Rafinesque's big-eared bat

Rafinesque's big-eared bat

Corynorhinus rafinesquii

ITIS Species Code: 555664 NatureServ Element Code: AMACC08020

Taxa:

Order:

Family:

Mammalia

Chiroptera

Vespertilionidae

NatureServe Global Rank:

NatureServe State (NC) Rank:

G3G4

Federal Status:

NC State Status:

FSC

HEXAGONAL KNOWN RANGE:

PREDICTED DISTRIBUTION:

SUMMARY OF STATEWIDE PREDICTED DISTRIBUTION:

Land Unit

US Fish & Wildlife Service

US Forest Service

US National Park Service

US Department of Defense

NC State Parks

NC University System

NC Wildlife Res. Com.

NC Forest Service

NC Div. of Coastal Mgmt.

Local Governments

Non-Governmental Org.

Other Public Lands

Private Lands

GAP Status 1-2

All Protected Lands

Statewide

Hectares

22,579.29

409,407.39

35,526.15

112,181.49

15,698.52

15,251.13

29,505.87

8,459.85

723.60

7,341.48

18,952.56

3,141.45

4,853,295.72

215,737.23

676,622.73

5,532,064.50

Acres

55,794.63

1,011,667.50

87,787.01

277,206.44

38,791.88

37,686.36

72,910.58

24,239.03

1,788.05

18,141.19

46,832.79

7,762.69

11,992,752.57

536,432.49

1,675,305.14

13,673,360.71

% of Dist. on

Prot. Lands

3.3 %

60.5 %

5.2 %

16.6 %

2.3 %

4.2 %

1.3 %

0.1 %

2.7 %

0.4 %

< 0.1 %

31.9 %

-----

% of Dist. on

All Lands

0.4 %

7.4 %

0.6 %

2.0 %

0.3 %

0.5 %

0.2 %

< 0.1 %

0.1 %

0.3 %

< 0.1 %

87.7 %

3.9 %

-----

HABITAT DESCRIPTION:

This bat has a split range in North Carolina, in the southern Appalachians, and in the sandhills and coastal plain (Webster et al. 1985).
Many C. rafinesquii roosts have been found in old abandoned shacks and barns in wooded areas near permanent water bodies (Webster et al. 1985). Other roosts have been found in the hollows, crevices and bark of trees, and in caves and mines.
NATURE SERVE GLOBAL HABITAT COMMENTS:
Inhabits forested regions. Hibernation in the north and in mountainous regions most often occurs in caves or similar sites; small caves are selected, and the bats stay near the entrance (often within 30 m) and are thought to move about in winter (Handley 1959, Barbour and Davis 1969). In Kentucky, shallow caves or rock shelters in sandstone formations of the Cumberland Plateau often are used (MacGregor 1992). Winter habitat in the south is poorly known. In the Coastal Plain they are suspected to use hollow trees for cold weather, and possibly winter roosts (Clark 1992).
Summer roosts often are in hollow trees, occasionally under loose bark, or in abandoned buildings in or near wooded areas, instead of being restricted to caves. Nursery colonies are rare in caves, but are known to occur in Kentucky and Tennessee (Barbour and Davis 1969). A large nursery colony (87 adults in June of 1985) roosts in abandoned copper mines in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Currie 1992). In the southern portions of the range these bats rarely hibernate in caves, and often roost in buildings year round. In Arkansas they are found in cisterns and wells rather than caves (Harvey 1992b). In the mountains of South Carolina they roost in rock houses, abandoned gold mines and hollow trees (Strayer 1992b). In the coastal plain of North Carolina, they move into old buildings in the summer. They are known to use hollow trees as temporary night roosts between feeding bouts in the summer (Clark 1992). In central Florida, a maternity roost was in an abandoned trailer that had been placed on a site in the early 1980s; it had been occupied for several years by the mid-1990s (Finn 1996).
Dilapidated buildings are inhabited more commonly than are intact occupied structures, and Clark (1987) and Strayer (1992) reported that these bats roost in the darkest parts of such buildings. Others have reported that these bats choose more open and lighted daytime roosts than other kinds of bats (Handley 1959, Barbour and Davis 1969, Harvey 1992). Clark (1987) agreed that in caves and mines this species prefers areas receiving some natural light.
The foraging habitat is primarily mature forest in both upland and lowland areas. In North Carolina and Virginia, foraging habitat for subspecies MACROTIS is mature hardwood floodplain forest; sites along permanent water bodies, especially rivers, are preferred (Clark 1987). It has been suggested that the species began using man-made structures in the coastal plain region only after large old hollow trees became scarce (Currie 1992, Clark 1992).
NATURE SERVE STATE HABITAT COMMENTS:

Natural roost sites include hollow trees and caves, but throughout its range most records of this species are from abandoned buildings. Caves and mines are used by this bat in the upland portions of its range, including North Carolina. In abandoned structures, this bat is found in the darkest portions of the building, prefering windowless rooms such as bathrooms and closets; but in caves, areas receiving some natural light seem preferred. Sites along river systems and other permanent bodies of water nearby old growth forests are preferred. Foraging habitat has not been identified.

