The bat fauna (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the United Arab Emirates: A review of published records and museum specimens with conservation notes

Abstract

The bat fauna of United Arab Emirates (UAE) has so far received very little attention. This paper presents a review of published records and voucher specimens in museum collections. We reviewed 39 references and identified 116 records concerning nine species belonging to five families. Fifteen of these records mention 71 specimens of six species in collections. Distribution maps of known locations are provided for each species. Most records (70%) date back more than 10 years and two species have not been recorded for more than 40 years. Based on the bat fauna of Oman, a more thoroughly investigated neighbouring country, the presence of at least nine other, still unrecorded, species is expected. The status of bats in UAE and their conservation concerns are discussed. We encourage further field studies of the bat fauna of UAE.