Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org
| 26 March 2018 | 10(3): 11379–11390
The bat fauna (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the United Arab Emirates: a review of
published records and museum specimens with conservation notes
J. Judas
1, Gabor Csorba 2 & Petr Benda 3
1 EWS-WWF, P.O. Box 454891, Dubai, United
Arab Emirates
2 Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1088
Budapest, Baross u. 13, Hungary
3 Department
of Zoology, National Museum (Natural History), V‡clavskŽ
n‡m. 68, 115 79 Praha 1 & Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničn‡ 7, 128 44 Praha 2,
Czech Republic
1 jjudas@ewswwf.ae (corresponding author), 2
csorba@nhmus.hu, 3 petr_benda@nm.cz
Abstract: The bat
fauna of United Arab Emirates (UAE) has so far received very little
attention. This paper presents a
review of published records and voucher specimens in museum collections. We reviewed 39 references and identified
116 records concerning nine species belonging to five families. Fifteen of these records mention 71
specimens of six species in collections.
Distribution maps of known locations are provided for each species. Most records (70%) date back more than
10 years and two species have not been recorded for more than 40 years. Based on the bat fauna of Oman, a more
thoroughly investigated neighbouring country, the presence of at least nine
other, still unrecorded, species is expected. The status of bats in UAE and their
conservation concerns are discussed.
We encourage further field studies of the bat fauna of UAE.
Keywords:
Distribution, literature review, museum specimens, UAE.
doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3096.10.3.11379-11390 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4394B1A0-3760-4577-A609-2C8636FBD8EA
Editor: Paul Racey, University of
Exeter, UK. Date of publication: 26 March 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms # 3096 | Received 18 October 2016 | Final received 02 February 2018 |
Finally accepted 08 March 2018
Citation: Judas, J., G. Csorba & P. Benda (2018). The bat fauna (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the
United Arab Emirates: a review of published records and museum specimens with
conservation notes. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(3): 11379–11390; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3096.10.3.11379-11390
Copyright: © Judas et al. 2018. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this
article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate
credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: The Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (grant project 162513649)
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author Details: Jacky Judas, Manager &
Scientific Advisor - Terrestrial Biodiversity ,
Emirates Wildlife Society - World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), Dubai,
UAE. Gabor Csorba, Deputy General Director, Hungarian Natural
History Museum, Budapest, Hungary. Petr Benda, Research Curator, Department of Zoology, National Museum , Prague, Czech Republic.
Author Contribution: JJ: data collection, analysis, writing and mapping. GC: data collection,
writing. PB: advices, reviews and corrections.
Acknowledgements: The authors are much grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their
valuable comments and to the Mohammed bin Zayed
Species Conservation Fund, for providing funding that help initiating further
bats research in the UAE.
INTRODUCTION
Rare are the reports of naturalistsÕ observations and wildlife records
in the United Arab Emirates before the 1950s. Only a few foreign early travellers took
note of the most noticeable fauna and flora species or initiated some wildlife
specimen collection (Thomas 1932; Thesiger
1959). Only in the mid 20th
century, the fauna of the territory that would become the United Arab Emirates
in 1971, began to receive attention from foreign
expatriates or visitors. Bats were
no exception, but even today, have still received very little attention,
presumably in relation to their cryptic life, difficulties of field
investigations, and the apparent low species diversity and abundance compared
to other parts of the world. Most
knowledge on bat species diversity comes from the surveys conducted by David
Harrison in 1953–1955 and 1975 (Harrison & Bates 1991; Harrison
1955). Only few additional records
have been published in the following decades and only the
Particolored Bat Vespertilio murinus
has been lately added to the species list of bat fauna established by Harrison
(Monadjem et al. 2016).
