Armenian whiskered bat

Last updated

Armenian whiskered bat
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Myotis
Species:
M. hajastanicus
Binomial name
Myotis hajastanicus
Argyropulo, 1939
Synonyms
  • Myotis mystacinus hajastanicus Argyropulo, 1939
  • Myotis aurascens Kuzyakin, 1935

The Armenian whiskered bat (Myotis hajastanicus), also known as the Hajastan myotis or the Armenian myotis, is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae. The Armenian whiskered bat was formerly included as a part of the whiskered bat, but was considered distinct in 2000 [2] as a result of morphologic comparison.

Contents

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new subspecies of the whiskered bat in 1939. [3] In 2000, Benda and Tsytsulina published that it should be considered a full species based on its physical characteristics. [4] In 2016, Dietz et al. argued that the Armenian whiskered bat was not morphologically or genetically distinct enough to be considered a full species; instead, they argued that it is synonymous with Myotis aurascens (which is itself sometimes considered synonymous with Myotis davidii ). [5] However, as of 2018 the Integrated Taxonomic Information System still considers the Armenian whiskered bat as a full species. [6] Its species name "hajastanicus" means "of Hayastan," which is an alternate name for Armenia. [7]

Description

It is relatively large for its genus with a forearm length of approximately 35.6 mm (1.40 in). [5] Its fur is brown while the distal tips of individual hairs may have a golden or yellowish tint. [4]

Conservation

There were no records of the Armenian whiskered bat from the 1980s until 2013 [1] and the species has only ever been located in the Sevan Lake basin in Armenia. [2] In 2013, 11 pregnant Armenian whiskered bats were captured near Lake Sevan. [5] Before the 2013 documentation, it was considered possibly extinct. [1] Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskered bat</span> Species of bat

The whiskered bat is a small European bat with long fur. Although uncommon, M. mystacinus is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat, from which it was distinguished as a separate species only in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natterer's bat</span> Species of bat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouse-eared bat</span> Genus of bats

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".

Botta's serotine is a species of vesper bat, one of 25 in the genus Eptesicus. It is found in rocky areas and temperate desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmese whiskered myotis</span> Species of bat

The Burmese whiskered myotis or Burmese whiskered bat is a species of vesper bat. It is found in China, India, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wall-roosting mouse-eared bat</span> Species of bat

The wall-roosting mouse-eared bat, or Nepalese whiskered myotis is a species of vesper bat whose type locality is Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yanbaru whiskered bat</span> Species of bat

The Yanbaru whiskered bat(Myotis yanbarensis) is a species of vesper bat in the genus Myotis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziama horseshoe bat</span> Species of bat

The Ziama horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It was first described in 2002. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical moist lowland and monstane forests. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myotinae</span> Subfamily of bats

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcathoe bat</span> European bat in the family Vespertilionidae

The Alcathoe bat is a European bat in the genus Myotis. Known only from Greece and Hungary when it was first described in 2001, its known distribution has since expanded as far as Portugal, England, Sweden, and Russia. It is similar to the whiskered bat and other species and is difficult to distinguish from them. However, its brown fur is distinctive and it is clearly different in characters of its karyotype and DNA sequences. It is most closely related to Myotis hyrcanicus from Iran, but otherwise has no close relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bocharic myotis</span> Species of bat

The Bocharic myotis or Bokhara whiskered bat is a species of mouse-eared bat in the family Vespertilionidae, described in 1950, and indigenous to Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Turkestani long-eared bat is a species of bat found in Asia. Though it was initially described in 1873 as a species, for many years it was considered synonymous with the desert long-eared bat, Otonycteris hemprichii. Recently, it was recognized as a distinct species once again.

The Taiwan broad-muzzled bat or Taiwan broad-muzzled myotis is a species of vesper bat found in Taiwan.

The Anatolian serotine bat is a species of bat found in the Middle-East, Cyprus and Rhodes Island, Greece.

Myotis annatessae is a recently described species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is endemic to Vietnam and Laos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-toed myotis</span> Species of vesper bat

The long-toed myotis or Taiwan long-toed myotis is a species of vesper bat endemic to Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peyton's myotis</span> Species of vesper bat

Peyton's myotis, also known as Peyton's whiskered bat, is a species of vesper bat endemic to India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian whiskered myotis</span> Species of vesper bat

The Malaysian whiskered myotis or Malayan whiskered myotis is a species of vesper bat endemic to Malaysia, although it may possibly also occur in Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean whiskered myotis</span> Species of vesper bat

The Bornean whiskered myotis is a species of vesper bat endemic to Borneo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tsytsulina, K.; Benda, P.; Aulagnier, S.; Hutson, A.M. (2008). "Myotis hajastanicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T136288A4269513. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136288A4269513.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 508. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. Argyropulo, A. I. (1939). "Über einige Säugetiere Armeniens". Zool. Pap. Biol. Inst. Acad. Sci. Arm SSR (Jerevan). 1: 27–66.
  4. 1 2 Benda, P.; Tsytsulina, K.A. (2000). "Taxonomic revision of Myotis mystacinus group (Mammalia: Chiroptera)". Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 64: 364–367.
  5. 1 2 3 Dietz, Christian; Gazaryan, Astghik; Papov, George; Dundarova, Heliana; Mayer, Frieder (2016). "Myotis hajastanicus is a local vicariant of a widespread species rather than a critically endangered endemic of the Sevan lake basin (Armenia)". Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 81 (5): 518. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2016.06.005.
  6. "Myotis hajastanicus Argyropulo, 1939". ITIS.gov. U. S. Federal Government. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  7. Lina, P. (2016). Common Names of European Bats (PDF). EUROBATS. p. 11. ISBN   978-92-95058-37-8.
  8. "A Five-Year Plan for Global Bat Conservation" (PDF). batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2017.