Morphological and karyological charecteristic of Pipistrellus kuhlii ( Kuhl,1819 ) in Diyarbakir province

Kuhl's Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) is a small and widespread bat species in Palearctic region. It has a large range extending from Europe, through North Africa to India. In this study the morphological and karyological peculiarities of 11 (10♀♀, 1♂♂) specimens of Pipistrellus kuhlii collected from two different localities of Diyarbakır-Eğil province were examined. The chromosomes were examined by conventional staining techniques. External and cranial measurements were taken and also field notes were recorded. The diploid chromosome number is 2n=44, fundamental chromosome number is NF=54 and autosomal chromosome number is NFa=50. The X chromosomes are medium sized metacentrics and Y chromosome is dot-like which is smaller than the last acrocentric autosomal pairs. The morphological characters, measurements and karyological peculiarities were compared with previously published accounts. On the basis of this comparative study, these specimens have the same morphological and karyological features of Pipistrellus kuhlii examined in Turkey but other than shape of tragus and upper teeth peculiarities. The results revealed that some taxonomic questions still require clarification about the subspecies composition of this species such as Pipistrellus kuhlii ikhwanius.