Painting maps with bats: species distribution modelling in bat

20 Species distribution models (SDMs) offer an effective tool for identifying species 21 conservation requirements and forecasting how global environmental changes will affect 22 species diversity and distribution. This approach is particularly relevant for bats because their 23 nocturnal behaviour hinders detectability and identification in flight. Despite their important 24 contribution to global biodiversity and wide geographical ranges, bats have been under25 represented in early SDM studies, and only in the last few years has this approach become 26 more widely used in bat research. We carried out a meta-analysis of the published literature 27 to review the history of the use of SDMs in bat research and their application in conservation, 28 climate change assessments and genetic studies. We focus on the geographical coverage, 29 theme and modelling algorithm of published studies, and compare studies that are uniquely 30 dedicated to bats to multi-taxa studies that include bats. We provide recommendations for 31 good modelling practices through considering spatial scale and spatial biases, selecting 32 ecologically relevant variables, following rigorous modelling protocols, and recognising the 33 limitations of extrapolation across temporal scales. We suggest future developments that will 34 further favour the use of SDMs to study bat ecology and biogeography, as well as inform 35 conservation management. We conclude that despite an increase in bat SDM studies, their 36 scope and application can be further enhanced through incorporating dispersal, landscape 37 connectivity and biotic interactions between bats, their prey and their pathogens. 38