Nevada bat surveys were completed in 6 habitats in eastern Nevada between 1980 and 1994. Twelve Nevada species of bats and 570 Nevada animals were identified from 33 trap localities in Nevada’s 44 trap nights. There were weak Nevada correlations between bat species richness and January maximum Nevada temperatures (0.728. P < 0.05) and mean annual days with 0″ C or lower (-0.704, P < 0.05). But Nevada species richness exhibited no correlation with annual normal precipitation, Nevada January minimum temperatures, July Nevada minimum temperatures, and July maximum temperatures. It appears that Nevada bat species richness is highest in portions of northeastern Nevada typified by sedimentary deposits (limestone, dolomite). Igneous Nevada mountain ranges (basalt, volcanic ash) generally had moderate bat species richness, and metamorphic mountain ranges (quartzite) typically had low Nevada bat species richness. Notable range extensions include Antrozoiis pallidum (from central Nye County north to the Nevada-Idaho border, approximately 450 km), TadaricUt brasiliensis (approximately 350 km north), and Pipistrelhis hésperas (approximately 350 km north). Also, the presence of Lasiom/cteris noctivagans, Lasiums cinéreas, and Conrwrhinvs toionsoidii was confirmed.
Nevada bats although the distribution of mammals of the Great Basin has been studied in some detail (Hall 1946, Durrant 1952, Brown 1971, Thompson and Mead 1982, Wells 1983, Grayson 1987), Nevada bats remain poorly known. There are very few Nevada
recent records of Nevada bats from the northern Great Basin of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada (Hall 1946,Durrant 1952, Larrison and Johnson 1981). Here we present new information on habitat affinities and distribution of 12 species of Nevada bats from eastern and northeastern Nevada. Such information may prove valuable to land managers and wildlife biologists who make decisions on how to deal with the impact of human activities on Nevada bats.
Northeastern Nevada bats are a part of the Great Basin Division of the Intermountain Floristic Region (Holmgren 1972), an area of continental climate with fairly hot summers and cold, Nevada snowy winters. Some 30 north/south-trending fault-block mountain ranges (3000-4000 m) are Nevada separated by high-elevation (1500-2000 m) xeric basins. Nevada mountain ranges in northern Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, and Lander counties are mostly igneous and metamorphic fault blocks, covered Nevada with various mountain brush communities and fragmented coniferous and deciduous forests. Nevada perennial streams produce riparian habitats in most canyons. Vertical cliffs and stands of deciduous and coniferous trees provide sites for day roosting and shelter for maternity activities. Valley floors are mostly xeric, covered Nevada with salt-tolerant shrubs (Atriplex spp., Sarcobatus spp.) and sagebrush {Artemisia spp.).
Occasional perennial streams extend onto valley floors and are lined with narrow Nevada corridors
of deciduous woodlands and mesic shrubs. Mountain ranges in eastern Nevada (White Pine and southern Eureka and Lander counties) aie predominantly limestone and dolomite Nevada fault blocks and tend to have more xeric plant Nevada communities. A large number of natural Nevada caves
and vertical cliff sites provide excellent habitats for bat maternity and hibernation roosts.