D. G. Smirnov

• Dr
• Professor at Penza State University

The diversity of habitats affects the maintenance of biological diversity and the stability of ecosystems. Therefore, study of the ecological characteristics of the species habitats have a great importance. The object in the scope of our research is the Crimean rock lizard (Darevskia lindholmi), an endemic of the Crimean Mountains. Its genetic stru...

Most existing data on the distribution of living organisms are usually contained in various taxonomic publications, checklists and natural history collections. As a result, these data tend to be often difficult to generalize. Biodiversity databases are an effective tool for integrating and assessing this type of information. Our dataset, recently p...

Changes in the number of bat ectoparasites wintering in artificial dungeons of the Samara Luka in the period from 2017 to 2021 are described. Within 5 years, a sharp increase in the proportion of macronissids in communities was revealed due to the species Macronyssus ellipticus and M. flavus. On the contrary, the abundance of large parasites (famil...

Barbastella leucomelas is a peripheral species for Russia, whose occurrence is known only in Dagestan. Before 1980, the species was known only from single finds and for the next 50 years there was no confirmation of its occurrence in the region. The research we have undertaken since 2018 has allowed us to collect a large amount of factual material...

As a result of large-scale anthropogenic transformation of landscapes as a result of human economic activity and population depression, the range of the speckled ground squirrel has experienced severe fragmentation by the beginning of the 21st century. Almost in all geographically isolated populations of the speckled ground squirrel there is a stro...

Background. Ectoparasites living bats are natural reserves of many dangerous zoonotic agents, which determines the relevance of studying the structure of their communities and searching for factors that determine them.The purpose of the study is to investigate the structure of ectoparasitic communities of bats wintering on the territory of Samara L...

New geographical and host records of bed bug species of the genus Cimex L. (Hemiptera Cimicidae) are present in the article, and we also document and curate previously known data. In Russia, six species of the genus Cimex (C. dissimilis, C. hemipterus, C. hirundinis, C. lectularius, C. pipistrelli, C. sibiricus) are confirmed. Cimex pipistrelli are...

The ectoparasites of the bats (Chiroptera) often act as carriers of infectious agents dangerous to animals and humans. This determines the relevance of studying ectoparasite communities. In this regard, the composition of communities and interspecific relations of ectoparasites of migratory bats are of particular interest, since they can be a sourc...

The materials on the distribution of Nyctalus noctula in the Rostov Region are given. Based on this the northern border of its winter habitat and the seasonal characteristics of the stay are specified. The presented findings of this species in the south and extreme east of the region, which were made in the summer and in the off season showed that...

The article provides information about the findings, distribution, morphology, echolocation and biology features of Myotis emarginatus obtained from research on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan in the period from 2019 to 2022. Currently, 12 sites of finds of this species are known, among them 10 sites are confirmed by trapping and 2 findin...

Wildlife collisions with aircrafts accompanied aviation since the very beginning of its development. The first incidents of bird collisions with aircrafts were recorded already at the beginning of the last century, while the first bat collisions with aircrafts have been mentioned only since the 1940s. The nocturnal and secretive lifestyle of bats m...

In the course of the research carried out from 2019 to 2021 across the territory of Dagestan, new information about the distribution of six rare species of bats was obtained. Trapping confirmed the actual habitat of Myotis alcathoe in the northern part of the eastern Caucasus. New records of M. emarginatus, as well as the previous ones, were only m...

Protected areas in the Republic of Mordovia are still poorly studied in relation to bats. Our research of the bat fauna in the National Park “Smolny”, Republic of Mordovia was conducted in 2018‒2020. A total of 573 bats of nine species belonging to the family Vespertilionidae were captured and studied. Nyctalus leisleri and Myotis nattereri were ca...

Background. In the Eastern Caucasus there are three species of horseshoe bats: Rhinolophus hipposideros, R. mehelyi and R. ferrumequinum. Their echolocation characteristics in this part of the range have not been adequately studied. At the same time, the main signal parameters of these species obtained from other parts of the range cannot be used f...

