| Atacama myotis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Myotis |
| Species: | M. atacamensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Myotis atacamensis Lataste, 1892 | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Myotis chiloensis atacamensis, Vespertilio atacamensis Contents | |
The Atacama myotis (Myotis atacamensis) is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in Chile and Peru, an example ecoregion of occurrence being the Chilean matorral. [2]
This species was first described in 1892 by French zoologist Fernand Lataste. The three samples that he had access to were all collected from the Atacama Desert, likely inspiring the species name. [3] Several have classified the Atacama myotis as a subspecies of the Chilean myotis in 1943 and 1958. [4] [5] Lataste, however, thought that it differed greatly from the Chilean myotis because it is much smaller, it has a different skull shape, and its teeth are different. [3] In 1973, it was again listed as a species, which has been maintained at present. [6] [7]
It is one of the smallest Myotis species found in South America and Chile. [8] They weigh 4–6 g (0.14–0.21 oz). [9] [10] It is similar in size to the recently discovered Myotis diminutus , but the two can be differentiated by their uropatagia. In the Atacama myotis, the dorsal side of the uropatagium is furred until halfway between the knee and ankle. In M. diminutus, the dorsal side of the uropatagium is almost naked. [8] Their forearms are 31.3–39.5 mm (1.23–1.56 in) long. [6] [9] Their dorsal fur is soft and tricolored. The base of its hair is black. [6]
It is insectivorous, capturing its prey during flight. It begins to forage one hour before dusk, and its foraging lasts about three hours. [11] They are colonial, and form colonies of around 30 individuals. [9] This is the only neotropical Myotis that hibernates. [7]
It is found in arid and semi-arid environments. [12] In 2013, this species was discovered for the first time in the Choapa Province of Chile, which was the southernmost extent of their range documented. [9] In 2014, the range was once again extended to the south when an individual was captured in La Campana National Park. [9] Unlike the arid or semi-arid environments where this species has previously been documented, La Campana National Park has a Mediterranean climate. Based on the landscape where they are found, it is possible that they roost in rock crevices. [12] [13] They have been observed roosting under the roof of a house. [9]
The species' conservation status has changed in three consecutive evaluations by the IUCN. In 1996, it was classed as vulnerable. In 2008, it was classed as near threatened. In 2016, its classification was changed to endangered. Under the IUCN's current evaluation criteria, the Atacama myotis is endangered because its area of occupancy is estimated at less than 500 km2 (190 sq mi), its habitat is severely fragmented, there is a projected decline in its area of occupancy, and there a projected decline in the quality of their habitat. Threats to this species include mining, urbanization, agriculture, and wind power. [7]
The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (Myotis) of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "myotis" itself is a New Latin construction, from the Greek "muós and "oûs", literally translating to "mouse-eared".
The silver-tipped myotis is a species of mouse-eared bat found in a range of lowland habitats in the Americas.
The black myotis is a vesper bat species from South and Central America.
The riparian myotis, is a vespertilionid bat species from South and Central America. It is a medium-sized bat compared to other South American myotis.
The velvety myotis, is a species of vesper bat from South America.
The southwestern myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Guatemala, Mexico, and in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.
The Australian myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found only in Australia. This taxa may not represent a valid species. Only one specimen has ever been documented, supposedly from New South Wales. This specimen may have been mislabelled or a vagrant Myotis muricola or Myotis ater.
The Chilean myotis is a species of vesper bat found in southern South America.
The fringed long-footed myotis is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The Yanbaru whiskered bat(Myotis yanbarensis) is a species of vesper bat in the genus Myotis.
The blunt-eared bat or Peruvian crevice-dwelling bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is monotypic within the genus Tomopeas and subfamily Tomopeatinae. It is endemic to Peru, where it is considered critically endangered. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Myotinae is a subfamily of vesper bats. It contains three genera: Eudiscopus, Myotis, and Submyotodon. Before the description of Submyotodon and analysis of its phylogenetics, as well as a phylogenetic analysis of Eudiscopus, the only member of Myotinae was Myotis.
The cinnamon red bat is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It was first described from a specimen that had been collected in Chile. For more than one hundred years after its initial description, it was largely considered a synonym of the eastern red bat. From the 1980s onward, it was frequently recognized as distinct from the eastern red bat due to its fur coloration and differences in range. It has deep red fur, lacking white "frosting" on the tips of individual hairs seen in other members of Lasiurus. It has a forearm length of 39–42 mm (1.5–1.7 in) and a weight of 9.5–11.0 g (0.34–0.39 oz).
The southern big-eared brown bat is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae. Although current taxonomy treats the southern big-eared brown bat as a separate species, it is often treated as a subspecies of the small big-eared brown bat. It lives in the forests of southern Argentina and Chile; though the population of the bat in the southern part of its habitat is low, there are no major concerns to justify anything lower than a Least Concern rating in the IUCN Red List.
David's myotis is a species of microbat in the Vespertilionidae family native to China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. First identified in 1869 by Wilhelm Peters, it is similar in morphology to species like M. mystacinus, M. ikonnikovi, M. brandtii, and M. sibiricus. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the whiskered bat.
The slender broad-nosed bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. As a phyllostomid bat, it is characterized by a narrow uropatagium which is fringed with hair; a white dorsal stripe; large inner upper incisors convergent at the tips; and three upper and three lower molars. It is found in eastern Colombia and Ecuador, north-eastern Peru, and Venezuela. It is closely related to Platyrrhinus incarum and Platyrrhinus fusciventris.
Thomas's big-eared brown bat is a species of vesper bat found in South America.
Myotis diminutus is a species of mouse-eared bat found in Ecuador and Colombia. It was recently described as a new species in 2011.
Myotis izecksohni is a species of mouse-eared bat that is endemic to Brazil and Argentina.
Promops davisoni is a species of free-tailed bat in the family Molossidae. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1921. While thought of as a subspecies of the big crested mastiff bat by scientists from roughly 1966 to 2010, morphological and geographical differences between P. davisoni and P. centralis are sufficiently suggestive of another species. P. davisoni is small for its genus, with a forearm length of 47.6 to 52.0 millimetres, and is light or cinnamon brown with distinguishable white bands on its back. P. davisoni is native to the Andes mountain range in Ecuador and Peru. More recently, evidence has been found that P. davisoni resides in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
