Findley's myotis (''Myotis findleyi'') is a species of
vesper bat. It is found only on the
Tres Marías Islands off the west coast of
Mexico.
Taxonomy and etymology
This species was first encountered by Alphonse Forrer in the late 19th century. The specimen he collected was described by
Oldfield Thomas
Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist.
Career
Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for the first time. He was appoin ...
as a member of the
black myotis (''Myotis nigricans'').
[Thomas, Oldfield. 1882. Biologia Centrali-Americana, Mammalia, Supplement. Notes on various species of mammals found on the Tres Marias: Vesperugo paruulus, p. 203; Atalapha noveboracensis, p. 205; Vespertilio nigricans, p. 206; Macrotus waterhousii, p. 207; Charonycteris mexicana Glossophaga mutica p. 207; Procyon cancrivorus, p. 208; Lepus graysoni, p. 211.]
In 1928, the specimen collected by Forrer was identified as the
California myotis (''Myotis californicus'').
[Miller, G. S., & Allen, G. M. (1928). The American bats of the genera Myotis and Pizonyx (Vol. 144). US Government Printing Office.]
In 1978, the ''Myotis'' bats of Tres Marías Islands were elevated to species level, receiving the name ''Myotis findleyi''.
[Bogan, M. A. (1978). A new species of Myotis from the Islas Tres Marias, Nayarit, Mexico, with comments on variation in Myotis nigricans. Journal of Mammalogy, 59(3), 519-530.]
It was given the species name ''findleyi'' to honor James Smith Findley, a mammalogist and the former Curator of Mammals at the University of New Mexico Museum of Southwestern Biology.
[Beolens, B., Watkins, M., & Grayson, M. (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. JHU Press.]
Findley was honored "in recognition of his work on bats of the genus ''Myotis''."
Description
It is one of the smallest bats in its genus in the
New World.
In mass, it is only
[Ceballos, G. (Ed.). (2014). Mammals of Mexico. JHU Press.]
In total, it is long.
Their forearms are long.
Their dorsal fur is dark brown to brownish-black in color.
Individual hairs have frosted tips at the
distal
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...
third of the hair, while the
proximal
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...
two-thirds of the hairs are dark brown or black.
Individual dorsal hairs are long.
Their ventral fur is also bicolored; the base of the hair is black, while the tips are
buffy.
The
uropatagium is furred on the ventral surface.
Wing membranes are dark brown in color.
The keel of the
calcar is indistinct.
Their feet are relatively large in proportion to their body size at , and all their toes have sparse hairs.
Their ears are relatively small, measuring long.
Ears have a pronounced notch at the base, and are dark brown in color.
The
tragus is long, and pointed at the tip.
Its
dental formula is , for a total of 38 teeth.
Biology
It is
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 ...
.
[Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's mammals of the world (Vol. 1). JHU Press.]
So far, it has only been captured by placing
mist nets over streams and pools.
It is unknown if it roosts in caves or tree hollows during the day.
Range and habitat
It is only found in the tropical deciduous forests of the
Tres Marías Islands.
It is found from above sea level.
Conservation
This species is listed as
endangered by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
.
It is listed as endangered because its extent of occurrence is approximately , and it occurs in fewer than five locations.
There is also a projected decline in the extent and quality of their habitat.
Threats to this species include
urbanization,
livestock farming,
deforestation, and
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
.
Some of the bat's habitat is protected, as their range includes
Islas Marías Biosphere Reserve
The Islas Marías (or Mary's Island) Biosphere Reserve (established 2010) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the Islas Marías in the municipality (''municipio'') of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico. The reserve includes ecosystems with a great we ...
.
Some of its range also occurs on property owned by
Islas Marías Federal Prison.
References
External links
Photos of Findley's myotis
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1829465
Mouse-eared bats
Bats of Mexico
Mammals described in 1978
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot