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Armenia
Armenian Association of Mammalogists, Yerevan

Key Personnel

Dr. Astghik Ghazaryan, Bat Ecologist
Through the ‘Bats & Coronaviruses’ project, Dr. Astghik Ghazaryan and her team from the Armenian Association of Mammalogists collaborate with WAB-Net partners to characterize the diversity of bats and bat-borne coronaviruses (CoVs) in Armenia, and test key hypotheses about bat-borne zoonotic virus emergence risk within Western Asia. As part of this project, Dr. Ghazaryan and her team have received training in best practices for bat sampling and biosafety (for additional details, see our discussion of ‘Field Training’ here), and are actively capturing bats and collecting non-lethal diagnostic samples at multiple sites in Armenia. As a bat ecologist, Dr. Ghazaryan serves as an invaluable member of WAB-Net, and is able to leverage her expertise on bats to improve field sampling efforts and our understanding of bat species native to Armenia.
Bats of Armenia: (33 species)
Miniopteridae
- Miniopterus pallidus (NE)
- Miniopterus schreibersii (NT)
Molossidae
- Tadarida teniotis (LC)
Rhinolophidae
- Rhinolophus blasii (LC)
- Rhinolophus euryale (NT)
- Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (LC)
- Rhinolophus hipposideros (LC)
- Rhinolophus mehelyi (VU)
Vespertilionidae
- Barbastella barbastellus (NT)
- Barbastella caspica (NE)
- Eptesicus bottae (LC)
- Eptesicus serotinus (LC)
- Hypsugo savii (LC)
- Myotis alcathoe (DD)
- Myotis bechsteinii (NT)
- Myotis blythii (LC)
- Myotis davidii (NE)
- Myotis daubentonii (LC)
- Myotis emarginatus (LC)
- Myotis mystacinus (LC)
- Myotis nattereri* (LC)
- Myotis nipalensis (LC)
- Myotis schaubi* (DD)
- Nyctalus lasiopterus (VU)
- Nyctalus leisleri (LC)
- Nyctalus noctula (LC)
- Pipistrellus kuhlii (LC)
- Pipistrellus nathusii (LC)
- Pipistrellus pipistrellus (LC)
- Pipistrellus pygmaeus (LC)
- Plecotus auritus (LC)
- Plecotus macrobullaris (LC)
- Vespertilio murinus (LC)
Species occurrence & conservation status based on IUCN Red List, and updated by Dr. Astghik Ghazaryan.
* undergoing taxonomic revision