THE POSSIBILITIES OF SCENT MARKING IN THE MOUSE-EARED BAT MYOTIS-MYOTIS (BORKHAUSEN, 1797) AND THE NOCTULE BAT NYCTALUS-NOCTULA (SCHREBER, 1774) (MAMMALIA, CHIROPTERA)

Studied were sebaceous glands on the cranial integument of Myotis myot is and Nyctalus noctula by using microanatomical methods. Both species are provided with normal sebaceous glands on the whole snout. Slightl y enlarged sebaceous glands, where secretions emerge by pressing the h ead against an object, are restricted to the lips and the chin in M. m yotis. and to the rostral part of the snout in N. noctula. In enlarged sebaceous glands secretion delivery is caused by contraction of the s ubcutaneous musculature. In M. myotis one of these glands exists on ea ch side of the head and opens into a brush-like hair tuft. Three rows, alltogether consisting of 10 enlarged glands, lie on each side of the snout of N. noctula. Only M. myotis is equipped with an extremely enl arged sebaceous gland on each side of the snout. This gland expands th rough the whole dermis into the subcutaneous musculature and opens int o a brush-like hair tuft. Although both species are provided with enla rged sebaceous and sudoriferous glands, the microanatomy, number and a rrangement of these glands as well as the amount of enlargement diverg e. Combined with the different application structures, this shows two completely divergent systems of secretion delivery, application, and d istribution.