• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.95-99
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• 2017

The morphological characteristics of the baculum were compared among Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Hypsugo alaschanicus, Vespertilio sinensis, and Murina hilgendorfi. Their bacula were located at the distal end but their shapes were differed among species. V. sinensis had the longest baculum (mean=7.27 mm), followed by R. ferrumequinum (mean=5.02 mm), H. alaschanicus (mean=2.60 mm) and M. hilgendorfi (mean=2.15 mm). The baculum of R. ferrumequinum was Y-shaped, with a pointed tip and that of V. sinensis was long and conical. However, the baculum of H. alaschanicus was I-shaped, with the widths of proximal and distal ends larger than that of the shaft. The baculum of M. hilgendorfi was small, and oval shaped. The shaft of the baculum of R. ferrumequinum and H. alaschanicus was linear in shape, whereas that of V. sinensis was curved towards the distal end, and that of M. hilgendorfi was bent upward. The results showed that the baculum morphology differed among these four species. These findings can be utilized as an identification key for these species, and they can be used as baseline data for studying the phyletic relationships of bats.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.258-272
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• 2014

Bats hibernating in caves and unused mines were surveyed during six hibernation periods (from December to February, 2005 and 2011) in Korea. We recorded 13,288 individuals of 11 species at 140 hibernacula (60 caves and 80 abandoned mines): Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (n=3,509), Eptesicus serotinus (n=6), Hypsugo alaschanicus (n=349), Miniopterus fuliginosus (n=5,919), Murina hilgendorfi (n=417), Myotis aurascens (n=294), Myotis bombinus (n=2), Myotis formosus (n=401), Myotis macrodactylus (M.mac, n=151), Myotis petax (n=2,131) and Plecotus ognevi (n=109). We studied the thermal preference and selection of hibernacula of seven dominant bat species. Four species (Myotis petax, Hypsugo alaschanicus, Plecotus ognevi and Murina hilgendorfi) hibernated mainly at the cold site below than $7^{\circ}C$, while three species (Myotis formosus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Miniopterus fuliginosus) hibernated at warm site above than $7^{\circ}C$. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum had broad-ranged temperature zone for their hibernating site. The mean body temperature of each species was $2.64{\pm}0.98^{\circ}C$ for Murina hilgendorfi, $2.76{\pm}1.68^{\circ}C$ for Hypsugo alaschanicus, $2.78{\pm}0.98^{\circ}C$ for Plecotus ognevi, $4.52{\pm}1.02^{\circ}C$ for Myotis petax, $7.83{\pm}1.94^{\circ}C$ for Miniopterus fuliginosus, $9.19{\pm}2.35^{\circ}C$ for Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and $13.64{\pm}0.76^{\circ}C$ for Myotis formosus, respectively. The body temperatures of hibernating bats were closely related to the rock surface temperatures rather than the ambient temperatures. In conclusion, the diversity of bats community in hibernacula were closely related to the range of inner ambient temperature of hibernacula, and more species of bats were occupied at sites presenting a broad range of ambient temperatures.