COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BAT COMMUNITIES (MAMMALIA: CHIROPTERA) HIBERNATING IN STONE QUARRIES OF BYCHOK AND SAHARNA OF THE DNIESTER VALLEY, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
The studies were performed in abandoned stone quarries near the villages of Bychok and Saharna in the winter of 2013-2014. The bats were studied directly by visual observations. On the whole 638 individuals from 9 species were registered: in Bychok - 313 individuals from 6 species, in Saharna - 325 individuals from 9 species. The most abundant was the Daubenton's bat that constituted more than half of the total number, while at Saharna the Serotine bat dominated with almost a half of the whole community. Most of the individuals were found in cracks solitarily, except the Serotine bat that was found solitary as well as in small groups, ranging from 2 to 10 individuals. The species diversity was higher and species distribution was more even in winter period than at the end of hibernation. The stone quarries near Bychok and Saharna represent the most important underground roosts for bats in Moldova, where hundreds of individuals from more than 9 species hibernate.