Despite growing concern for environmental conservation in national
institutions, the consequences of economic development on wildlife populations
are still either not recognized or under-estimated. Field surveys data, well-designed
long-term population monitoring programmes and a centralized biodiversity
database at the country scale are still largely deficient. Given the data scarcity on the bat fauna
of UAE, their population status and trends, how they are impacted by environmental
changes is unknown. Bat species
diversity might even be greater than currently assessed.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We reviewed
museum specimens and published records (including journals, articles, books and
internet pages) to collect species occurrences, map distributions, highlight
the gap in data, and stimulate further field investigations in order to better
assess the conservation status of the species concerned. We considered as a record every mention
of a species per site. Information
on the sites and period of collection of museum specimens was also included in
counts of record: a site of collection during the period of survey or study, as
indicated in the literature, was counted as a single record for each species. All records were geo-referenced with as
much precision as allowed by the information provided by authors. Species distributions were mapped,
distinguishing locations already considered by Harrison & Bates (1991) from
newer locations, collected in the last 25 years (Fig. 1.). The main natural history museums holding
a bat collection have been approached to inquire about their possession of
specimens from UAE. Voucher
specimens collected from UAE are preserved or deposited in the Harrison
Institute (HZM) - Sevenoaks, United Kingdom; Natural History Museum (BMNH) -
London, United Kingdom; Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) - Bonn, Germany;
Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) - Budapest, Hungary. References of
museum specimens were obtained from literature (Harrison 1964; Harrison &
Bates 1991; van Cakenberghe & de Vree 1994) or communicated by the HNHM.
The taxonomic nomenclature used follows Wilson & Reeder (2005) with
the exception of Rhyneptesicus nasutus after the revision of Juste
et al. (2012).
RESULTS
The review of published observations and specimens in collections
allowed the identification of 116 records concerning nine species (Table
1). Of these, 60 (51%) were
original records; all others being quotes or repetitions of previously
published records. For example, six
publications mentioning the presence of Triaenops persicus in UAE (Harrison & Bates 1991; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et al. 2005; Drew et al. 2005; AGEDI 2008; Tourenq et al. 2009), cite the
same single original record represented by eight voucher specimens (Harrison
1955). Among the 117 records, 15
referred to 71 specimens of six species that are kept in museum
collections. Of the 60 original
records, 42 (70%) dated more than 10 years back with an average of 7.5±6.7
records per 10 years (n=8) since the 1940s. This review brings an addition of 43 new
records (Table 1) to the synthesis published by Harrison & Bates (1991).
Table
1. Summary of number of literature records, locations and independent records
per decades per species
|
Species |
Literature records |
Locations |
Independent
records |
||||
|
|
|
|
Before
1990 |
1990–1999 |
2000–2009 |
After
2010 |
All
years |
|
Rousettus aegyptiacus |
14 |
13 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
|
Rhinopoma muscatellum |
27 |
14 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
15 |
|
Asellia tridens |
13 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
1 |
3 |
|
Triaenops persicus |
6 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Taphozous nudiventris |
14 |
5 |
4 |
|
1 |
|
5 |
|
Vespertilio murinus |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
Rhyneptesicus nasutus |
12 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
|
Pipistrellus kuhlii |
25 |
13 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
14 |
|
Otonycteris hemprichii |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
116 |
57 |
|
|
|
|
60 |
List of
species
Egyptian
Rousette Rousettus
aegyptiacus
(E. Geoffroy, 1810)
A total of 13 original records of the Egyptian Fruit Bat (Image 1) in UAE have been
published. Except for two sightings
in Abu Dhabi City in 1998, all other records are from the broad border or in
the Hajar Mountains on the eastern part of the
country. In these locations,
Egyptian Fruit Bats are recorded in gardens, orchards or other plantations,
that they frequent for feeding, like in Al Ain, but benefit from the vicinity
of the mountains, where they can shelter in caves or rock clefts.
Records: Abu Dhabi
Emirate: Abu Dhabi, Manhal Palace Nursery,
20 November 1998: one individual observed, one individual found
dead and collected (Hellyer 1999). Abu Dhabi, mango orchard in the city
centre, November 1998: observation of two individuals (Aspinall
et al. 2005). Al Ain, Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences, Emirates University, 18 January 1999:
one dead individual collected (Hellyer
1999). Al Ain, around town in
gardens and orchards (Hellyer 1999; Aspinall et al. 2005; AGEDI 2008). Al Ain, Green Mubazarrah,
March–April 2003: numerous specimen flying around date plantations (Drew
& Al Dhaheri 2003) - Jebel Hafit,
December 2003: one dead individual (Drew & Drew 2004; AGEDI 2008). Jebel Hafit,
Ain Al Waal, 11 March 2015: one individual
was photographed (Roberts 2015). Fujairah Emirate: Fujairah, present (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Wadi Wurayah
National Park, recorded twice between 2013 and 2015 (Judas 2016). Ras Al Khaimah Emirate: Khatt, 1991:
one individual impaled on a barbed wire fence (Brown 1991). – Wadi Naqab, near Khatt, large
limestone cave, 10 April 1992: observed a colony of 85–100 individuals
(Hellyer 1992b).
