Sardinian long-eared bat
| Sardinian long-eared bat | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Plecotus |
| Species: | P. sardus |
| Binomial name | |
| Plecotus sardus Mucedda, Kiefer, Pidincedda and Vieth 2002 | |
The Sardinian long-eared bat (Plecotus sardus) is a critically-endangered species of bat endemic to Sardinia, Italy.
This species was discovered in 2002 in the caves of central Sardinia, the type locality being a cave in Lanaitto's Valley in the Oliena District. It appears to be closely related to Plecotus auritus and Plecotus macrobullaris. It was identified as a new species by a study clearly showing divergence from other Plecotus species in its mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene.