona (Arezzo), about five kilometres from the border with the Umbria region, where this speeies is stil l un­recorded.

During a survey condueted in September 1 994 in the newly established national parks in the Central Apennines (FORNASARI & ZA VA 1 996), we observed fi ve indi viduals of this species (out of 2 1 9 bats of 1 0 species). It was reeorded for the first time in the Marehe region in four loea­l ities of the Pareo dei Sibill ini : Monastero and Molinaceio, both in Gole deI Fiastrone (Maee­rata), Santuario di Maeereto (Maeerata), Ma­donna deli ' Ambro (Aseoli Piceno). The fifth one was deteeted in the neighbouring of Isola deI Gran Sasso village, in the Abruzzo region (Teramo).

Moving to the south, in July 1 990, we found a group of so me individuals hunting close to the railway station ofCalciano (Matera); this was the first record for the Basilieata (or Lucania) region (ZAVA et al . 1 993). Even more south, in the Calabria region, we observed a single B.

barbastellus in flight near the Lese river (Catan­zaro) in September 1 992 (ZAVA et al. 1 996a). Again in Oetober 1 997 we observed two indi­viduals at S. Maria deI Bosco, near Serra San Bruno and three individuals at the Certosa of Serra San Bruno, Catanzaro (ZAVA et a1. in prep.).

MAURO MUCEDDA (in l itteris, 1 998) eonfirms the presence of Barbastelle in the Sardegna region having mist-netted it in several loealities. As regards the Sicilia region, a new report of Barbastella barbastellus refers to three indivi­duais observed hunting in the historieal eentre of Palermo (Piazza Marina), around an old Fi­

cus magnolioides (= Ficus macrophylla var. colul1lnaris), in summer 1 990 (DI PALMA et al. in print). Our data from Basil ieata, Calabria and Sieilia were eolleeted by us in fixed plaees, not fol lowing the transeet method.

L. FORNASARI u.a. : Zum Status und zur Situation der Mopsfledermaus in Italien 699

Although STEBBINGS' distribution map (STEB­

BINGS 1 988) excludes the speeies from part of the north-eastern Italian eoast, in lu ne 1 995 (ZA v A et al. 1 996b) we aseertained its presenee in Emilia-Romagna, in the area of the Po Delta, in the Boseo Mesola Nature Reserve (Ferrara) and in the Punte Alberete Sanetuary (Ravenna). During a single night survey in Boseo Mesola we eounted 27 Barbastel Ies out of I 1 5 total bats pertaining to seven speeies (NOBILl et al. , in print). These data were eorroborated by the fin­ding of "a seattered presenee" of B. barbastelllls

in Comaeehio (Ferrara) by VERNIER ( 1 996). The first reeord for the region was a male speeimen found dead by A. BATTAGLIA in May 1 990 (VER­

NIER et al . 1 996) at Toreel lo near Rivergaro (Piaeenza). In the Veneto region, close to the south border with Emilia-Romagna, in May 1 994 VERNIER (in BON et al. 1 996) found at least one individual in an agrieultural plain area, near an isolated tree, at Paviole (Rovigo). LAPINI

et al . ( 1 996) listed several reeent reeords for the Friuli - Venezia Giulia region, including an in­dividual from the mines ofSaps at Moggio Udi­nese (Udine), 780 m asl .

The first finding of this speeies for the Valle d' Aosta region is doeumented by BARATTI et al. ( 1 994); these authors repeatedly found 1 -2 bats ofthis species hibernating with other Chiroptera

in some abandoned mines near Aymavilles (Aosta), from 1 992 to 1 995.

As far as we know, it has ne ver been reported from the U mbria and the Puglia regions. We are not aware ofsightings sinee I 990 forthe follow­ing regions: Piemonte, Liguria, Lazio, Molise, Campania. The last eapture of a specimen in Liguria dates from 1 888 (a female preserved in the Genova Museum of Natural History, eolleeted at Borzoli, Genova).

Habitat distribution

LANZA ( 1 959) gave very little information about the biology of the Barbastelle in Italy: he only mentioned the nursery found by KAHMANN

( 1 957) in Sieilia "in the eavity of a tree". Ge­nerally, heeonsidered this bat as aeave-dwelling species when hibemating, as a speeies inhabiting buildings or trees during the aetive season. Ae­tually, all the Barbastel Ies found in winter

and mentioned in l iterature after 1 959 were hi­bemating in eaves (see above), at a maximum elevation of 850 m asl .

During our surveys we found it in aetivity at a maximum elevation of 920 m asl on the Alps (Val Camonica) and 988 m asl on the Apennines (Santuario di Maeereto). We eneountered for­aging B. barbastelllls with higher frequeney in woodland habitats than in eultivated lands or built areas: it represented respeetively 0.20 %, 0 .37 % and 4.85 % of all bats reeorded within the three habitat types. Even near buildings or in eultivated lands, these bats were always found in wooded landseapes or dose to large trees.

As regards foraging habits, the Barbastelle appeared to be l inked to several kinds of broadleaved woods: we met it from Mediter­ranean olive groves or holmoak Querclis ilex

thiekets to pure beeeh Fagus sylvatica mountain forests (both on the Apennines and the Alps). Isolated individuals were observed in Salix sp. woodlots in eentral Italy or in Ornoostryoll

vegetation, on the Pre-Alps and on the North and Central Apennines. Groups were found within QlIercobetliletu11l illsubricu11l woods dominated by Sweet Chestnut trees Castanea sativa (Monteveeehia, Lombardia) and in residual al­luvial forest of Quercetalia pubescentipetreae

mixed to Popliletalia albae (Boseo Mesola, Emilia-Romagna). The highest pereentage of individuals in the foraging eommunity was the one observed in the latter site (see above).

Present status

Sinee the Barbastel le resulted uneommon in nearly every visited site, also due to i ts strong habitat seleetivity, it must be eonsidered as a threatened speeies for Italy (see also VIOLANI

et al ., in prep.).

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank our friends LUCIANO BANI, VA­LENTINA CUTRI, ELISABETT A OE CARLI, TOMMASO DI PALMA, NELLO 01 BELLA, FELICE FARINA, SILVIO FICI, MATILOE FlORE, GIAMPAOLO GAROFALO, COSTANZA G IAROINO, MANUELA G IOVANETTI , ELENA GORI, ROBERTO LAZZARI, GIOVANNI NOBILI, MASSIMO SACCHI, who helped us in the field, and MAURO MUCEOOA,

700 L. FORNASARI u.a. : Zum Status und zur Situation der Mopsfledermaus in Italien

ROBERTO SINDACO, PAOLO AGNELlI, GIUlIANO DORIA, LUCA LAPINI, who provided us with useful information.

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Authors' addresses:

LoRENZO FORNASARI Dipartimento di Seienze dell' Ambiente e del Territorio Universita degli Studi di Milano Via L. Emanueli 1 5 1-20 1 26 Milano e-mail: cobil@alpha.disat.unimi.it ITALY

CARLO VIOLANI Dipartimento di Biologia Animale Universita degli Studi di Pavia Piazza B011a 9 1-27 100 Pavia ITALY

BRUNO ZAvA Associazione per 10 Studio e la Protezione dei Pipistrelli in Italia Via Cruillas 27 1-90 146 Palermo e-mail: wildbz@gestelnet.it ITALY