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Ecology
These cave-dwelling bats are dependent on underground shelters to roost. Due to the reliance M. capaccinii has on foraging over bodies of water, they are also known to dwell in areas which include clutter-free waterways. Rivers wider than 10 m that contain high amounts of riparian vegetation, to prevent the water from becoming too disturbed by wind, are hypothesized to be more preferable to this species due to their "trawling" nature. The calm water provided through these conditions allows the bat to use echolocation more effectively while foraging, rather than the harsh conditions typically noted in other bodies of water (redlist). This species has also been found to forage while traveling to their foraging area of choice, effectively allowing themselves to accomplish more on a single trip. (blue) Long-fingered bats have different summer and winter roosts in which on average are 50km apart, but can range up to 140km(redlist).

Physical Characteristics
The long-fingered bat is a medium sized species of bat with characteristically large feet in proportion to its body size. The length of the bats range from 47-53mm, and can weigh 7-13g (arkive). The hind feet of the long-fingered bat can be from 10-13 mm long (fishing) on which they also have long bristles.

Reproduction
Mating begins in August and could continue until late winter and early spring. Gestation takes six to eight weeks, then female bats give birth to one pup which is weaned after approximately four to six weeks. Maternity colonies are formed in the summer, very few males are present.

Population
The current population trend of long-fingered bats is decreasing. Spain's population of long-fingered bats has decreased between 30-50% in the last 10 years, and is less than 10,000 individual bats total. There are only 30 colonies in Spain that are known to contain more than 20 bats (Palomo). In France, the known population is less than 3,800 individuals. The Bulgarian population of long-fingered bats is around 20,000 individuals. (red list) Long-fingered bats are more abundant in the eastern region of their range rather than the western region.

Threats and Conservation
The three main threats to all species of bats are, roost disappearance and disturbance, altering of foraging areas and pesticides. The long-fingered bat is largely affected by roost disappearance and disturbance and altering of foraging areas. Tourism is one of the leading causes of the population trend. Many proposals have been made to explain the decrease in the population size. The long-fingered bat strictly depends on underground shelters and the localized extinctions have been caused by disturbance of breeding roosts (almenar). Populations in western Europe have been succeptible to the disturbance of habitat and roosts (guillen). In France, alteration of Mediterranean rivers have been a factor of the population decreasing. The main prey of M. capaccinii, chironomids, accumulate toxic compounds which lead to possible death in these bats. In Northern Africa, some long-fingered bats have been killed and used for medicinal purposes(redlist).

Long-fingered bats are protected by national legislation in most of their range states. International legal obligations for protection such as the Bonn Convention and Bern Convention. Long-fingered bats are included in Annex II and IV of EU Habitats and Species Directive, meaning they need special measures for conservation. Fences have been placed in Spain to protect several known colonies. To protect this species from becoming endangered or going extinct, future measures that need to be taken include protection of colonies and water quality improvement. (redlist)