BATS OF LITHUANIA - DISTRIBUTION, STATUS AND PROTECTION

The Lithuanian bat fauna includes 14 species. Myotis daubentoni, Pipis trellus nathusii. Plecotus auritus and Eptesicus serotinus are the mos t abundant and widespread species, although recently P. auritus has di sappeared from some hibernacula. There are still abundant populations of Myotis nattereri, Myotis brandti and Barbastella barbastellus in hi bernacula, while their status in summer is unknown. Myotis dasycneme i s probably very rare and endangered. The status of Myotis mystacinus a nd Nyctalus leisleri is not clear, but they are most likely very rare because very few specimens have been found. So far little is known abo ut status of Nyctalus noctula, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Eptesicus ni lssoni and Vespertilio murinus because these species are common only d uring autumn bat migration along the Baltic Sea coast. Two other speci es, Myotis bechsteini and Rhinolophus hipposideros, have been rejected from the list of bats of Lithuania, because old references to records of these species were not reliable. From what is currently known it s eems that: (i) the northern limits of distribution of B. barbastellus and E. serotinus reach the middle of Lithuania between 55 degrees N an d 56 degrees N, which may also be the southern limit of abundance of E . nilssoni; (ii) the wintering site with the largest numbers of bats i n Lithuania is the vaults of Kaunas fortress, where every year eight s pecies are found hibernating in numbers estimated as follows: M. daube ntoni 400-500, M. nattereri 200-300, hi. brandti 80-100, B. barbastell us 200-300, P. auritus 40-60, M. dasycneme 15-20 and a few E. serotinu s and E. nilssoni. In Lithuania nine bat species have been protected b y law since 1991, as species included in the Ren Data Book. Also 11 ba t reserves have been designated in Kaunas fortress to protect the most important hibernation sites in Lithuania.