Book of Abstracts XIIIth European Bat Research Symposium

Publishers

Croatian Biospeleological Society – www.hbsd.hr

HINUS Ltd. – www.hinus.hr

Editors of abstracts

Peter H.C. Lina

Anthony M. Hutson

Technical editors

Marina Kipson

Vida Zrnčić

Daniela Hamidović

Prepress

HINUS Ltd.

Cover design

Miran Kriţanić

Printed by

DENONA

Zagreb, 2014

ISBN 978-953-99931-9-9

ISBN 978-953-6904-31-0

XIII EUROPEAN BAT RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

September 01- 05, 2014

Šibenik, Croatia

Book of Abstracts Programme

Book of Abstracts

List of Participants

Organised by: Croatian Biospeleological Society

Patron: State Institute for Nature Protection

Organising Committee:

Chair of Organisation Committee,

Daniela Hamidović (CBSS, State Institute for Nature Protection)

Mario Blatančić (SO HPK Sv. Mihovil), Marijana Cukrov (CBSS), Hrvoje

Cvitanović (Ursus spelaeus, CBSS), Zrinka Domazetović (Tragus), Vlatka

Dumbović Mazal (State Institute for Nature Protection), Norma Fressel

(CBSS), Marin Grgurev (Geonatura Ltd.), Tony Hutson (IUCN SSC Chiropteran

Specialist Group), Darija Josić (CBSS), Marina Kipson (CBSS, Charles

University of Praha), Miran Kriţanić (design and visual support), Dina Kovač

(Geonatura Ltd.), Tihomir Kovačević (DDISKF), Boris Krstinić (CBSS), Peter Lina

(Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Netherlands), Mirna Mazija (Tragus), Drago

Marguš (Krka National Park), Davorin Marković (State Institute for Nature

Protection), Goran Rnjak (Geonatura Ltd.), Henry Schofield (Vincent Wildlife

Trust), Andrea Štefan (WWF), Vida Zrnčić (Geonatura Ltd.), Irina Zupan

(State Institute for Nature Protection), Petra Ţvorc (CBSS)

List of organisations:

CBSS- Croatian Biospeleological Society, leading organisation

Caving Club „Ursus Spaeleus“,Croatia

Croatian Mountaineering Club - Speleological Department Sv. Mihovil, Croatia

DDISKF - Dinaridi – Society for the research, surveying and filming of Karst

Phenomena, Croatia

Geonatura Ltd. Consultancy in Nature Protection, Croatia

IUCN SSC Chiropteran Specialist Group, UK

National Park Krka, Croatia

Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Netherlands

Tragus – Association for Bat Conservation, Croatia

Vincent Wildlife Trust, UK

WWF – Mediterranean Programme, Croatia

Scientific Committee

Joxerra Aihartza (The Basque Country), Stéphane Aulagnier (France),

Wieslaw Bogdanowicz (Poland), Frank Bonaccorso (United States of

America), Rasit Bilgin (Turkey), Suren Gazaryan (Russia), Daniela Hamidović

(Croatia), Ivan Horaček (Czech Republic), Gareth Jones (United Kingdom),

Javier Juste (Spain), Marina Kipson (Croatia), Peter H.C. Lina (Netherlands),

Radek K. Lučan (Czech Republic), Sébastiene Puechmaille (France), Paul

Racey (United Kingdom), Hugo Rebelo (Portugal), Luisa Rodrigues

(Portugal), Stephen Rossiter (United Kingdom), Danilo Russo (Italy), Nikola

Tvrtković (Croatia)

Symposium administration

Globtour Event d.o.o. Phone +385 (0)1 4881 100

Fax +385 (0)1 4812 277

Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog 1

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

www.globtour.hr

47

TICKS (ACARI: IXODIDAE) PARASITIZING BATS IN SERBIA [P*]

J. BURAZEROVIĆ1(a), S. ĆAKIĆ2, D. MIHALJICA2, R. SUKARA2, D. ĆIROVIĆ1,

S. TOMANOVIĆ2 1Department of Animal Ecology and Geography, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade,

Belgrade, Serbia, 1ae-mail: jelena.burazerovic@bio.bg.ac.rs

2Laboratory for Medical Entomology, Centre of Excellence for Toxoplasmosis and Medical

Entomology, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia,

e-mail: snezanat@imi.bg.ac.rs

Ticks are recognized as important vectors of pathogens and are known to

parasitize large number of host species. Serbia is an area scarcely researched

regarding the distribution and host association of ticks parasitizing bats. The present

research has been initiated within the framework of determination of the role of

different bat species as hosts to ticks and as potential reservoirs of tick-borne

pathogens in Serbia. Here we present new findings and records of tick species

collected from bats in the central Balkan peninsula. Data about ticks from bats were

collected at 7 localities in Serbia. Bats were caught using mist nets placed at cave

entrances, identified to species, forearm measured, weighed and sexed, and relea-

sed at the site where caught. To search for ticks on bats, the whole body of the host

was carefully examined, and any ticks found were removed using forceps, before

being pooled per bat individual, placed in tubes with 70% ethyl alcohol and labell-

ed appropriately. Both morphological and molecular approaches have been used

for determination of taxonomic status of the tick species. Ticks were separated by

developmental stage and gender (adults) and identified to species level by using

standard morphological keys. The cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was

used for molecular analysis. Representative samples were chosen and DNA extract-

ed from whole ticks or legs. For amplification of COI gene universal primers LCO1490

and HCO2198 were used. We examined 419 individuals of 11 bat species: Rhino-

lophus ferrumequinum, R. euryale, R. hipposideros, Myotis capaccinii, M. emargina-

tus, M. daubentonii, M. myotis/oxygnathus, M. mystacinus, Nyctalus noctula,

Plecotus austriacus and Miniopterus schreibersii. A total of 160 ticks of two species (4

Ixodes vespertilionis and 156 I. simplex) were collected from four different bat

species (Rhinolophus euryale, R. ferrumequinum, Miniopterus schreibersii and Myotis

mystacinus). Ixodes simplex was the most abundant and widespread tick. The study

presents the first records of I. simplex in Serbia, where collected specimens were

parasitizing Miniopterus schreibersii, and the first published records of Ixodes

vespertilionis found in western Serbia.