The black myotis (''Myotis nigricans'') is a
vesper bat
Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat familie ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
from
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
.
Its body is dark brown/black. The head to body length, not including the tail, is about 5 cm (2 in.). The black myotis is a tiny bat with a small pointed non-noseleaf snout. Its ears are pointy and triangular, and extremely sensitive. Its forearm-like wings have single claws while its hind feet have five, and its torso is covered in a short hair layer.
Habitat
The genus ''Myotis'' consists of more than 100 species worldwide, except the Antarctic. Specifically, ''Myotis nigricans'' is found in South Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca y Chiapas) to Peru, Bolivia, North Argentina, Paraguay, South Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Lesser Antilles (St. Martin, Montserrat and Grenada).
[Simmons, N.B.] This bat species lives in spaces like tree barks, foliages, and the ceilings of buildings and houses.
[Gonzales, J.C.] ''Myotis nigricans'' is able to cohabit with other species of its genus and share food and roosts.
[Ruedi, M. and Mayer, F., Stadelmann, et al.] However, competition over food and roosts has been seen with other insectivorous bats.
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Life cycle
Gestation lasts 60 days in ''Myotis nigricans''.[Wilson, D.E. and Findley, J.S.] For the first 2 or 3 days after birth, the young remain in close proximity with their mother. After this time mothers leave their young in groups in the roost at night in order to hunt. On their return to the roost, mothers will use olfactory and auditory skills to locate their respective young.[Wilson, D.E.] By week 2 after birth, the young have already reached adult weight. Flight begins at week 3 and takes one to two weeks before complete competence is achieved.[ Weaning occurs at week 5 or 6 after birth][ and occurs during the wet season, in April, when there is an abundance of insects.][ Any time after weaning the grown bat will leave the roost it was born in.][ Longevity of 7 years have been recorded for ''Myotis nigricans''.][Wilson, D.E. and Tyson, E.L.]
Behavior
Studies testing homing skills in the ''Myotis nigricans'' suggests that the bats are able to recognize an area with a radius of 13 km. Some bats that were displaced 50 km from the roost were able to find their way back within 2 days.[ In favorable weather conditions, bats leave the roost an hour after sunset and return from hunting an hour before sunrise.][
The body temperature varies, depending on the ambient temperature. When the body temperature is cooler the bats enter a state of torpor and remain in that state until the body temperature has warmed.][Studier, E.H. and Wilson, D.E.] In order to cool body temperature, they show behavioral thermoregulation by spreading out in the roost into smaller groups.[
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Diet & predation
Myotis nigricans is primarily insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
with few cases of observed fruit consumption.[ Young bats also face the trouble of ectoparasites, including mites, bat mites, soft ticks, hard ticks, chigger mites, fleas, and bat flies.][Wenzel, R.L. and Tipton, V.J.]
Gallery
File:Myotis nigricans illustration.jpg, Myotis nigricans illustration
File:Myotis nigricans.jpg, Myotis nigricans skull
File:Myotis nigricans teeth.jpg, Myotis nigricans teeth
File:Myotis nigricans wings.jpg, Myotis nigricans with wings shown
References
Bibliography
michaelswartbats.php
black_myotis
* Gonzalez, J.C., 2000. Morcegos da área urbana de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Divulg. Mus. Ciênc. Tecnol. - PUCRS, vol. 1, no. 5, p. 53- 82
* Ruedi, M. and Mayer, F., 2001. Molecular systematics of bats of the genus ''Myotis'' (Vespertilionidae) suggests deterministic ecomorphological convergences. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., vol. 21, no. 3, p. 436-448
* Simmons, N.B., 2005. Order Chiroptera. In WILSON, DE. and REEDER, DM. (Eds.). Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 312- 529
* Stadelmann, B., Herrera, L.G., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., Flores-Martinez, J.J., May, B.P. and Ruedi, M., 2004. Molecular systematics of the fishing bat ''Myotis vivesi''. J. Mammal., vol. 85, no. 1, p. 133-139
* Studier, E.H. and Wilson, D.E. 1970. Thermoregulation in some Neotropical bats. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 34:251-262.
* Wenzel, R.L. and Tipton, V.J. 1966. Ectoparasites of Panama. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, xii + 861 pp
* Wilson, D.E. and Tyson, E.L., 1970. Longevity records for ''Artibeus jamaicensis'' and ''Myotis nigricans''. J. Mammal., Vol. 51, no. 1, p. 203
* Wilson, D.E. and Findley, J.S., 1970. Reproductive cycle of a Neotropical insectivorous bat, ''Myotis nigricans''. Nature 225:112
{{Taxonbar, from=Q139375
Mouse-eared bats
Mammals of Colombia
Bats of Central America
Mammals described in 1821