The results of calculating the echolocation signals of bats performed using an Echo Meter Touch 2 PRO ultrasonic detector are presented. The signals were recorded using the time-expansion mode and identified manually with BatSound software. The work was carried out in June–August 2019–2020 in the northwest of the Voronezh Region within the Federal...

The wintering sites of bats in the Republic of Dagestan are not studied. To solve this problem in January-April 2021 we carried out a targeted search for bats wintering sites and collected information on their ecological peculiarities. We surveyed 28 natura l and anthropogenic shelters (Fig. 1). Bats were found only in 16 refuges. A total of 151 in...

To better understand the distribution and host-parasite relationships, we explored 12 large regions of Russia and recorded new bat fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllidae) for Dagestan, Bashkiria, Mordovia, Khakassia and Buryatia Republics. Also we curate previously known data and registered new host-parasite associations for species belongin...

The paper assesses the studied fauna of bats in Dagestan. To date, a total of 26 species from 256 localities have been established in Dagestan. It is shown that the greatest efforts in studying bat fauna of the last two decades have been directed to the specially protected natural territories. Here at different sites, 12 to 45 sites have been surve...

The Caucasus is a large region in Eurasia consisting of four countries: Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Although it is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world, the bat ectoparasite fauna has been poorly studied. To promotionally fill in the gaps regarding bat ectoparasites, we conducted five field surveys on bats and their ectoparas...

Barbastella walteri is one of the rarest and poorly researched Chiroptera species in central Asia. This paper presents a geoinformation system (GIS) model of the potential B. walteri distribution range in the central Asian region produced with the MaxEnt software. The analysis is based on the geographical coordinates of 57 B. walteri registration p...

Phylogenetic position of the East Caucasian Barbastella caspica (tentatively referred to by us as B. cf. caspica 2) in relation to the Asian species of this genus was studied. The key material was consisted of the two species from the Republic of Dagestan. Analysis of the mitochondrial gene cytb shows that B. cf. caspica 2 is genetically identical...

Herein we overview all known bat records in Dagestan Republic, including historical ones and data collected in 2017-2019 during intensive fieldworks in various parts of this diverse Russian region. Bats were found at more than 200 locations across the Republic. More than a half of these records were obtained by recording and analyzing echolocation...

Characteristic features of summer habitat and foraging time used by female E. nilssonii of differing reproductive status have been investigated. The research was carried out in the north of Samarskaya Luka in May and July 2012–2018. Sixteen bats were captured and tagged with transmitters. Research revealed that tree hollows serve as main roosts for...

The family Macronyssidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) comprises mostly obligate blood-sucking ectoparasites of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and some other animals, such as small mammals, reptiles and birds. Here, we document and curate previously known data, and, based on our extensive survey, provide this article of bat-associated macronyssid mites of the...

Background. The Sura River in Penza and its vicinity undergo significant natural and anthropogenic (dam construction) impacts in 1942–1943, which caused a change in the riverbed. In the course of its natural meandering a channel was formed, which has became the main in 1945 after the breakthrough of water through the hydroconstruction, and the old...

Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2020. 5(4) https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.052 In Russia, Myotis nattereri was considered as a monotypic species, of which its range is divided into two parts.. One of them is the northern fragment consisting of Central Russia and the Urals, while the southern part of its range includes the Caucas...

Here we report the results of our own survey and literary published data on the ectoparasite fauna and pathogens of the alien bat species, the Kuhl's pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817) (Chiroptera: Ves-pertilionidae). This bat is a host of 36 species of parasitic mites, ticks and insects (including accidental findings) and 13 species of p...

We recorded the following parasitic macronyssid mite species (Mesostigmata: Gamasina: Macronyssidae) from Northern Caucasus: Macronyssus leislerianus associated with the Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri (this mite species was known previously from a single record from Germany); Macronyssus diversipilis from Myotis tschuliensis (the southernmost loca...

The spatial and genetic structure of the Eptesicus nilssonii population was studied. The species is characterized by conservatism of wintering sites. The key territories in the gene flow between colonies are swarming sites. After wintering, most individuals fly to a distance not exceeding 15 km, which is confirmed by the positive values of genetic...

