Preferencia de hábitat del murciélago hortelano meridional Eptesicus isabellinus (Temminck, 1840) en ambientes mediterráneos semiáridos

Habitat preference of the meridional serotine bat Eptesicus isabellinus (Temminck, 1840) in semiarid Mediterranean landscapes.— Several molecular studies have recently reported the presence of a second species of the genus Eptesicus in the Iberian peninsula, the meridional serotine bat, E. isabellinus. This species is present in the south of Iberia and it seems to have an allopatric distribution with its twin species, E. serotinus. Ecological studies are now needed to understand the biology of E. isabellinus in southeast Spain. In this study, we used presence–only data for E. isabellinus to perform an ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) and to create a habitat suitability map (HSM). Our results show that the species has a low marginality index, suggesting it is well adapted to the semiarid conditions of the study area. The main habitats used by E. isabellinus are water courses, scrublands, and zones with high primary productivity. The species avoids non–irrigated cropland and shows no preference for human settlements or irrigated cropland. This study provides information about the ecology of E. isabellinus in southeast Spain and allows us to discuss relevant aspects for its conservation.