The hairy-legged myotis (''Myotis keaysi'') is a species of

mouse-eared bat The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a New Latin construction, from the Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") and "''oûs''" (mea ...

. It is found from southern

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

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 ...

, through much of

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. ...

and across northern South America as far east as

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. Further south, it is found along the foothills of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

as far south as northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Originally identified in 1914 as a subspecies of

red myotis The red myotis (''Myotis ruber'') is a vesper bat species found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. References

Mouse-eared bats Mammals described in 1806 Bats of South America Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire {{Ve ...

, and later as a subspecies of

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 ...

, it was raised to full species status in 1973. Two subspecies are currently recognised: * ''Myotis keaysi keaysi'' -

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, south-western

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

* ''Myotis keaysi pilosatibialis'' - western Colombia, northern

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Trinidad, Central America, southern and eastern Mexico

Description

The hairy-legged myotis is a small bat, measuring just in total length, and weighing about . The body is covered with long, sometimes woolly, fur, which varies from greyish to reddish brown in colour. The common name refers to the presence of thick fur on the legs and on the upper surface of 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, ...

, the flight membrane stretching between the legs. Although other, related bats, also have fur on this membrane, it is more extensive in this species, reaching at least half way between the knee and the foot. There is also fur on the upper surface of the

plagiopatagium 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, ...

, the main part of the wing between the arms and legs. This fur can be quite thick, and covers the part of the wing closest to the body, reaching as far as the elbows. The hairless portions of the wings are dark brown to black in colour.

Biology and behaviour

They inhabit a wide range of wooded environments, from dry scrubland to

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

. Most are found at elevations from sea level to around , although some have been reported from up to in Peru. During the day, caves, hollow trees, or under man-made structures such as roofs or bridges. Although often found roosting in small groups of two to eight individuals, some cave-dwelling colonies may consist of over five hundred bats. Like many bats, they are nocturnal, and insectivorous, and they begin flying at sunset, returning to their roosts about an hour before dawn. They apparently travel relatively long distances from their roosts during their nightly feeding, with the same individual having been recaptured at different locations up to apart. Calls are short and high-intensity, with a steep down-sweep followed by a narrow-band call at 59 to 63 kHz. Breeding occurs throughout the year, although, at least in Central America, births are more common between May and June.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134354 Mouse-eared bats Mammals of Colombia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1914 Bats of Central America Bats of South America Taxa named by Joel Asaph Allen