Hidden diversity in bent‐winged bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) of the Western Palaearctic and adjacent regions: implications for taxonomy

The taxonomic status of bent‐winged bats (Miniopterus) in the Western Palaearctic and adjacent regions is unclear, particularly in some areas of the eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Arabia. To address this, we analysed an extensive collection of museum materials from all principal parts of this distribution range, i.e. North Africa, Europe and southwest Asia, using morphological (skull) and genetic approaches (mitochondrial DNA). Linear and geometric morphometric analysis of cranial and dental characteristics, together with molecular phylogeny, suggested that Miniopterus populations comprise four separate species: (1) M. schreibersii sensu strictissimo (s.str.) – occurring in Europe, coastal Anatolia, Levant, Cyprus, western Transcaucasia, and North Africa; (2) M. pallidus – occurring in inland Anatolia, Jordan, eastern Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan, Iran and southern Afghanistan (Kandahar); (3) a Miniopterus sp. – recorded from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, which we tentatively assign to M. cf. fuliginosus; and (4) a Miniopterus sp. with Afro‐tropic affinities confirmed from south‐western Arabia and Ethiopia, which we tentatively name M. cf. arenarius. The latter two species are well differentiated by skull morphology, while M. pallidus possesses very similar skull morphology to M. schreibersii. The results also suggest the existence of a possible new taxon (subspecies) within M. schreibersii s.str. inhabiting the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London