MODELING DESCRIPTION:

Occupied Landcover Map Units:

Code	Name	Description	NC Natural Heritage Program Equivalent
75	Tidal Swamp Forest	Swamp tupelo dominated forest with or without black tupelo and/or cypress trees. Restricted to the tidal zones in the coastal plain. May have inclusions of coastal red cedar woodlands.	Tidal cypress - gum swamp
50	Coastal Plain Mixed Bottomland Forests	Includes forests dominated by a variety of hardwood species, including sweetgum, cottonwood, red maple.	Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwood (in part), Coastal Plain Levee Forest
49	Coastal Plain Oak Bottomland Forest	Bottomland forests dominated by deciduous oak alliances. Oaks represented can include swamp chestnut, cherrybark, willow, and/or overcup oak. Inclusions of loblolly pine temporarily flooded forests occur in patches. Hydrology is temporarily to seasonally flooded.	Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwoods (in part) blackwater subtype, brownwater subtype
30	Cypress-Gum Floodplain Forests	Swamps dominated by black or swamp tupelo with or without Taxodium. Seasonally to semi-permanently flooded hydrology.	Cypress-Gum Swamps
78	Pond-Cypress - Gum Swamps, Savannas and Lakeshores	Cypress dominated swamps and lakeshores. Can include bays dominated by pond cypress or shorelines of coastal plain lakes with a narrow band of cypress.	Non-riverine Swamp Forest, Natural Lakeshores (in part)
385	Oak Bottomland Forest and Swamp Forest	The swamp chestnut oak, cherrybark oak, shumard oak and sweetgum alliance is one representative. Other alliances are dominated by water, willow, and overcup oaks. Swamp forests can be dominated by sweetgum, red maple, and black gum being dominant. Loblolly can occur in combination with sweetgum and red maple, or with tulip poplar. Includes saturated and semi- to permanently flooded forests in the mountains.	Piedmont/Mountain Bottomland Forest, Piedmont/Mountain Swamp Forest
384	Piedmont/Mountain Mixed Bottomland Hardwood Forests	Includes temporarily to seasonally forests dominated by hardwood species. Hardwoods include sweetgum, red maple, sycamore which co-occur in a mosaic of bottomland and levee positions. Includes alluvial hardwood forests in the mountains. Hemlock and white pine may occur as inclusions, but are generally mapped separately.	Piedmont/Mountain Alluvial Forest, Piedmont/Mountain Levee Forest
228	Piedmont Dry-Mesic Oak and Hardwood Forests	Primarily oak dominated forests, white oak is often dominant, with co-dominants including . Also represented by sweetgum and tulip poplar dominated forests.	Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Basic Oak Hickory Forest, Dry Oak Hickory Forest
222	Piedmont Dry-Mesic Pine Forests	Loblolly dominated forests resulting from succession following clearing. This type occurs on all moisture regimes following disturbance with the exception of the extremely xeric sites.	No equivalent
382	Dry Mesic Oak Pine Forests	Mixed forests of the coastal plain and piedmont. Includes loblolly pine with white, southern red and/or post oak and loblolly with water oak. On basic sites of the piedmont, eastern red cedar may co-occur with post, black, and blackjack oaks.	Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Xeric Hard Pan Forest, Chestnut Oak Forest, Dry Mesic Oak Hickory Forest, Dry Oak Hickory Forest
220	Piedmont Xeric Pine Forests	Dry to xeric pine forests dominated by Virginia pine, shortleaf pine or Eastern Red Cedar.	Pine Oak Heath
226	Piedmont Xeric Woodlands	Generally post and blackjack oak dominated woodlands. White ash and pignut hickory can be found in combination with Eastern red cedar on glades.	Xeric Hardpan Forest
20	Coniferous Regeneration	Regenerating pine stands. Predominantly loblolly pine, but slash and longleaf stands occur as well.	No equivalent
21	Coniferous Cultivated Plantation (natural / planted)	Managed pine plantations, densely planted. Most planted stands are loblolly, but slash and longleaf occur as well.	No equivalent
51	Deciduous Cultivated Plantation	Planted deciduous trees. Includes sweetgum and sycamore plantations.	No equivalent
36	Successional Deciduous Forests	Regenerating deciduous trees with a shrub stature. Commonly dominated by sweetgum, tulip poplars and maples.	No equivalent
180	Agricultural Crop Fields	Farm fields used for row crops.	No equivalent
205	Agricultural Pasture/Hay and Natural Herbaceous	Farm fields used for pasture grass or hay production, as well as old fields dominated by native and exotic grasses.	No equivalent
202	Residential Urban	Includes vegetation interspersed in residential areas. Includes lawns, mixed species woodlots, and horticultural shrubs. Vegetation accounts for between 20 - 70% of the cover.	No equivalent
203	Urban Low-Intensity Developed	Highly developed areas with vegetation accounting for < 20% of the cover.	No equivalent
204	Urban High-Intensity Developed and Transportation Corridors	Highly developed areas including infrastructure such as roads, railroads. Vegetation represents < 20% of the cover.	No equivalent
517	Hemlock Floodplain Forest	Alluvial forest with hemlock and/or white pine in mountains and western piedmont. Hydrology is generally temporarily to seasonally flooded.	Canada Hemlock Forest
522	Northern Hardwoods	High Elevation forests including yellow birch, American beech, and yellow buckeye. Includes forests with Hemlock and Yellow Birch.	Northern Hardwoods Forest, Boulderfield Forest
525	Appalachian Oak Forest	A variety of oak forest types including Black, White, Scarlet Oaks in dry to mesic situations. Includes forests historically co-dominated by American Chestnut.	High Elevation Red Oak Forest, Montane White Oak Forest
526	Appalachian Cove Forest	Mixed Mesophytic forests of the mountains. Includes tuliptree, basswood, yellow buckeye and surgar maple. This class is mapped to include cove forests dominated or co-dominated by hemlock.	Rich Cove Forest, Acidic Cove Forest
527	Appalachian Hemlock	Upland hemlock forests of the moutains region. Vary from side slopes to steep slope positions.	Canada Hemlock Forest
528	Appalachian Xeric Pine Forest	Pine forests and woodlands on xeric sites. A variety of pines, including Virginia, Shortleaf, Eastern White Pine, Table Mountain and Pitch pine. Often small areas of dense pine within a matrix of Xeric Oak-Pine Forests.	Pine Oak Heath
529	Appalachian Xeric Mixed Forest	Mixed forests with Virginia, Shortleaf, Eastern White Pine, Table Mountain and Pitch pines in combination with xeric oak species. Oaks include, white, Southern Red, black, and rock chestnut.	Pine Oak Heath
530	Appalachian Xeric Deciduous Forest	Deciduous forests in the mountains dominated by Xeric Oak species. Species include, white, Southern red, black, and rock chestnut.	High Elevation Red Oak Forest, Montane White Oak Forest
533	Appalachian Swamp Forest	Evergreen and deciduous forests with saturated hydrologies. This class may contain a variety of trees species, including hemlock - red maple, pitch pine, and white pine forests.	Swamp Forest-Bog Complex, Southern Appalachian Bog, Southern Appalachian Fen
534	Appalachian Wet Shrubland/ Herbaceous	Saturated shrubs and herbaceous vegetation. Often mapped as an inclusion in Appalachian Swamp Forest.	Southern Appalachian Bog, Southern Appalachian Fen