Ras al-Khaimah
peninsula, 1972: a mummy (Harrison 1981); ÒM.D. Gallagher recovered
a mummified specimen from a cave in the mountains of Ras al KhaimahÓ (Harrison &
Bates 1991: 25). RasÕ al-Khaimah:
presence mentioned (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Small
Mouse-tailed Bat Rhinopoma muscatellum (Thomas, 1903)
All 15 records of the Muscat Mouse-tailed Bat come from the Hajar Mountains, or isolated rocky outcrops, like in Qarn Nazwa, a newly established
protected area in Dubai (Image 2), where the species roosts in caves or
enlarged cracks in the rocks. They
have been recorded in association with Egyptian Fruit Bat, and Naked-bellied
Tomb Bat.
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate:
Al Ain, Buraimi Oasis, August to October 1953:
collection of seven individuals: 31 August 1953: collected one female,
one individual, 7 September 1953: collected one female,
8 September 1953: collected one female, 21 September 1953: collected
one female, 3 October 1953: collected one male, one female,
HZM (Harrison 1955, 1964, 1981; Harrison & Bates 1991; van Cakenberghe & de Vree
1994; Duckworth 1996); Jebel Hafit, Kahf Hamam, small cave, December
1997: observed one individual (Fogg et al.
2002); Jebel Hafit, 150 individuals observed roosting
in a cave [photo] (Drew & Al Dhaheri 2003); Jebel
Hafit, present on western and eastern flanks (Stuart
& Stuart 1998, Drew & Drew 2004; Aspinall
et al. 2005; Drew et al. 2005); Jebel Hafit,
echolocation calls recorded by D. Gardner (Anonymous 2010), Jebel Hafit, Ain Al Waal, 23 March 2015: one individual
was photographed; 22 April 2015: one individual was photographed
(Roberts 2015); Dubai Emirate: Qarn Nazwa, present (Aspinall et al.
2005); Fujairah Emirate: Near Dibba, 2 April
1992: collected one male, one female (ZFMK 92.130, 92.131); Wadi Wurayah National Park:
recorded during a EWS-WWF survey (Tourenq et al.
2009), present in a small number in a cave all year long (Judas 2016); 9
November 2015: collected one male, two females (HNHM 25488-25490); Ras Al Khaimah Emirate: Al Khatt, 10km south of, one individual collected, HZM
(Harrison & Bates 1991, van Cakenberghe
& De Vree 1994, Aspinall
et al. 2005); 4km south of Rams, 12 individuals collected, HZM (van Cakenberghe & De Vree
1994); Ras al-Khaimah,
present in caves (Harrison 1981); Ras Al Khaimah, two individuals collected, HZM (Harrison &
Bates 1991, Van Cakenberghe & De Vree 1994, Aspinall et al.
2005); Sharjah
Emirate: Khor Kalba,
presence (Aspinall et al. 2005); UAE: most common
(Gross 1987).
GeoffroyÕs Trident Leaf-nosed Bat Asellia tridens
(E. Geoffroy, 1813)
GeoffroyÕs Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Image 3) was recorded in
important numbers, roosting in the ÔfalajÕ
(traditional irrigation system) of Al Ain oasis or in old buildings of Sharjah in the mid-fifties. The species remained unrecorded for
nearly 50 years, until the discovery of a few individuals roosting in a cave at
the bottom of Jebel Hafeet in 2015. One of the authors (JJ), found a dead
individual, hit by a car along a tree-bordered avenue of Al Ain in 2005.
