| Welwitsch's bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Myotis |
| Species: | M. welwitschii |
| Binomial name | |
| Myotis welwitschii (Gray, 1866) | |
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Welwitsch's bat also known as Welwitsch's mouse-eared bat or Welwitsch's myotis (Myotis welwitschii) is a species of vesper bat native to Africa.
Welwitsch's bat is a relatively large member of its genus, measuring about 12 cm (4.7 in) in length, and weighing 12 to 17 g (0.42 to 0.60 oz). The body is chestnut brown, with off-white underparts, while the wing membranes are particularly distinctive, being reddish in colour with irregular dark brown to black spots. The face is pinkish, with a moderately long snout and large round, coppery-red ears. [2]
Welwitsch's bat is found through much of eastern and southern Africa. In the east, it is patchily distributed from the Free State in South Africa to Ethiopia in the north, while further west it is also found in Zambia, the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and central Angola. It has also been reported from a single locality in Guinea. [1]
Within this large region, the bat has been reported form a range of different habitats, but appears most common in open woodland and savannah. Welwitsch's bats generally roost alone, in trees, low bushes, artificial structures, or deep caves. [2]
Welwitsch's bat has broad wings with a low aspect ratio, typical of a "clutter-edge forager", i.e. bats which search for prey along the edges of vegetation or buildings. Its diet consists of aerial insect prey such as moths, beetles and bugs, based on limited observations in Mpumalanga, South Africa. [3] There is limited information about the reproductive and social habits of this species, there is a single recorded observation of a pair roosting together. Other sympatric species of Myotis bats tend to be seasonal breeders, with mating observed from late spring to summer and normally rearing between one and two young. [4]
Natterer's bat is a European vespertilionid bat with pale wings. It has brown fur tending to greyish-white on its underside. It is found across most of the continent of Europe, parts of the Near East and North Africa. It feeds on insects and other invertebrates which it catches on the wing or pursues on the ground.
The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g (0.16–0.34 oz). It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.
The silver-tipped myotis is a species of mouse-eared bat found in a range of lowland habitats in the Americas.
The southeastern myotis is a small bat found throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain of the southeastern United States.
The greater mouse-eared bat is a European species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
Rafinesque's big-eared bat, sometimes known as the southeastern big-eared bat, is a species of vesper bat native to the southeastern United States.
Bechstein's bat is a species of vesper bat found in Europe and western Asia, living in extensive areas of woodland.
The Chilean myotis is a species of vesper bat found in southern South America.
The long-eared myotis is a species of vesper bat in the suborder Microchiroptera. It can be found in western Canada, the western United States, and Baja California in Mexico.
The eastern small-footed bat is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in mountainous portions of the eastern United States from New England to northern Georgia, and westward to northern Arkansas. It is among the smallest bats in eastern North America and is known for its small feet and black face-mask. Until recently, all North American small-footed Myotis were considered to be "Myotis leibii". The western population is now considered to be a separate species, Myotis ciliolabrum. The Eastern small-footed bat is rare throughout its range, although the species may be locally abundant where suitable habitat exists. Studies suggest white-nose syndrome has caused declines in their populations. However, most occurrences of this species have only been counted within the past decade or two and are not revisited regularly, making their population status difficult to assess. Additionally, most bat populations in the Eastern U.S. have been monitored using surveys conducted in caves and mines in the winter, but Eastern small-footed bats hibernate in places that make them unlikely to be encountered during these surveys. Perhaps as a result, the numbers of Eastern small-footed bats counted in winter tend to be low and they are relatively variable compared to other species of bats. Many biologists believe the species is stable, having declined little in recent times, but that it is vulnerable due to its relatively restricted geographic range and habitat needs.
The fringed myotis is a species of vesper bat that is found in British Columbia, Mexico, and the western United States.
The Cape hairy bat, also known as little brown bat, Temminck's mouse-eared bat, Cape myotis, tricoloured mouse-eared bat, Cape hairy myotis, Temminck's hairy bat and three-coloured bat is a species of vesper bat that is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Yuma myotis is a species of vesper bat native to western North America.
The Mauritian tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae that is found in central and southern Africa and Madagascar. It was discovered in 1818 by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and is characterized by an all-white ventral surface, grizzled dorsal coloration, and conical face. It has exceptionally good eyesight, a trait which is common in old world bats and enables it to find roosting locations. It has adapted itself to a wide range of habitats including subarid scrub to semi-tropical savanna and can be found throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara, including many of the surrounding islands. They often seek out refuge in cool dry areas. Mauritian tomb bats help control pest populations, including insects that carry human diseases. These bats tend to be nocturnal hunters and their normal prey consists of moths, butterflies, and termites. Not prone to large scale roosting, T. mauritianus is most often spotted on the sides of buildings or on the trunks of trees in groups of around five individuals. They breed on average once or twice a year and rear usually one pup, though twins are occasionally reported. They usually deposit their hungry offspring in areas where they can feed ferociously, most often in berry bushes. This species is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due their wide distribution and stable population.Apart from Mauritius.
The little brown bat or little brown myotis is an endangered species of mouse-eared microbat found in North America. It has a small body size and glossy brown fur. It is similar in appearance to several other mouse-eared bats, including the Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, and Arizona myotis, to which it is closely related. Despite its name, the little brown bat is not closely related to the big brown bat, which belongs to a different genus.
The California myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found in British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the western United States, including California.
The long-fingered bat is a carnivorous species of vesper bat. It is native to coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a few patches of land in western Iran. Due to the fact that its population is in decline, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1988.
The southern myotis, also known as large-footed myotis, is a species of vesper bat (Vespertilionidae) in genus Myotis. The southern myotis is one of only two Australian "fishing" bats and feeds by trawling its specially adapted feet along the water's surface for aquatic invertebrates and fish.
The Maluku myotis, also commonly known as the Arafura large-footed bat, is a species of mouse-eared bat. Native to Indonesia, and possibly New Guinea and northern Australia, it one of several species known as "fishing bats" because they catch their prey on the surface of water, scooping it up with their large feet.
The reddish-black myotis or black-winged myotis, colloquially known as the "red bat" or "golden bat" in South Korea, is a species of vesper bat found throughout East Asia.
