Morfologija i sekvence mitohondrijske DNK pokazuju da su Plecotus alpinus Kiefer & Veith, 2002 i Plecotus microdontus Spitzenberger, 2002 sinonimi Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzjakin, 1965
Authors: F. Spitzenberger, P. Strelkov, E. Haring
Authors and affiliation
Abstract
Genetic and morphological analyses of long-eared bats from Northern Ossetia and other Caucasian localities revealed that the sister clade of Plecotus auritus discovered in the Eastern Alps (SPITZENBERGER et al., 2001) and described as a new species by Spitzenberger (SPITZENBERGER et al., 2002) (Plecotus microdontus) and by KIEFER & VEITH (2002) (Plecotus alpinus) is conspecific with Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzyakin, 1965, described as a subspecies of P. auritus, from the vicinity of Vladikavkaz. The valid name for this species therefore is Plecotus macrobullaris. P. macrobullaris also occurs in central and eastern Turkey. Morphological as well as genetic analyses differentiate between an eastern and a western group within P. macrobullaris. From a morphological comparison of specimens of P. macrobullaris with the type specimens of Plecotus wardi from Kashmir we conclude that macrobullaris is not conspecific with wardi.
Keywords
Vespertilionidae, Plecotus, mitochondrial control region, morphological characters, Caucasus, Asia Minor, Alps, Croatia, Northern Italy, taxonomy, nomenclature