Background. The territorial study of the bat population of Dagestan remains insufficient. There are practically no data from remote and hard-to-reach mountain areas, and data on the flat part are modest. There are species, which findings are known only from the first half of the last century. The distribution features are unknown for many species....

Представлен полный список видов млекопитающих, свободноживущие представители которых были зарегистрированы на территории России в период с 1950 по 2018 гг. Для каждого вида приведены пояснения по изменению таксономической номенклатуры, схематически обозначено распространение, указаны природоохранный и охотничий статусы на федеральном и региональном...

The current capacity for the purposeful study of the mammalian fauna of Russia using public databases is discussed. A list of species of Russian fauna compiled under united principles is lacking and the lists of species published in different departments are inconsistent. Systems that can monitor changes in the qualitative or quantitative compositi...

Background. The “small brown bat” group has always aroused an interest of professionals, both in matters of taxonomy and geographic distribution. The territory of European Russia and the Urals are inhabited by three morphologically similar representative of the said group: Myotis mystacinus, M. davidii and M. brandtii. All three species are found i...

New microsatellite markers were developed and characterized for two vespertilionid species: three loci for Myotis daubentonii (MmCCA, MdTTA, MdTTTA) and two loci for Eptesicus nilssonii (EnTCA, EnTCTA). The usefulness of these markers were assessed by screening a sample of wing membrane biopsy of 136 specimens of M. daubentonii and 206 specimens of...

This article presents the specific structure and distribution of the bats made in the territory of the Republic of Mordovia (center of European part of Russia) from the first half of the 20th century to the present. Occurence, relative abundance and patterns of distribution are briefly assessed for rare species. On this base, recommendations for in...

Background. The knowledge about the peculiarities of distribution, about wintering and breed-ing of horseshoe bats in Abkhazia are rather poor until now, or, in most cases, is absent. The aim of this work – to summarize information on the distributing of horseshoe bats in Abkhazia and adjacent territories, and to present the available data on the h...

Colchis is the most important refugium in Eurasia. There are 30 bat species in Colchis, belonging to 11 genera and 4 families. Study of bats distribution in the region showed that 17 species are widespread, some of them can be considered common here, and some even numerous, while others are known only from single fi nds. The number of species with...

Shell variability of the steppe mollusk Chondrula tridens from 18 micropopulations in the forest–steppe zone of the Volga Upland was studied. It was found that larger specimens of C. tridens with well-developed teeth inhabit the central and eastern parts of the territory. Specimens in the northwestern part of the upland are characterized by small s...

Using ISSR-PCR method the genetic structure of popula-tions of Myotis daubentonii, living in conditions of the Samara Bend, was studied. The high level of genetic polymorphism (R95 = 93.8 %) was revealed, where much of the diversity accounts for inner population component. An estimate of gene flow has shown that in most cases it does not exceed the...

The study of genetic diversity of populations of Eptesicus nilssonii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), wintering in artificial dungeon Samarskaya Luka. Method ISSR-PCR analysis studied the genetic diversity and determined the level of genetic differentiation of populations in E. nilssonii, live in the Zhiguli Mountains. During the analysis revealed t...

Method ISSR-PCR analysis studied the genetic diversity and the detected level of genetic differentiation of populations in M. daubentonii and E. nilssonii, live in the Zhiguli Mountains. During the analysis revealed that populations of both species characterized by a high level of polymorphism. This genetic diversity, both for individual population...

The first time for the territory of European Russia describes the cases of catching bats with signs of albinism. This article describes the detection of three species of bats with partial albinism in European part of Russia. There are four animal units of Eptesicus serotinus turcomanus that are stored in Penza State University. They were procured i...

For eight settled species of bats inhabiting the Middle Volga River basin, a sex ratio in different periods of their activity was determined. Myotis daubentonii and Plecotus auritus females were shown to prevail in places of mass hibernation of animals, whereas in the other species, males predominated. In summer time, in the areas nearby the hibern...

14–18 апреля 2014 г. г. Черноголовка Москва ™2014 Товарищество научных изданий КМК, 120

A complex analysis of the food range of 15 bat species inhabiting floodplain ecosystems of the Samara Bend has been performed. It is shown that, in bats, an important component of the structuring of their communities is the division of food resources. The guild structure and position of species in the trophic space are described. Seven food guilds...

