David's myotis (Myotis ''davidii'') is a species of microbat in the Vespertilionidae family native to China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. First identified in 1869 by Wilhelm Peters, it is similar in morphology to species like M. mystacinus, M. ikonnikovi, M. brandtii, and M. sibiricus. It was previously considered to be a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

whiskered bat The whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') 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 (''Myotis brandtii''), from which it wa ...

(''Myotis mystacinus'').

Description

M. davidii are microbats with a forearm length of < 36 mm. Their wing membrane is inserted at the base of the outer toe. Their spur length is no more than half the length of the margin of the tail membrane and there are no terminal lobes or breaks present. The posterior margin of the ear has a distinct indentation. Hair with dark bases and lighter tips, frequently with golden gloss. Upper second premolar is rather small (maximum 1/2 of the size of the first upper premolar) and sometimes displaced palatally of the tooth row. Singular cusp of the third upper premolar is small or absent, always lower than the second upper premolar. Ears are brown, inside of the ear and the base of the tragus lighter brown, sometimes even pinkish. Nostril is often heart-shaped, lateral part is usually well-developed. Adult individuals are always without yellowish-brown hair on the sides of the neck, therefore the ventral and dorsal colors of the fur are sharply divided.

Range and habitat

David's myotis is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to China where it is found in the provinces of

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. More recently it has been found farther north in Siberia and the Southern Urals. The most northern siting was at 53°28'45''N, 58°39'35''E, in Bashkortostan, Russia.

Conservation

M. Davidii is categorized as a "Least Concern" species by the IUCN, although the range shown in said IUCN report does not include the locations of more recent sightings farther west and north, in the southern Urals.

References

Mouse-eared bats Mammals described in 1869 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Bats of Asia {{Vespertilionidae-stub