New man‐made shelter for the Lesser Mouse‐eared Bat Myotis blythii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the north‐eastern Caucasus

To describe a new location of the formation of a large brood colony of M. blythii in the disused Kakamakh silo (a military concrete structure abandoned in the early 1980s near the village of Kakamakhi, Republic of Dagestan) and to assess the role of man‐made objects in maintaining populations of the species in the north‐eastern Caucasus.

The study was conducted in the autumn of 2025 at a partially destroyed silo near the village of Kakamakhi (Republic of Dagestan). The facility was a twostory reinforced concrete structure with underground rooms and a system of shafts, similar in design to a previously surveyed silo near the village of Adanak. A visual bat census was conducted, recording the abundance, distribution and presence of females with batlings. Microclimatic parameters (temperature, humidity) were recorded using Tzone TZ‐TempU02 sensors. A new Myotis blythii refuge has been identified for the first time in an abandoned silo near the village of Kakamahi. A breeding colony of approximately 200 individuals was discovered in the basement, primarily in sections farthest from the entrance with limited access to light and drafts. The temperature recorded was 15–16.6 °C, humidity 73–80 %. Females with batlings were recorded; no other bat species were observed. The colony is similar in structure and microclimate to the previously described silo near the village of Adanak, indicating the role of man‐made structures as reproductive and, possibly, overwintering shelters. The main threats to these populations would be the destruction of the structures and changes in the microclimate due to dismantling. Such structures should be considered a priority for monitoring and inclusion in the network of protected habitats for rare species.

The research conducted suggests that man‐made refuges play a key role in the reproduction and, likely, wintering of the species, and require consideration when planning management and conservation activities. The example of Altai demonstrates that granting protected status to reproductive refuges contributes to the preservation of colonies; similar measures are advisable for man‐made sites in the Northeast Caucasus.

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