**5. Habitat and distribution**

According to Anciaux de Faveaux (1976) and some of our observations, the bats of Algeria can be divided, according to the habitat they occupy, into four main groups [51]. We found species that fit in two or more groups: troglophilic species, lithophilic species, phytophilic species and synanthropic species.

#### **5.1. The troglophilic species**

These are species that overwinter underground in caves and artificial cavities. During the summer breeding season, they seek warmer shelters such as attics, roofs of houses and mosques, ruins and rock crevices. They are represented by 14 species belonging to six families (**Table 3**).


**Table 3.** Troglophilic species of bats.

The principal species of northern Algeria, according to this division, are *Pipistrellus pipistrellus*, *Myotis punicus*, *Myotis schreibersii* and more-rarely *Myotis capaccinii*, *Myotis emarginatus*,

**Districts**

**Chains of the Tell Atlas**

X X X X

X X X X X X X X X **Height plains and plateaus**

X X X

X X X X X X

X X X

16 14 10 13 11

**Chains of the Saharan Atlas**

X X X X

X X X X X **Sahara and massive mountains**

X X

X X X x X

**The littoral zone**

X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X

Rhinopomatidae 1 *Rhinopoma cystops* X X Emballonuridae 1 *Taphozous nudiventris* X

> *Rhinolophus clivosus Rhinolophus euryale Rhinolophus ferrumequinum Rhinolophus hipposideros Rhinolophus mehelyi*

Miniopteridae 01 *Miniopterus schreibersii* x x X x

Hipposideridae 1 *Asellia tridens* X X

*Tadarida teniotis*

**Table 2.** Presence–absence of bat species according to the five Algerian geographical sets.

13 *Eptesicus isabellinus Myotis punicus Myotis capaccinii Myotis emarginatus Myotis nattereri Nyctalus leisleri Nyctalus noctula Otonycteris hemprichii Pipistrellus kuhlii Pipistrellus pipistrellus Pipistrellus rueppellii Hypsugo savii Plecotus gaisleri*

The results of this table are derived from the data of Gaisler [53], Hanak and Gaisler [52], Gaisler [56], Gaisler-Kowalski [54] and Kowalski and Rzebick Kowalska [45], and we have

*Myotis nattereri* and *Nyctalus leisleri*.

Molossidae 2 *Tadarida aegyptiaca*

**Family Number** 

30 Bats

Vespertilionidae Miniopteridae

**of species**

Rhinolophidae 6 *Rhinolophus blasii*

provided any necessary updates.
