Alpine long-eared bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Genus: | Plecotus |
Species: | P. macrobullaris |
Binomial name | |
Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzjakin, 1965 |
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Synonyms | |
Plecotus alpinus |
Plecotus alpinus
Plecotus microdontus
The Alpine long-eared bat or mountain long-eared bat (Plecotus macrobullaris) is a species of long-eared bat. It was originally described from Switzerland and Austria as a species intermediate between the brown long-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat in 1965. It was later described in 2001 and 2002, from France and Austria, respectively. Despite its name, this species is not restricted to the Alps, being found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere. It differs from other European long-eared bats, such as the brown long-eared bat, by its white underparts.
Its diet is mainly based on moths, which are captured in open areas such as grasslands and meadows, including alpine meadows.