View Entire Landcover Legend

Additional Spatial Constraints:

Exclude all area outside of known range.

Exclude salt water habitats.

CITATIONS:

Schmidly, D. J. 1991. The bats of Texas. Texas A & M Univ. Press, College Station. 188 pp.

Frost, D. R., and R. M. Timm. 1992. Phylogeny of plecotine bats (Chiroptera:"Vespertilionidae"):proposal of a logically consistent taxonomy. Am. Mus. Novitates 3034:1-16.

Harvey, M. J. 1992. Bats of the eastern United States. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Tumlison, R., and M. E. Douglas. 1992. Parsimony analysis and the phylogeny of the plecotine bats (Chiroptera:Vespertilionidae). J. Mamm. 73:276-285.

Jones, C. 1977. Plecotus rafinesquii. American Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 69. 4 pp.

Lowery, G. H., Jr. 1974. The mammals of Louisiana and its adjacent waters. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge. 565 pp.

Handley, C. O., Jr. 1959. A revision of American bats of the genera Euderma and Plecotus. Proceedings U.S. National Museum 110:95-246.

Barbour, R. W., and W. H. Davis. 1969. Bats of America. The University of Kentucky Press, Lexington, Kentucky.

Clark, M. K. (ed.). 1987. Endangered, threatened, and rare fauna of North Carolina, part I. A re-evaluation of the mammals. Occas. Pap. North Carolina Biol.

Layne, J. N., editor. 1978. Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 1. Mammals. State of Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. xx + 52 pp.

Hamilton, William J., Jr., and John O. Whitaker, Jr. 1979. Mammals of the eastern United States. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York. 346 pp.

Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 745 pp.

Schwartz, Charles W., and Elizabeth R. Schwartz. 1981. The wild mammals of Missouri. University of Missouri Press, Columbia. 356 pp.

Webster, W. D., J. F. Parnell and W. C. Biggs Jr. 1985. Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC.

Caire, W., J. D. Tyler, B. P. Glass, and M. A. Mares. Z. Marsh (illustrator). 1989. Mammals of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Oklahoma. 567 pp.

Handley, C. O., Jr. 1991. Mammals. Pages 539-616 in K. Terwilliger, coordinator. Virginia's endangered species:proceedings of a symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.

10 March 2005

This data was compiled and/or developed by the North Carolina GAP Analysis Project.

For more information please contact them at:
NC-GAP Analysis Project
Dept. of Zoology, NCSU
Campus Box 7617
Raleigh, NC 27695-7617
(919) 513-2853
www.basic.ncsu.edu/ncgap