Nyctalus noctula (Schreber 1774)

[Vespertilio] noctula Schreber 1774, Die Saugethiere, Vol. 1: 166.

Type Locality: France.

Vernacular Names: Noctule.

Synonyms: Nyctalus macuanus Peters 1852 .

Subspecies::

Subspecies Nyctalus noctula subsp. noctula Schreber 1774

Subspecies Nyctalus noctula subsp. labiata Hodgson 1835

Subspecies Nyctalus noctula subsp. lebanoticus Harrison 1962

Subspecies Nyctalus noctula subsp. mecklenburzevi Kuziakin 1934

Distribution: Europe and S Scandinavia to Urals and Caucasus; Turkey to Israel and Oman; W Turkmenistan, W Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to SW Siberia, Himalayas, south to Burma, Vietnam, and W Malaysia; possibly Algeria. A record from Mozambique is dubious (Koopman, 1993, 1994).

Conservation: IUCN 2003 and IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001) – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Formerly included furvus and velutinus, but these appear to be distinct; see Yoshiyuki (1989), but also see Corbet (1978 c) and Corbet and Hill (1992). Does not include sinensis, which was recognized as a senior synonym of Vespertilio superans by Horácek (1997). Reviewed in part by Harrison and Bates (1991), Bates and Harrison (1997), and Horácek et al. (2000).