Myotis tricolor (Temminck, 1832)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 716-981 : 951

426.

Temminck's. 3

Myotis

Myotis tricolor

French: Murin tricolore / German: Temminck-Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero tricolor

Other common names: Cape Hairy Bat, Cape Myotis, Temminck’s Hairy Bat, Temminck’s Mouse-eared Bat, Threecolored Bat

Taxonomy. Vespertilio tricolor Temminck in Smuts, 1832,

Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Subgenus Chrysopteron . Recent genetic studies place this species as sister to M. emarginatus , these two being close to M. goudotii and M. scotti ; this subclade is related to another consisting of M. bocagii , M. formosus , and M. welwitschii . A recent study revealed two clades within M. tricolor , which might be taxonomically separable. The form loveni (Mount Elgon, Kenya) is currently treated as a synomym. Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily distributed in sub-Saharan Africa: NW uplands of Liberia; E & S DR Congo and Rwanda; and more widely from Ethiopia to S South Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 51-65 mm, tail 35-56 mm, ear 13-19 mm, hindfoot 10-13 mm, forearm 47-53 mm; weight 8-16 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 16-9- 19- 1 mm, maxillary tooth row 6:6-8- 2 mm. Females are slightly larger than males. Long individual hairs stand away from the body, giving fur a soft feel; upperparts coppery-brown to rufous (dark hair bases and coppery-red tips); ventrally paler (hairs tricolored, creamy-fawn, with blackish-brown base and pale brown tip). Muzzle blackish brown. Ears brown and medium-sized,slightly emarginated in middle of outerside, with pointed tip; tragus long and narrow, about one-half ear length. Wing membranes blackish brown; sometimes particolored in Malawi, where they are blackish brown with reddish brown over finger bones and adjacent to body; these markings are faint compared to striking black-and-orange ones of Welwitsch’s Myotis (M. welwitschii ); elsewhere, the wings are reported to have no markings. Membranesare attached to base of first toe; interfemoral membrane reddish brown and naked, posterior margin without fringe of bristle-like hairs; tail fully enclosed in uropatagium. Baculum is small and triangular, with indentation on basal side; tip rounded, not distinct from shaft, narrower than base, very slightly turned ventrally; basal lobe V-shaped, small, and rounded. Skull 1s comparatively large and robust, with weak zygomatic arches; braincase clearly inflated and rises well above rostrum, forming right angle at forehead; sagittal and lambdoid crests are weak or absent. P? and P? are small to very small, and internal to tooth row; P° reduced (reaching only slightly above cingulum of P?, and much less than half crown area of P?), partly to fully displaced lingually, P? and P* separated or in contact. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44 and FN = 52.

Habitat. Rather variable: often in montane habitats including forest; also at lower elevations in rainforest, miombo woodland, Acacia — Commiphora ( Fabaceae and Burseraceae , respectively) bushland and thicket, woodland savanna, and drier grassland savanna. Occurs up to elevations of 2600 m in Ethiopia. In South Africa, only present in regions with annual rainfall of over 500 mm; distribution is probably limited by rainfall and occurrence of suitable roosting sites (humid caves and mines). Sometimes found near open water.

Food and Feeding. Diet consists of Coleoptera , Hemiptera , Diptera , Neuroptera , and Hymenoptera . The species probably forages for flying insects in open spaces close to trees. Itis a clutter-edge forager, with relatively broad wings, intermediate wing loading and low aspect ratio; wing morphology is intermediate between those of a typical aerial forager, a gleaner, and a trawler (taking prey from water surface).

Breeding. In KwaZulu-Natal, copulation was in April, followed by period of sperm storage by female until fertilization in September and parturition in November-December. Lactation period lasts c.6 weeks. Females congregate at maternity roosts, each with one young.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal, roosting in moist caves and mines, hanging freely from ceilings or clinging to walls; it is mostly found in caves with pools of water where disturbance is minimal. The species typically produces FM calls with peak frequency of c.50 kHz, large bandwidth (c.50 kHz), and short duration (2-4 milliseconds).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In parts of South Africa, Temminck’s Myotis migrates hundreds of kilometers between warmer summer maternity caves and colder winter hibernation caves. It roosts gregariously, and may congregate in groups of up to 2000 individuals. It often shares roosts with Cape Horseshoe Bats ( Rhinolophus capensis ), Geoftroy’s Horseshoe Bats (R. clivosus), Lesser Long-fingered Bats ( Miniopterus fraterculus), and Natal Long-fingered Bats (M. natalensis).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Generally uncommon to rare throughout its range, but more abundant in eastern South Africa. No major threats are known, but roost sites in caves are locally disturbed by tourism and some traditional ceremonies. Habitat loss around roost sites due to agricultural expansion may also be of some significance, as may alien and invasive plant infestations, which can deplete insect biomass. In parts ofits range (e.g. Mpumalanga, South Africa), the speciesis threatened by mining, both legal and illegal.

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Allen (1939), Amador et al. (2018), Baeten et al. (1984), Bernard (1982b, 2013b), Csorba, Chou Cheng-Han et al. (2014), Dobson (1879), Findley (1972), Hayman & Hill (1971), Hayman et al. (1966), Jordaan & Jacobs (2009), Kearney etal. (2002), Koopman (1989, 1994), Koopman etal. (1995), Monadjem & Jacobs (2017b), Monadjem, Jacobs et al. (2016), Monadjem, Taylor et al. (2010), Rautenbach et al. (1993), Ruedi et al. (2013), Schlitter & Aggundey (1986), Schoeman & Jacobs (2003, 2008), Simmons (2005), Skinner & Chimimba (2005), Stadelmann, Jacobs et al. (2004), Stadelmann, Lin Liangkong et al. (2007), Stoffberg & Jacobs (2004), Tate (1941d), Taylor (1999, 2000).

Figures

420. Herman's Myotis (Myotis hermani), 421. Bartels’s Myotis (Myotis bartelii), 422. Weber’s Myotis (Myotis weberi), 423. Orange-fingered Myotis (Myotis rufopictus), 424. Black-and-orange Myotis (Myotis formosus), 425. Geoftroy’s Myotis (Myotis emarginatus), 426. Temminck's. 3 Myotis (Myotis tricolor), 427. Welwitsch’s Myotis (Myotis welwitschii), 428. Reddish-black Myotis (Myotis rufoniger), 429. Scott's Myotis (Myotis scotti), 430. Morris's Myotis (Myotis morrisi), 431. Bocage’ Myotis (Myotis bocagii), 432. Malagasy Myotis (Myotis goudotii), 433. Anjouan Myotis (Myotis anjouanensis), 434. Kock’s Myotis (Myotis dieteri), 435. Alcathoe Whiskered Myotis (Myotis alcathoe), 436. Hyrcanian Myotis (Myotis hyrcanicus), 437. Pond Myotis (Myotis dasycneme), 438. Ikonnikov’ ' s Myotis (Myotis tkonnikovi), 439. Sichuan Myous (Myotis altarium), 440. Common Whiskered Myotis (Myotis mystacinus), 441. David’s Myotis (Myotis davidii), 442. Valley Myotis (Myotis ancricola), 443. Anna Tess’s Myotis (Myotis annatessae), 444. Gomantong Myotis (Myotis gomantongensis), 445. Peters’s Myotis (Myotis ater), 446. Nepalese Whiskered Myotis (Myotis muricola), 447. Brown’s Whiskered Myotis (Myotis browni), 448. Insular Myotis (Myotis insularum)

Distribution. Patchily distributed in sub-Saharan Africa: NW uplands of Liberia ; E & S DR Congo and Rwanda ; and more widely from Ethiopia to S South Africa .