Findley's myotis (''Myotis findleyi'') is a species of

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 ...

. It is found only on the

Tres Marías Islands Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templi R ...

off the west coast of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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 The black myotis (''Myotis nigricans'') is a vesper bat species from South and Central America. 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 smal ...

(''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 The California myotis (''Myotis californicus'') is a species of vesper bat. It is found in British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the western United States, including California. Description The California myotis is a small (70– ...

(''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 The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

. 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 The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs, ...

is furred on the ventral surface. Wing membranes are dark brown in color. The keel of the

calcar The calcar, also known as the calcaneum, is the name given to a spur of cartilage arising from inner side of ankle and running along part of outer interfemoral membrane in bats, as well as to a similar spur on the legs of some arthropods. The cal ...

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 Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...

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 net Mist nets are used by hunters and poachers, but also by ornithologists and chiropterologists to capture wild birds and bats for banding or other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of nylon or polyester mesh suspended between two po ...

s 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

. It is found from above sea level.

Conservation

This species is listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

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 Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

farming,

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

, 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. Some of its range also occurs on property owned by

Islas Marías Federal Prison The Islas Marías Federal Penal Colony was a penitentiary establishment of the Federal Government of Mexico, administered through the Federal Secretariat of Public Security. It is located on Isla María Madre, the northernmost and largest islan ...

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