newest addition to the list of german bat species
The nymph floats at home among the oaks
The Alcathoe's bat weighs in at no more than five grams. From a purely physical standpoint it is anything but a heavyweight, yet it is a substantial gain for science, as new additions to the list of animal species have become quite rare. A research team headed by Prof. Otto von Helversen from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg first discovered Myotis alcathoe, named after a figure from Greek mythology, in Greece in 2001. While in Baden-Württemberg last summer, Drs. Robert Brinkmann and Ivo Niermann, bat experts from Freiburg, were able to capture the first German specimen of this rare species. The final assurance that this discovery was, in fact, an Alcathoe's bat, was brought about by means of a genetic test. The test, carried out by Dr. Frieder Mayer of the Zoological Institute of Erlangen, proved that the tiny nymph is also at home in Germany.
Greek Alcathoe’s bat foraging at night
Picture: Otto von Helversen
According to legend, Dionysus once held a banquet in a secluded gully. The nymph Alcathoe and her sisters shunned his invitation, which led the enraged god to turn them into bats. The area in which the Erlangen team discovered the bats bore a similarity to the setting of this story. When it was discovered that the captured animals were actually a new species, Otto von Helversen decided to name the newcomers after the magical nymph. The tiny creature caught the attention of bat experts Brinkmann and Niermann during a nocturnal excursion in the oak forests of the Rheinaue area between Offenburg and Kehl. "Once we had our catch in hand, we immediately had the feeling that we had stumbled across an extraordinary animal," said Dr. Brinkmann. The bat, like its Greek cousins, will only receive its final classification after a series of anatomical and genetic tests have been carried out. Based purely on its physical features, the Alcathoe's bat is difficult to differentiate from the whiskered bat. Both species are no larger than your thumb, and with only five grams of body weight, they belong to the smallest species of bats anywhere.
The size of your thumb, but ready to fight:
Myotis alcathoe bares its
teeth to show
that it is not easy prey.
Foto: Ivo Niermann
Discriminating Animals
Now that it has been proven that Alcathoe's bats do live in German forests, Drs. Robert Brinkmann and Ivo Niermann are accordingly pleased. Prof. Otto von Helversen is also glad: "Based on our find in Greece, and then later in Hungary, we thought at first that the species was spread out in southeastern Europe. New evidence from France, Switzerland and Slovakia in recent years, however, led us to believe that the species was also to be found in Germany.
At all of the previous discovery sites, only a few specimens could be found each time. This might have something to do with the fact that Alcathoe's bats place high demands on the area in which they live. The discovery site in Baden-Württemberg was also characterized by damp, old-growth forests which are of great value for natural conservation. "In this small area, we were able to detect 15 different bat species. That's more than you are likely to find at any other area in Germany," reported Brinkmann. It's really no wonder then, that Alcathoe's bats were discovered here for the first time.
The bat experts hope that their discovery has bolstered the protection of these forests. Their plan for the next summer is to have another close look at the population in an oak forest near Rheinbischofsheim. "Only when we've gotten to know the habitat of the Alcathoe's bat, can we begin to develop a plan for protecting them," said Niermann. More information about the discovery can be found online at www.buero-brinkmann.de.
