Order: Chiroptera
Family: Miniopteridae

Status: Category I (CR) – Critically Endangered.
Importance for gene pool preservation: The Kopetdag Mountains and their foothills are the only known habitat of this species in Central Asia. The species is at very high risk of extinction, and the role of the Turkmen population in preserving its gene pool is extremely important.

Distribution: Kopetdag Mountains. Outside Turkmenistan – Turkey, Transcaucasia, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan.
Habitat: Found in mountainous areas, but does not rise above 1500 m a.s.l. In spring and summer, it roosts in dark and humid caves. The largest and most unique colony is located in the Kow-Ata cave near Baharden.

Population and trends: Until the 1960s, the Kow-Ata cave hosted the largest colony of this species – up to 40,000 individuals. In 1966 and 1968 – about 12,000, in 1970 – 19,000, in May 1971 and August 1972 – about 4–5,000. By August 2010, there were no more than 800 individuals (including other bat species). Over 70 years, the population declined 50-fold. In October 2019, around 30 were recorded in the Yilysuw area (southeast of Baharden), and several hundred in Kow-Ata cave.

Captive breeding: Not carried out.
Conservation actions applied: Listed in the IUCN Red List under Miniopterus schreibersii (category NT), without separate species status. Included in the Red Data Book of Turkmenistan since 1985. Some habitats are within the Syunt-Hasardag and Kopetdag State Nature Reserves.

Conservation actions proposed: Restrict tourist access to Kow-Ata cave, designate the cave as a natural monument, and enhance public awareness on species conservation.

Research proposals: Conduct monitoring of all caves and assess the condition of bat colonies, especially in Kow-Ata cave.