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate: Al Ain, Al Ain oasis, water falaj tunnel, August to September 1953: observation of many
hundreds of individuals, collection of eight: 31 August 1953: collected
one male, 5 September 1953: collected one female,
8 September 1953: collected one female, 19 September 1953:
collected two males, 8 June 1954: collected two males, one female,
HZM (Harrison 1955, 1964; Harrison & Bates 1991; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et al. 2005; Drew et al. 2005; AGEDI 2008); Jebel Hafit, Ain Al Waal, 16 March 2015: observed two
individuals. [photo], 23 March 2015: observed
one individual [photo], 20 April
2015: observed two individuals [photo], 29 April 2015: observed
one individual [photo] (Roberts 2015); Sharjah
Emirate: Sharjah, Trucial Oman, July 1954: Òfound in
numbersÉflighting out from Sharjah
town at dusk across nearly a mile of barren desert to the vicinity of the
airfieldÓ, collected three individuals: 9 July 1954: collected
one female, 15 July 1954: collected two females, HZM (Harrison
1955, 1964; Harrison & Bates 1991; Aspinall et al
2005); UAE: abundant, occurring wherever there are suitable habitats (Harrison
1981; Gross 1987).
Persian Leaf-nosed Bat Triaenops persicus (Dobson, 1871)
The Persian Leaf-nosed Bat is only
known from a single record of few individuals by Harrison (1955) in the falaj of Al
Ain, where it was observed in association with GeoffroyÕs
Trident Leaf-nosed Bat, but in much lower numbers. The species has never been recorded
again in UAE for more than 60 years.
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate: Al Ain, Al Ain Oasis, water falai tunnel, 3–24 September 1953: collected
eight individuals (Harrison 1955; Duckworth 1996; Harrison & Bates
1991; Aspinall et al. 2005; Drew et al. 2005; AGEDI
2008).
Naked-rumped Tomb Bat Taphozous nudiventris (Cretzschmar, 1830)
This might be more widely distributed in UAE, in the Hajar
Mountains in particular, than suggested by the five published records. Only one permanent colony is definitely
known in the Qarn Nazwa
Protected Area of Dubai, where its presence is well known by UAE
naturalists. The subspecies present
in eastern UAE, was originally referred to T. n. zayidi Harrison, 1955 (Harrison & Bates, 1991),
currently considered rather a synonym of T. n. nudiventris (Benda et al. 2006), while the specimen found on Das
Island has been identified as T. n. magnus, known from
Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey (Benda et al. 2006).
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate: Al Ain, Buraimi
Oasis, 30 August to 29 September 1953: collected
eight individuals: 30 August 1953: collected one female,
9 September 1953: collected one male, one female,
16 September 1953: collected one male, one female,
23 September 1953: collected one male, 29 September 1953:
one male, one female, HZM (Harrison 1955, 1964; Harrison & Bates
1991; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et al. 2005); Al Ain,
present (Stuart & Stuart 1998 in Drew et al 2005; AGEDI 2008); Das
Island, Power Station, 21 December 1986: one individual found dead,
HZM (Brown 1988; Hellyer 1988, 1989; Harrison
& Bates 1991; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et
al. 2005; AGEDI 2008); Dubai Emirate: Dubai, Al Ghurair
Centre, early 1987: one individual found dead (Brown 1988; Hellyer 1989); Qarn Nazwa, 18 April 2009: one individual was
photographed (Gardner 2009; Anonymous 2010); Sharjah
Emirate: Jebel Faiyah, Trucial Oman (Harrison 1977;
Harrison & Bates 1991; Aspinall et al. 2005).
Particolored
Bat Vespertilio murinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Particolored Bat is the most recent and only addition to the bat
fauna of UAE, since the surveys of Harrison (1955). The dead specimen found in Sharjah was presumably a migrant (Image 4). This species has a large palearctic distribution and known
as long distances migrant. The
closest records from UAE are in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, attributed to
migrating individuals (Benda et al. 2012).
Record: Sharjah Emirate: Breeding Centre for
Endangered Arabian Wildlife, 13 May 2014: collected one individual (Monadjem et al. 2016).
Sind Bat Rhyneptesicus nasutus (Dobson,
1877)
The seven records of Sind Bat are spread all over UAE from the western
region of Abu Dhabi to the Hajar Mountains on the
eastern coast, and down to Liwa oasis at the border
of the Rub-Al Khali Desert (Image 5).
The occupied habitats are diverse, including desert oasis, coastal
outcrops, artificial tree lines and mountain wadi.
