Alcathoe Bat

Myotis alcathoe

Status: Not enough information, but considered threatened because of rarity and habitat loss. Bats are suffering for many of the reasons other pollinators do, and 26% of bat species are threatened with extinction in Europe.

Irish folklore:

There is a mischievous, shape-changing sprite called the Puca. This fairy creature can be very capricious in its dealings with humans, sometimes being benevolent and helpful, and other times maliciously pranking. In particular, they like to wait along roadsides to find unsuspecting humans to play with. If one comes across a Puca, be sure to treat it with respect else earn its ire!

Puca can takes on the shape of various creatures, and even sometimes human form (though you can spot it by some animal attribute that might linger, like long furred ears, or a tail slipping under the clothing). One of the shapes it is said to take on is that of a bat, to flit through the night on silent leathery wings and slip through the tangled branches of forests.

It has been speculated that the character of Puck, Robin Goodfellow, in Shakespear's "Midsummer's Night Dream" was inspired by this creature of folklore. "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" is one of the mischievous sprite's most famous lines from the play.

References:
campbell, J. (1913). The Puca. Poetry, 3(2), 50-51. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20569922

Knightley, Thomas. "The Fairy Mythology", George Bell & Sons, London, 1892. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41006/41006-h/41006-h.htm

Wilde, Jane Francesca Elgee (Lady) (1887), Ancient legends, mystic charms, and superstitions of Ireland, creatspace, Sc, USA.