Abstract
A complete review of microbat records available from five Western Oases of the Egyptian part of the Libyan Desert (Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga) is presented, covering both literature data and particularly new records obtained during the field research carried out in 2010-2012. In total, six species of microbats from three families were recorded in the oases, but only Asellia tridens was found in all five oases.
Taphozous nudiventris (known from two oases), Pipistrellus kuhlii (four oases) and Vansonia rueppellii (two oases) are reported from the Western Desert of Egypt for the first time (although P. kuhlii and V. rueppellii were known before from the Libyan part of the Desert). T. nudiventris is for the first time mentioned for the whole Libyan Desert, while Otonycteris hemprichii and Plecotus christii were known previously from both parts of the Desert.
Rather surprisingly, Rhinopoma cystops has not yet been documented in the Egyptian part of the Libyan Desert. An unusual pattern of the seasonal spatial dynamics observed in Asellia tridens is discussed.
Some additional records of bats from other parts of Egypt are attached.