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate: inland from Ras Ghanadha, watering crevices
in sandstone cliff, may 1993: observed ca. 20 individuals in a roost
(Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et al. 2005; AGEDI 2008); Ruwais, 12 November 1991: collected
one individual captured with mistnet (Hellyer 1992a; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall
et al. 2005; AGEDI 2008), still regularly observed in subsequent years (Aspinall et al. 2005); Shah oilfield, in the deep sands
south of the Liwa arc, March 2003 (Aspinall et al. 2005); Dubai Emirate: Bab Al Shams, March
2014: four individuals found under stones (Khan 2014); Fujairah Emirate: Wadi Wurayah National Park: 9
November 2015: collected one male (Judas 2016, HNHM 25491) Sharjah
Emirate: Sharjah, Trucial Oman Coast, one juvenile
(Sanborn 1956 [as Eptesicus sp., Ò[it]
may represent E. matschieÓ]).
KuhlÕs Pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817)
KuhlÕs Pipistrelle is presumably
the most widespread species in UAE, and one of the most abundant. Most records were obtained in coastal
areas of all emirates except Ajman, including islands (Image 6), but the
species is also present inland as illustrated by the records in Al Ain.
Records: Abu Dhabi Emirate: Abu Dhabi, 19th
Street, 25 March 2008: det. a foraging individual (Anonymous 2010);
Al Ain Oasis, collected four individuals: 29 August 1953: collected
one male, 24 September 1953: collected one female, HZM (Harrison
1955, 1964; Duckworth 1996; Aspinall et al. 2005;
AGEDI 2008); Island of Marawah, Abu Dhabi (Aspinall et al. 2005); coastal areas (AGEDI 2008) - Jebel Hafeet, recorded during ENHG and ERWDA surveys (Drew &
Al Dhaheri 2003, AGEDI 2008); Sir Bani
Yas island, contacted with bat detector (Anonymous
2010); Dubai Emirate: recorded (Jongbloed et al.
2001; Aspinall et al. 2005); Jumeirah,
15 individuals in roof of veranda, six captured and released (Judas & Tourenq 2007); Fujairah Emirate: Dibba,
Wamm Farms, 7 November 2015: coll
three male (HNHM 25485-25487); Ras Al Khaimah Emirate: Ras Al Khaimah, no details, HZM (Harrison 1972); Sharjah Emirate: Kalba,
19 May 1946: two male, two females, BMNH (Harrison 1964;
Harrison & Bates 1991; Aspinall et al. 2005); Sharjah, May ------------------to July 1954: observed many
hundreds flighting individuals, collected
eight individuals, 29 September 1953: collected one female,
8 April 1954: collected one male, 24 May 1954: collected
two females, 4 June 1954: collected one male, HZM (Harrison
1955, 1964, Harrison & Bates 1991, Aspinall et
al. 2005); Khor Kalba, 29
October 1993: collected one male (HNHM 97.33.9.); Khor
Kalba, abandoned fish factory, 26 June 1997:
collected three male (ZFMK 97.578–97.580); Umm Al Quwaim Emirate: 30 October 1993: collected one male (HNHM
97.33.8.); UAE: numerous localities (Harrison 1981).
HemprichÕs Desert Bat Otonycteris hemprichii (Peters,
1859)-
The species was recorded only once in UAE in Ras
Al Khaimah, and identified from skulls collected in
the pellets of a bird of prey.
Records: Ras Al Khaimah
Emirate: Ras al Khaimah,
Trucial Oman, April 1972: Òtwo skulls [É] found in the pellets of a raptor
in a caveÓ, HZM (Harrison 1977); Ras al-Khaimah, some skulls in
the pellets of birds of prey (Harrison 1981; Harrison & Bates 1991; Hornby
1996; Cunningham 2004; Drew et al. 2005; Aspinall et
al. 2005; AGEDI 2008).
DISCUSSION
Published records are not systematically well geo-referenced and the
information provided by authors varied from very accurate description of the
sites to mention only of the approximate area in which the species was
recorded, limiting the accuracy of the location to more than 10km in some
cases. An important part of the
records from HarrisonÕs collections in 1953 that initiated the characterization
of the bat fauna of UAE, were referred to Buraimi -
Al Ain oasis, which was at that time in Oman in its broader sense. Since this expedition, the area has seen
profound environmental changes along with urban development, and with the
establishment of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, was split between UAE and
the Sultanate of Oman, which questions in which present country the records
were obtained. Most recent authors have considered these records being from
UAE, except van Cakenberghe and de Vree (1994), who placed them in Oman.