Eptesicus nilssonii is a widespread species but in Russia several features of its ecology was still unsearched. In the east of Russian flatland the southern board of species’ distribution is the territory of Samarskaya Luka, where the number of individuals is high. Objective of this study is to investigate the features of foraging sites and shelter...

The results of studies of bats in Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky Reserve and the surrounding territories (Fig. 1). The studies were carried out in June 1996 and August 2013. Occurrence of three of the four bat species known for the reserve has been confirmed. The most common are sedentary Pipistrellus kuhlii and Eptesicus serotinus. Our finds of migratory...

The trophic ecology of Nyctalus lasiopterus in the Samara Bend during July 2008–2010 has been studied. It has been revealed that the main feeding stations for this species are old ecotonal black poplar stands and willow groves. N. lasiopterus keeps to opportunistic foraging by using easily accessible and properly sized food objects. Having analyzed...

The taxonomic position of Bobrinski’s serotine (Eptesicus bobrinskoi) is still unclear. In the present study the relationships between E. bobrinskoi and other small Palaearctic serotines were examined based on morphometric and molecular evidence. Both mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (THY) sequence data indicate that E. bobrinskoi is closel...

With one of the hugest artificial caves in the Samarskaya Luka (the working-out area is ca. 87,706 m2, the overall length of covered ways ca. 11,570 m) as an example, the bats are shown to use the cave’s space differently in the summer and winter periods. In the winter, they occupy 93% of the cave’s area, at the same time, 56.8% of the hibernating...

With one of the hugest artificial caves in the Samarskaya Luka (the working-out area is ca. 87,706 m2, the overall length of covered ways ca. 11,570 m) as an example, the bats are shown to use the cave’s space differently in the summer and winter periods. In the winter, they occupy 93% of the cave’s area, at the same time, 56.8% of the hibernating...

The biotopic structure of bats communities inhabiting right bank flood plains in the northern part of the Samarskaya Luka was investigated. During 2006–2009 1868 individuals of 15 species were captured altogether. 8 types of biotopes were distinguished. It was established that habitat biotopic features make a major contribution to changing of bats...

Results of bats research in Ulyanovsk region carried out from the end of 19-th until the beginning of 21-st century are presented. Habitat of 11 species of bats is confirmed another three species were registered at the first time (M. aurascens, P. kuhlii and E. serotinus). In this study finds’ places and circumstances of bats are brought, also thei...

This article reviews information on the distribution of 12 species of bats in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Characteristics of their distribution and biology are described.

Peculiarities of the modern distribution of Pipistrellus kuhlii in the Volga region were studied. During 1996 – 2008, the species expanded its habitat. Now, the northern limit of its habitat is the Middle Volga region, where it reaches 53°32' N. The main way of expansion of the species passes along the Volga river valley, and the places of occurren...

Ecological and morphological structure of bats’ community in Volga Region are described. Community consists of 17 species. Relation between aircraft morphology (6 indexes), and hunting space types (6 types) is revealed. It is shown that structure of bats’ community under consideration is presented by definite combination of different morphological...

This paper discusses the morphological differences between E. serotinus from North Caucasus and E. s. serotinus and E. s. turcomanus which are prevalent in eastern European Russia and northwestern Kazakhstan. E. serotinus in terms of colour is closest to the nominative subspecies, whereas in terms of craniometric characters it occupy an intermediat...

Dietary intake description of Nyctalus noctula (Schreber 1774) inhabiting Samarskaya Luka is given. Trophic ecology was studied in July 2008-2009. During feces analysis 15 categories of alimentary objects from 9 insect orders were determined. Besides in some feces parasitic arthropods from Siphonaptera (Insecta) and Acari (Arachnida) were alight. M...

The structure of hibernating bat communities has been studied in eight artificial caves of Samarskaya Luka differing in size and layout. Three types of the relative abundance distribution (RAD) of species in these communities have been revealed. Conditions for hibernation are most favorable in large caves with a stable microclimate, where the abund...

