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| Myotis midastactus Moratelli & Wilson, 2014 Adult female (USNM 584502) captured at Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Photograph: Marco Tschapka | smithsonianscience.org
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Abstract
We describe Myotis midastactus sp. nov. from the Bolivian savanna on the basis of differences in fur color, and cranial and external features that unquestionably distinguish it from all other Neotropical Myotis. This new species is morphologically allied to M. simus Thomas, 1901 and other species in the M. ruber group. Myotis midastactus is endemic to Bolivia, where it occurs with 6 congeners —albescens, dinellii, keaysi, nigricans, riparius, and oxyotus. Previously identified as M. simus, M. midastactus is in syntopy with M. nigricans and M. riparius in the department of Santa Cruz, and there is no evidence that true M. simus occurs in Bolivia.
Key words: Myotinae, Myotis simus, Myotis ruber group, Neotropics, South America
Holotype.— Adult male, AMNH 211156, with skin, complete skull, and postcranial skeleton (Figs. 1 and 2), collected by S. Anderson (field number SA 5871), on 9 September 1965. External and craniodental measurements for the type series are in Table 1.
Type locality.— Cercado, Río Mamoré, Beni, Bolivia, about ´23 km W of San Javier (148340 S, 648550 W).
Distribution.— Myotis midastactus is known only from Bolivia, with all records from the departments of El Beni and Santa Cruz
Etymology.— The name M. midastactus is an allusion to the legend of Midas, the mythical Greek king whose touch turned everything to gold. It is a Latinized word (Gr. Μίδας, Midas; L. tactus, touch) in apposition to Myotis, and literally means Midas touch in reference to the golden-yellow fur, which is unique among New World Myotis. We suggest the English vernacular name Golden Myotis, and the Spanish vernacular, murciélago vespertino de oro.
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| Myotis midastactus Moratelli & Wilson, 2014 Adult female (USNM 584502) captured at Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Photograph: Marco Tschapka.
|
Etymology.— The name M. midastactus is an allusion to the legend of Midas, the mythical Greek king whose touch turned everything to gold. It is a Latinized word (Gr. Μίδας, Midas; L. tactus, touch) in apposition to Myotis, and literally means Midas touch in reference to the golden-yellow fur, which is unique among New World Myotis. We suggest the English vernacular name Golden Myotis, and the Spanish vernacular, murciélago vespertino de oro.
Moratelli, Ricardo & Wilson, Don E. 2014. A New Species of Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Bolivia. Journal of Mammalogy. 95 (4): E17–E25. doi: 10.1644/14-MAMM-149
Ricardo Moratelli. 2012. Myotis simus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).
Mammalian Species. 44(1); 26-32. doi: 10.1644/892.1
Ricardo Moratelli. 2012. Myotis simus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).
Mammalian Species. 44(1); 26-32. doi: 10.1644/892.1
Bolivian golden bat revealed as 'new species' http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/28583377
Bat conservation in threatened ecosystems of Bolivia
Aguirre, L.F., A. Vargas & S. Solari. 2009. Clave de campo para la identificación de los murciélagos de Bolivia. Centro
de Estudios en Biología Teórica y Aplicada. Cochabamba, Bolivia. 38 pp [Key for Bolivian Bats]
Myotis midastactus is the fifth new species of bat Dr Moratelli has described. Others include Myotis diminutus, a tiny bat species found in the Ecuadorian Andes; Myotis lavali from north-eastern Brazil, Myotis izecksohni found in Atlantic forest in southern Brazil, and Myotis handleyi from the mountains of northern Venezuela.
Ricardo Moratellia and Don E. Wilsonb. 2011. A new species of Myotis Kaup, 1829 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Ecuador. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 76(5); 608–614. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2010.10.003 | http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1116-hance_tinybat.html