Myotis diminutus Moratelli & Wilson 2011

416.

Diminutive Myotis

Myotis diminutus

French: Murin du Choco / German: Winziges Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero diminuto

Other common names: Diminutive Bat

Taxonomy. Myotis diminutus Moratelli & Wilson, 2011,

“Rio Palenque Science Center (0°35'11"S, 79°21'53"W), 47 Km S (by road) from Santo Domingo, Los Rios, Ecuador, elevation ca. 150 m.”

Subgenus Pizonyx; albescens species group. See M. nigricans. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from two localities in W Andes, La Guayacana, Narino (SW Colombia) and Santo Domingo (WC Ecuador).

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 44 mm, tail 33 mm, ear 11 mm, hindfoot 6 mm, forearm 33- 3 mm and 33- 4 mm; weight 3-5 g and 4 g (measurements from two specimens from Ecuador and Colombia). Fur is silky and long (dorsal fur 5-5-6- 5 mm; ventral fur 5-5- 2 mm); dorsal are hairs cinnamon-brown and bicolored, with only slightly contrasting bases and tips; ventral hairs are strongly bicolored, with mummy-brown bases (two-thirds the total length) and cinnamon-buff tips (one-third). Ears are comparatively short, extending forward halfway from eye to nostril. Antitragal notch is barely evident. Membranes are dark brown; plagiopatagium is broadly attached to foot at base of toes. Uropatagium lacks fringe of hairs. Skull is small (greatest length of skull 12: 3 mm and 12- 7 mm); supraoccipital and posteriormost part of parietals are rounded in lateral view, projecting beyond limit of occipital condyles; rostrum is slightly sloping relative to braincase in lateral view; sagittal crest is absent; occipital crests are low; and P? is aligned in tooth row, smaller than P* (50% of the total length of P?), and visible in lateral view. Wing morphology is typical of aerial insectivore that uses cluttered spaces.

Habitat. Remnant forest with dense canopy 30 m high,rich in lianas, epiphytes, mosses, lichens, ferns, and palms (type locality) and tropical rainforest (Colombia) from known elevations of 150-225 m.

Food and Feeding. The Diminutive Myotis is an aerial insectivore that forages in interior of forests and over water.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Known specimens of the Diminutive Myotis came from highly fragmented habitat, and nearby protected areas might not be effective forits long-term survival.

Bibliography. Moratelli & Wilson (2011, 2014b), Solari (20179).