The south-easternmost migratory route of European bats passes through Caspian lowland between the rivers Volga and Ural. All reliable records of the only bats (Nyctalus noctula, Pipistrellus nathusii) coming to a stop in this arid territory are described.

Five hibernating individuals of Nyctalus noctula (4 adult males and 1 adult female) were found for the first time in the middle Volga River basin at a considerable distance from the permanent wintering area in the Ciscaucasia and in the North Caucasus. The mammals hibernated in one of the cracks in limestone of an abandoned gallery in an aggregatio...

The spatial arrangement of individual bats of seven species and their tendency to form groups were studied in artificial caves of the Samarskaya Luka during five winter periods (1999 and 2003–2006). It was demonstrated that formation of dense groups did not depend on the hibernating population size or density and was related to the biological chara...

Specific features of the spatial distribution and localization of bats have been studied during their hibernation in artificial caves of Samarskaya Luka. The proportion of cave area occupied by bats varies from 70 to 93% in large caves (>60000 m2), decreasing to 50% in medium-sized caves (10000–60000 m2) and to less than 30% in small caves (<10000...

The paper is devoted to the modern structure, occurrence, and distribution features of bats in Penza City and its vicinities. The presence of 11 bat species has been established. Pipistrellus nathusii (27.3%) and Nyctalus noctula (21.6%) are most abundant. Further, in decreasing order of occurrence there follow Vespertilio murinus (11.4%), Plecotus...

Long-term data on the composition and absolute and relative abundance of eight bat species hibernating in artificial caves of Samara Luka are considered. About 13 000 hibernating individuals are annually accounted there. The relative abundance of the species decreased in the following order: Myotis brandtii (35%), Plecotus auritus (20%), M. daubent...

Long-term data on the composition and absolute and relative abundance of eight bat species hibernating in artificial caves of Samara Luka are considered. About 13,000 hibernating individuals are annually accounted there. The relative abundance of the species decreased in the following order: Myotis brandtii (35%), Plecotus auritus (20%), M. daubent...

Patterns of baculum development were studied in Nyctalus noctula and Vespertilio murinus and found to be similar in both species. A cartilaginous baculum anlage was evident at late embryonic stages. Initially, the distal part of the baculum develops during embryogenesis as a cartilage. Then the growth of the shaft and formation of the proximal port...

Using the example of bats inhabiting the Volga region, the cases in which the anthropogenic factor creates favorable conditions for these animals or significantly reduces their diversity of their fauna are considered. In this context, an opinion concerning the approaches to the conservation of bats is formulated.

By the present, fifteen bat species have been recorded from the South Urals and adjacent territories (Table 2; Figs 2-7). Out of them, we found 13 species (Table 1), including Eptesicus bobrinskoi recorded for the first time in the region. The bat fauna is most abundant and diverse (80% of all the species) in a zone of humid- and tempe- rate-contin...

В предлагаемом пособии содержится справочно-кадастровый материал по местам находок 24 видов рукокрылых семейства гладконосых летучих мышей на территории Европейской России, горного Урала, российского сектора Кавказа, а так же крайнего запада Казахстана. Приводимые повидовые кадастровые картосхемы показывают характер распространения животных на расс...

Some specific features of the distribution of resident Chiroptera (10 forms) in the eastern East European Plain and adjacent areas (44°–65° N, 40°–60° E) are described. It is noted that in different seasons of the year,Myotis dasycneme, M. daubentonii, M. nattereri, M. mystacinus, M. brandtii, Plecotus auritus, Eptesicus nilssoni, andE. serotinus s...

Comparative data are presented from a 20-year period of observations on the hibernation of bats in caves of the Samarian Luka. The abundance of hibernating animals was shown to increase from the middle of the 1990s in bats inhabiting large caves. Possible reasons for variation in bat number during hibernation are discussed.

The data on the new finds of the bats (Eptesicus serotinus turcomanus, Eptesicus bobrinskii, Myotis mystacinus) on the south of Orenburg region and north-west of Kazakhstan are adduced.

Data on new sitings of bats (Eptesicus serotinus turcomanus, E. bobrinskii, Myotis mystacinus) in southern Orenburg district and north-western Kazakhstan are given.