Lesser mouse-eared bat
{{Short description|Species of bat}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Myotis blythii 02.jpg
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|genus = Myotis
|species = blythii
|authority = (Tomes, 1857)
|synonyms = {{Specieslist
| Vespertilio blythii | Tomes, 1857
| Vespertilio oxygnathus | Monticelli, 1885
| Myotis oxygnathus | Monticelli, 1885
}}
|range_map = Myotis blythii range Map.png
|range_map_caption = Myotis blythii distribution
|range_map_alt = Map showing distribution of species from southern Europe east into the western Himalayas
}}
The lesser mouse-eared bat or lesser mouse-eared myotis (Myotis blythii) is a species of insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae. This species has a wide distribution from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Taxonomy
The lesser mouse-eared bat has a complex taxonomic history. The oldest name is Vespertilio blythii which was given to a single specimen in the British Museum (Natural History) which was labelled "India" by Robert F. Tomes in 1857.{{cite journal |author=Robert F. Tomes |year=1857 |title=Descriptions of four undescribed species of bat |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=50-54 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32451157}} In 1885 Francesco Saverio Monticelli described Vespertilio oxygnathus from Italy. Subsequent studies found very little morphological difference between Tomes's taxon in India and the European bats described by Moniticelli and so they were synonymised. Further studies found that the populations found between Europe and India, in Asia Minor, were larger, approaching the greater mouse-eard bat in size and these were named as the subspecies M. blythii omari with a fourth, isolated subspecies being described from southern Siberia and northern China, M. blythii ancilla.{{cite web |url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-65038-8_60-1 |title=Lesser Mouse-Eared Bat Myotis blythii (Tomes, 1857) |access-date=9 April 2025|work=Handbook of the Mammals of Europe |author=Manuel Ruedi |publisher=Springer}}
Distribution
Lesser mouse-eared bats can be found in the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, [http://batslife.eu/item/myotis-blythii/ "Myotis blythii"], Science for Nature Foundation, date China, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Threats
The species is decreasing in population due to the pollution and changes in land management. Construction noise has disturbed populations in southern Spain; the population in Andalusia decreased from 30,000 to 14,000 between 1994 and 2002. Herders in Syria and Turkey light fires at cave mouths for their livestock disturbing the bats.
Conservation
It is protected in most of Europe by Bonn and Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. The species requires special measures including construction of designated areas, which are provided by Special Areas for Conservation. Natura 2000 is also protecting the species. In some European countries, the caves are closed with fences so that visitors do not disturb them.
Characteristics
File:Myotis-blythii-cropped.jpgThe lesser mouse-eared bat is a relatively large Myotis bat, it closely resembles the greater mouse-eared bat. The back is tinged with brownish, the belly is pale greyish-white, typically rather paler than the belly of the greater mouse-eared bat. The snout is markedly shorter than that of the greater mouse-eared bat, the ears comparatively narrow and short, and the front margin of the ears are noticeably less convex. The tragus has a pale tip, with no dark spot at its end. The measurements of this bat are: the forearm is between {{cvt|50.5|and|62.1|mm}} in length; the fifth finger is {{cvt|63|to|81|mm}} long and the third finger is {{cvt|85|to|103|mm}} long; the wight varies between {{cvt|19|and|26|g}}.{{cite web |url=https://batslife.eu/item/myotis-blythii/ |title=Myotis blythii (oxygnathus) |access-date=9 April 2025 |website=bastlife.eu}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://archive.today/20130211141026/http://www.naturlichter.de/key/Myotis+blythii Images at www.naturlichter.de]
- {{Commonscat-inline|Myotis blythii}}
{{Myotinae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q836231}}
Category:Mammals described in 1857