This review includes 116 records of nine species, of which 60 are
original records, others being citations of previously published accounts. Three species are known from only one
record: the records of Persian Leaf-nosed Bat Triaenops persicus, the HemprichÕs Long-eared
Bat Otonycteris hemprichii date back from 63 and 44 years respectively,
whereas the Particolored Bat Vespertilio murinus was found only recently (Monadjem
et al. 2016). Their actual presence
in UAE cannot currently be ascertained.
This paper overviews the records
collected over a period of 70 years, the first one from 1946, and
highlights. the
poor knowledge we still have on the bat fauna of UAE. Considering distribution data and
occurrence in neighbouring countries (Nader 1990; Harrison & Bates 1991;
Davis 2007; Benda et al. 2012), other species are expected to be present in
UAE. Rhinolophids
are likely to be found in Al Ain, since undated bones were discovered in a cave
of Jebel Hafeet (Fogg et
al. 2002), and an unconfirmed record of a Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros recently
contacted with a bat detector was raised to our attention (J. Smithson, pers.
comm. 2015). GeoffroyÕs
Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus clivosus is also known to occur in eastern Yemen and eastern
Saudi Arabia. BlasiusÕs
Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus blasii, the Egyptian Mouse-tailed Bat Rhinopoma cystops, the
Egyptian Tomb Bat Taphozous perforatus, the Common Slit-faced Bat Nycteris thebaica, BottaÕs Serotine Bat Eptesicus bottae, GeoffroyÕs Myotis Myotis emarginatus, and the
Egyptian Free-tailed Bat Tadarida aegyptiaca are all known from Oman in similar
habitats found in UAE. The Arabian Pipistrelle Hypsugo arabicus, described in 1979 from specimens caught in wadis of northern Oman, initially considered as an endemic
of the Hajar Mountains but subsequently recorded in
Baluchistan, southern Iran (Benda et al. 2002) likely also occurs in the UAE.
All bats species recorded in UAE are listed as Least Concern at the
international scale on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN
2017). Their status, however,
distribution and trends at the regional scale stayed largely unknown and unassessed. In
the first Red List of Mammals of UAE (Hornby 1996), all species were listed as
Data Deficient except the Egyptian Fruit Bat which was
listed as Vulnerable. This list
included the Arabian Pipistrelle Hypsugo arabicus, indicating
that although lacking any confirmed record, its presence was suspected. In a further national Red List status
assessment for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, all species were still listed as Data
Deficient, except KuhlÕs Pipistrelle,
which was listed as Least Concern (Drew & Tourenq
2005). Knowledge on batsÕ
distribution and abundance has improved little since the publication of these
national red lists, and in the absence of additional dedicated surveys, the
status of all bat species in UAE should still be considered as Data Deficient.
In UAE, the wealth brought by oil revenues resulted in substantial
development of infrastructures and agriculture, along with dramatic changes of
life style and human population increase in just a few decades (Tourenq & Launay 2008). With the numerous threats and major
direct impacts this fast pace of development brings to bear on the natural
environment (habitat loss, fragmentation, over-grazing, occasional hunting,
pollution, physical disturbance), bat populations of UAE are most probably
threatened and decreasing. In
relation with their ecological, behavioural and physiological characteristics,
bats might be more sensitive than other taxa to climate changes and habitat
loss and are generally in decline due to their sensitivity to environmental
stress and slow reproductive rates (Sherwin et al. 2013). Bats are generally recognized as
important component of terrestrial ecosystems, providing important ecological
services. In UAE and Oman, except
the frugivorous Egyptian Fruit Bats, all other
species are insectivorous, contributing to regulation of insect
populations. Due to their high
position in the trophic chain, insectivorous bats are sensitive to
accumulations of pesticides and other toxins, and their population might be
affected by changes in arthropod preys availability. This makes bats excellent candidates to
be used as bio-indicators of the ecosystems in which they live, by measuring
their response to climate change and habitat loss (Jones et al. 2009). Bats might also raise economic or human
health concerns that are worth investigating. The impact of the Egyptian Fruit Bat on
orchards and date palm plantations has not been assessed in UAE, while there
are strong suspicions that they are being poisoned in some places. Additionally, bats have been suspected
to play a role in human infection by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
coronavirus (Memish et al. 2013).
