The greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) possesses a large geographical range, covering most of the arid and warm areas of the Old World. We studied the genetic variability of this species using two mitochondrial markers (the cytochrome b gene and the control region), from several Israeli colonies and from over most of the species' range. Our results show that the cytochrome b sequences, unlike those of the control region, are too conserved to separate among R. microphyllum populations. Based on the control region sequences, a high level of sequence similarity was found within the Israeli population. Three clades were observed over the species' range: Oriental, Intermediate and Palaearctic. This division supports most of the traditional taxonomy of the species. The Israeli population, which belongs to the Palaearctic clade, was found to be isolated from the Oriental and Intermediate clades. We suggest that the colonization of the greater mouse-tailed bat in the Levant occurred from African populations during the late Pleistocene, when many Saharan plants and animals penetrated the northern part of the Great Rift Valley.
Diet and habitat selection of several species of insectivorous bats were studied in the Dead Sea area, Israel. Significant differences in diet composition were found among the species studied. Long-eared bats (Plecotus austriacus and Nycteris thebaica) tended to feed on Lepidoptera, and N. thebaica also on Diptera; Asellia tridens and Rhinolophus clivosus on Coleoptera and Hymenoptera; Rhinolophus hipposideros on Lepidoptera and Diptera; Eptesicus bottae on Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera; Pipistrellus bodenheimeri and Pipistrellus kuhlii on Diptera and Lepidoptera; and Pipistrellus rueppellii on Diptera. Dietary niche breadth (B%v) was widest for P. bodenheimeri and narrowest for P. austriacus. There were significant species-related differences in habitat utilization. Tadarida teniotis and Rhinopoma hardwickei foraged almost exclusively in open areas; 'over water' habitat was preferred by P. rueppellii and utilized extensively also by P. bodenheimeri; 'near street lights' and 'edges of vegetation and cliffs' by P. kuhlii; 'edges of vegetation and cliffs' by P. bodenheimeri and E. bottae; and 'cluttered environment' by A. tridens, R. hipposideros, and R. clivosus. Community structure of these bats is discussed.
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