Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral
In Morocco, investigations of bats are limited and fragmentary. The majority of studies were done in northern provinces close to the Mediterranean Sea and focused on the geographical distribution of bats. With the aim of overcoming these gaps, we used diurnal caves visits, hand nets and mist nets, a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hindawi Limited
2023-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Zoology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6624548 |
| _version_ | 1826992700108308480 |
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| author | Youssef Dbiba Mohamed Dakki Ismail Mansouri El Hassan El Mouden |
| author_facet | Youssef Dbiba Mohamed Dakki Ismail Mansouri El Hassan El Mouden |
| author_sort | Youssef Dbiba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Morocco, investigations of bats are limited and fragmentary. The majority of studies were done in northern provinces close to the Mediterranean Sea and focused on the geographical distribution of bats. With the aim of overcoming these gaps, we used diurnal caves visits, hand nets and mist nets, and acoustic surveys to make an inventory of the Atlantic littoral of Safi-Essaouira provinces, which is considered one of the most neglected regions in the country. In total, five caves and nine foraging habitats were surveyed from 2020 to 2022. Our surveys highlighted the distribution of eleven bat species belonging to five families, of which Rhinolophus blasii and Tadarida teniotis species were newly recorded in the study area. Three caves, namely, Sbaa Fam, Haouya, and Sidi Benkrara were newly discovered and hosted medium-sized colonies of five species. They were important for bats during the daytime, hibernation, and breeding. In foraging habitats, 2650 passes of 10 species were recorded. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus kuhlii were the most active, followed by Miniopterus schreibersii and Eptesicus isabellinus, while Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Hipposideros tephrus, Rhinolophus mehelyi, T. teniotis, Myotis punicus, and R. blasii were less active. Olive groves were the most diverse habitat with 8 species, followed by Safi pinewood and degraded Argane forest with 4 species each and Sidi Abderrahmane lake with 3 species. The other habitats hosted only two species each. This paper is the first to highlight data on bats in the coastal areas of Morocco and North Africa. Our results contribute to improve knowledge of the annual cycle of these bats and fill the gaps related to their distribution in the coastal area of the Safi-Essaouira provinces. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T17:17:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ed49f65b0644219ae209395c2697ddc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1687-8485 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-18T08:53:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Hindawi Limited |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Zoology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ed49f65b0644219ae209395c2697ddc2024-11-02T23:56:35ZengHindawi LimitedInternational Journal of Zoology1687-84852023-01-01202310.1155/2023/6624548Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic LittoralYoussef Dbiba0Mohamed Dakki1Ismail Mansouri2El Hassan El Mouden3Laboratory of WaterGREPOM/BirdLife MoroccoResearch Team “Biology, Environment and Health”Laboratory of WaterIn Morocco, investigations of bats are limited and fragmentary. The majority of studies were done in northern provinces close to the Mediterranean Sea and focused on the geographical distribution of bats. With the aim of overcoming these gaps, we used diurnal caves visits, hand nets and mist nets, and acoustic surveys to make an inventory of the Atlantic littoral of Safi-Essaouira provinces, which is considered one of the most neglected regions in the country. In total, five caves and nine foraging habitats were surveyed from 2020 to 2022. Our surveys highlighted the distribution of eleven bat species belonging to five families, of which Rhinolophus blasii and Tadarida teniotis species were newly recorded in the study area. Three caves, namely, Sbaa Fam, Haouya, and Sidi Benkrara were newly discovered and hosted medium-sized colonies of five species. They were important for bats during the daytime, hibernation, and breeding. In foraging habitats, 2650 passes of 10 species were recorded. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus kuhlii were the most active, followed by Miniopterus schreibersii and Eptesicus isabellinus, while Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Hipposideros tephrus, Rhinolophus mehelyi, T. teniotis, Myotis punicus, and R. blasii were less active. Olive groves were the most diverse habitat with 8 species, followed by Safi pinewood and degraded Argane forest with 4 species each and Sidi Abderrahmane lake with 3 species. The other habitats hosted only two species each. This paper is the first to highlight data on bats in the coastal areas of Morocco and North Africa. Our results contribute to improve knowledge of the annual cycle of these bats and fill the gaps related to their distribution in the coastal area of the Safi-Essaouira provinces.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6624548 |
| spellingShingle | Youssef Dbiba Mohamed Dakki Ismail Mansouri El Hassan El Mouden Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral International Journal of Zoology |
| title | Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral |
| title_full | Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral |
| title_fullStr | Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral |
| title_short | Bats of the Safi-Essaouira Provinces (Morocco): New Inputs to the Knowledge of Bat Populations of the Atlantic Littoral |
| title_sort | bats of the safi essaouira provinces morocco new inputs to the knowledge of bat populations of the atlantic littoral |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6624548 |
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