First confirmed records of two bat species for Iraq: Rhinolophus euryale and Myotis emarginatus (Chiroptera)

Abstract

Based on a cave survey, we present the first substantiated data of two bat species from Iraq. Both Mediterranean horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus euryale ) and Geoffroy ' s bat ( Myotis emarginatus ) were mentioned in the earlier literature, although none of them was accepted and listed by subsequent authors. We overview the controversial history of the Mediterranean and Mehely ' s horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus mehelyi ) records, provide details of the diagnostic characters of vouchered specimens of the former species, and present photographic evidence of the presence of Geoffroy ' s bat. Both species are rare in the Middle East, and the territory of Iraq was a gap in their distribution.

Research Notes on Recording Some Rare Vertebrates From Kurdistan, Iraq

“…Subfamily Mustelinae in Iraq represents three genera and species: Martes foina, Mustela nivalis and Vormela peregusna; and all of these are common in Irano-Turanian ecozone of Iraqi Kurdistan (Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015). They were found previously in Anab village north of Halabjah, altitude 700m a.s.l.…”

“…(Lahony et al, 2013). Workers on Iraqi mammals did not record stoat Mustela erminea in Iraq (Hatt, 1959;Harrison, 1968;Mahdi and Georg, 1969;Amr, 2009;Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015). Of genus Mustela, only Weasel Mustela nivalis had been recorded so far from Iraq (Raza, 2013;Lahony et al, 2013;Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015) .…”

“…Workers on Iraqi mammals did not record stoat Mustela erminea in Iraq (Hatt, 1959;Harrison, 1968;Mahdi and Georg, 1969;Amr, 2009;Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015). Of genus Mustela, only Weasel Mustela nivalis had been recorded so far from Iraq (Raza, 2013;Lahony et al, 2013;Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015) . Al-Sheikhly et al (2015) stated that it is confined to the mountains of northern Iraq recording it in Shirin Mountain in Barzan area, Erbil Province and Hawraman Mountain, Sulaymaniyah province.…”

“…Of genus Mustela, only Weasel Mustela nivalis had been recorded so far from Iraq (Raza, 2013;Lahony et al, 2013;Al-Sheikhly et al, 2015) . Al-Sheikhly et al (2015) stated that it is confined to the mountains of northern Iraq recording it in Shirin Mountain in Barzan area, Erbil Province and Hawraman Mountain, Sulaymaniyah province. The Stoat M. erminea was recorded in this study from Halgurd peak, Hasarost mountain, northeast of Erbil.…”

Histological Structure of the Kidney in the Iraqi Weasel, Small Asian Mangoose, (Herpestes Javanicus ) (E.Geoffroy Saint.Hilaire,1818)

“…Nephrons represent the basic structural and functional units of the kidney which perform the regulatory and excretory functions by multiple step process including filtration, reabsorption, and secretion [9,15]. There are little researches has been carried out on the morphology and histology features of kidney in the Iraqi mammalian species such as Buffaloes [16 ] ,dogs [4], one humped camel [5] and jerboa [7], and according to our knowledge no study has been achieved to describe the histological structure of the kidney in Weasel, Small asian mangoose (Herpestes javanicus ) (E.Geoffroy saint.Hilaire,1818) , one of the Iraqi wild vertebrates, belongs to the family of Herpestidae, and the order of Carnivora. [4], therefore; the main goal of this work to provide information about the histological features of kidney in this animal to form the basic data for further studies in the future of the urinary system in this type of wild animals which is widely distributed along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from Bashara to Zeban and recorded in many sites of Iraqi marshes [4].…”