Elevational records of bats in Northwestern Italy

We report the elevational records (i.e. highest elevations) at which 29 bat species were recorded in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy), an area that encompasses a sector of the Western Alps including some of the highest mountains in Europe. Based on field data collected between 2018 and 2025, we identified new elevational records for 15 of the 29 species recorded in the area (T. teniotis, B. barbastellus, E. nilssonii, E. serotinus, N. lasiopterus, N. leisleri, N. noctula, V. murinus, H. savii, P. nathusii, P. pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus, M. crypticus, M. daubentonii, M. mystacinus). For the remaining species (R. euryale, R. ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, P. kuhlii, M. schreibersii, M. bechsteinii, M. blythii, M. brandtii, M. myotis, M. capaccinii, M. emarginatus, P. auritus, P. macrobullaris, P. austriacus), elevational records were retrieved from both scientific and grey literature. For each new elevational record, we provide date, geographic coordinates, a brief description of the site, and the criteria used for taxonomic identification. In addition, we list other noteworthy elevations where the 29 species were observed, including the highest known elevations for swarming and hibernation sites. We report for the first time the occurrence of N. noctula in Aosta Valley and confirm the presence of N. lasiopterus—previously recorded only once—in Piedmont. With the exception of M. schreibersii, R. euryale, M. capaccinii, and P. austriacus, the elevational records listed are likely to be the highest recorded so far in Italy. To the best of our knowledge, those for B. barbastellus, M. crypticus, M. daubentonii, and P. kuhlii represent worldwide records.