Despite an increasing number of records in the last five years, species
distribution, status and trends still remain largely poorly understood. Much remains to be done about the bat
fauna of UAE. We encourage and urge
naturalists and field ecologists to conduct field surveys on the bat fauna of the
United Arab Emirates, and to contribute in the characterization of the
echolocation calls of UAE species.
Accurate references of echolocation calls and acoustic identification
methodology would facilitate the use of bat detectors in identifying species,
which can substantially contribute in increasing the number of bats records and
knowledge of their status. The
efficient use of bat detectors will however be dependent on preliminary
captures in order to confirm the species identification.
All bat records reviewed for this paper have been put into a database
currently managed at the Emirates Wildlife Society, Dubai.
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Appendix
1. Geographical gazetteer
|
Sites |
Emirates |
Latitude* |
Longitude* |
|
19th
street, Abu Dhabi |
Abu Dhabi |
24.35 |
54.65 |
|
Abu Dhabi
city |
Abu Dhabi |
24.47 |
54.37 |
|
Ain Al
Waal, Al Ain |
Abu Dhabi |
24.07 |
55.75 |
|
Al Ain city |
Abu Dhabi |
24.22 |
54.77 |
|
Al Ain
Oasis |
Abu Dhabi |
24.21 |
55.77 |
|
Al Ghurair Centre |
Dubai |
25.27 |
55.32 |
|
Bab al
Shams |
Dubai |
24.81 |
55.23 |
|
Breeding Center for Endangered Arabian Wildlife |
Sharjah |
25.29 |
55.70 |
|
Buraimi Oasis |
Abu Dhabi |
24.25 |
55.75 |
|
Das Island |
Abu Dhabi |
25.15 |
52.88 |
|
Dibba |
Fujairah |
25.59 |
56.26 |
|
Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences, Emirate University, Al Ain |
Abu Dhabi |
24.20 |
55.65 |
|
Green Mubazzarah, Al Ain |
Abu Dhabi |
24.11 |
55.75 |
|
Jebel Fayah |
Sharjah |
25.10 |
55.83 |
|
Jebel Hafit, Al Ain |
Abu Dhabi |
24.07 |
55.75 |
|
Jumeirah |
Dubai |
25.20 |
55.25 |
|
Kahf Hamam, Jebel Hafit |
Abu Dhabi |
24.07 |
55.78 |
|
Kalba |
Sharjah |
25.07 |
56.36 |
|
Khatt |
Ras Al Khaimah |
25.62 |
56.02 |
|
Khor Kalba |
Sharjah |
25.03 |
56.36 |
|
Liwa |
Abu Dhabi |
23.13 |
53.79 |
|
Manhal Palace Nursery |
Abu Dhabi |
24.48 |
54.36 |
|
Marawah Island |
Abu Dhabi |
24.30 |
53.29 |
|
Qarn Nazwa |
Dubai |
24.98 |
55.66 |
|
Rams |
Ras Al Khaimah |
25.83 |
56.03 |
|
Ras Al Khaimah city |
Ras Al Khaimah |
25.81 |
56.04 |
|
Ras Ghanada |
Abu Dhabi |
24.71 |
54.68 |
|
Ruwais |
Abu Dhabi |
24.03 |
52.76 |
|
Safa park |
Dubai |
25.18 |
55.24 |
|
Shah
oilfield |
Abu Dhabi |
22.91 |
53.96 |
|
Sharjah |
Sharjah |
25.36 |
55.38 |
|
Sir Bani Yas Island |
Abu Dhabi |
24.31 |
52.60 |
|
Wadi Naqab |
Ras Al Khaimah |
25.72 |
56.10 |
|
Wadi Wurayah National Park |
Fujairah |
25.39 |
56.31 |
|
Wamm farms |
Fujairah |
25.60 |
56.23 |
* Latitudes and
longitudes in decimal degrees
