The Bat: A Benefactor Animal Poorly Understood in Algeria

Bats are very interesting mammals; they are man’s helpers because they fight against the proliferation of insects harmful to agriculture and public health. They play an important role in the agricultural economy too because they allow farmers to save money as they do not use pesticides and also their product is organic. Even the feces of bats serve as a fertilizer of excellent quality. With all these assets, bats remain poorly known in Algeria, and protection work is highly recommended

LES MAMMIFERES SAUVAGES D'ALGERIE Répartition et Biologie de la Conservation

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<b>Current status, distribution and conservation status of Algerian bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera)</b>

Algeria is the largest country in Africa (2,381,741km²), with 85% of the area consisting of the Sahara opening on to the Mediterranean (1,200 km coastline).  Initially, 26 species of microbats were reported, and no comprehensive study has been undertaken since 1991.  The advent of genetic molecular studies has revealed some species to be the same (Pipistrellus deserti and Pipistrellus kuhlii) while others have had their nomenclature changed (Eptisecus isabellinus instead of Eptisecus serotinus, Plecotus gaisleri instead of Plecotus austriacus, Rhinopoma cystops instead of Rhinopoma hardwickei).  Miniopterus schreibersii is now classified in the new family of Miniopteridae.  These changes have corrected the number of Algerian bat species to 25, belonging to seven different families.  All species are threatened globally and are protected at the national level by Decree 12-135. </div

The Diet of the Rhinolophidae in the &#x201c;Kabylia of the Babors&#x201d; Region, Northern Algeria

Many bats of the Rhinolophidae family are currently threatened all over the world. In Algeria they are represented by six species listed in the IUCN red list and whose hunting habits and diet are, at best, poorly known. This paper describes the diet composition of four of these species (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, R. euryale and R. blasii) in the Bejaia and Jijel districts, and in Kabylia of the Babors region, in northern Algeria. Between March 2007 and January 2008 guano was sampled every fortnight in the different sites used by the species and preys remains identified under microscope. Results show that these Algerian Rhinolophidae prey on three groups of Arthropodes (Insects, Chilopodes and Spiders) whose frequencies vary from one species to another

The diet of the Maghrebian mouse-eared bat Myotis punicus (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in Kabylia, Northern Algeria

This paper describes the composition of the diet of the Maghrebian mouse-eared bat species Myotis punicus in the North of Algeria. The Maghrebian mouse-eared bat, Myotis punicus Felten, 1977 is classified by the IUCN Red List as a species of missing data and it is a specie whose knowledge of hunting habitat and diet are virtually unknown in Algeria. In our contribution we have studied the diet of the specie In the area located in the region of Kabylia Babors, in wilayates (districts) of Bejaia and Jijel in Algeria between the months of march 2007 and January 2008. The protocol used consisted of a sampling of guano in the different sites used by the species and the identification of remains of insects under microscope For analysis, samples of guano have been soaked at least one hour in 70% alcohol before being dissected using forceps under a binocular magnification 400× and the determination was made with a help of the identification key by Shiel et al. (1997). The results suggests that Myotis punicus in the studied sites of Algeria consumed prey belonging to three groups of arthropods : insects (frequence 96.06%), chilopods (2.82%) and spiders (1.12%).Cet article décrit la composition du régime alimentaire du murin du Maghreb Myotis punicus dans le nord de l’Algérie. En effet le Murin du Maghreb Myotis punicus est classé dans la liste rouge par l’IUCN comme une espèce manquant de données, alors qu’elles sont nécessaires pour sa classification dans la liste des espèces menacées. Myotis punicus est une espèce dont les connaissances des habitats de chasse et du régime alimentaire sont pratiquement inconnues en Algérie où à l’heure actuelle il n’est principalement connu que dans le nord du pays. Notre présente contribution consiste en l’analyse du régime alimentaire de cette espèce, La zone retenue pour l’étude est située dans la région de la Kabylie des babors plus exactement, dans les wilayates de Bejaia et de Jijel. Le protocole mis en place a consisté en un prélèvement d’échantillons de guano, ainsi, durant toute la période d’étude, 102 échantillons ont été récoltés au cours de 43 sorties, chaque échantillon étant représenté par 10 grains de guano donc 1 020 d’entre eux ont été analysés. Kervyn (1998) stipule qu’un échantillon annuel de 100 excréments est suffisant pour identifier les proies consommées. Les sorties ont été réalisées entre le mois de mars 2007 et le mois de janvier 2008, au rythme d’une sortie tous les 15 jours. Pour l’analyse, les échantillons de guano récoltés ont été trempés au moins une heure dans de l’alcool à 70% avant d’être disséqués à l’aide de pinces sous une loupe binoculaire 10 X 40 et la détermination a été faite grâce à la clé de détermination de Shiel et al. (1997). Les résultats montrent que Myotis punicus consomme dans la zone étudiée en Algérie des proies appartenant à trois groupes d’arthropodes : insecta (fréquence 96,06%), chilopoda (2,82 %) et Araneida (1,12 %).Ahmim Mourad, Moali Aissa. The diet of the Maghrebian mouse-eared bat Myotis punicus (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in Kabylia, Northern Algeria. In: Ecologia mediterranea, tome 37 n°1, 2011. pp. 45-51

Occurrence of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Bat Guano

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First Report of CC5-MRSA-IV-SCCfus “Maltese Clone” in Bat Guano

International audienceMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a widespread pathogen that could cause different illnesses in both human and animals. Presence of MRSA in animals raises concerns of their capacity to act as reservoirs, particularly in wild animals. This study aimed to characterize the resistance and virulence patterns of S. aureus strains isolated from bat guano in Algeria. From March to May 2016, 98 bat guano samples from Aokas’s cave (Bejaia, Algeria) were collected. Swabs were taken for microbiological studies. Isolates were identified by Vitek® MS system, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion method. The clonal origin, virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles of S. aureus isolates were characterized by whole genome sequencing. Eleven S. aureus strains were obtained from the 98 guano samples. Seven isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics tested and four (36.3%) were resistant to penicillin G, cefoxitin and fusidic acid. The four MRSA isolates were assigned to the sequence type ST149 and related to spa type t010. These isolates harbored a SCCmecIV element and the fusidic acid resistance element Q6GD50 (fusC). They carried different virulence genes including several enterotoxins (sea, egc enterotoxin locus, sec, sel), and the toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst). Our results highlight that bat guano may constitute an important reservoir of MRSA strains

Catalyzing red list assessments of underrepresented Taxa through partner networks and student engagement

Global biodiversity decline is continuing largely unabated. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (hereafter, Red List) provides us with the gold standard for assessments, but taxonomic coverage, especially for invertebrates and fungi, remains very low. Many players contribute to the Red List knowledge base, especially IUCN Red List partners, IUCN-led assessment projects, and the Specialist Groups and Red List Authorities (RLA) of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. However, it is vital that we develop the next generation of contributors and bring in new, diverse voices to build capacity and to sustain the huge assessment effort required to fill data gaps. Here, we discuss a recently established partner network to build additional capacity for species assessments, by linking academia directly into the assessment processes run by Specialist Groups and RLAs. We aim to increase Red List “literacy” amongst potential future conservationists and help students to increase publication output, form professional networks, and develop writing and research skills. Professors can build Red List learning into their teaching and offer Red Listing opportunities to students as assignments or research projects that directly contribute to the Red List. We discuss the opportunities presented by the approach, especially for underrepresented species groups, and the challenges that remain