Myotis albescens ( E . Geoffroy, 1806)

Novaes, Roberto Leonan M., Claudio, Vinicius C., Diaz, M. Monica, Wilson, Don E., Weksler, Marcelo & Moratelli, Ricardo, 2022, Argentinean Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), including the description of a new species from the Yungas, Vertebrate Zoology 72, pp. 1187-1216 : 1187

Myotis albescens ( E. Geoffroy, 1806)

Comments.

Medium-sized species (FA 33.5-37.5 mm, body mass 4-8 g; Table 4 , Fig. 5 ), with silky, moderately long fur (LDF 5-8 mm, LVF 4-6 mm). Ears comparatively short (length 12-15 mm). Dorsal fur Mummy Brown from basis almost to the tip (ca. 4/5 of hairs length); tips (ca. 1/5) Antimony Yellow or paler usually strongly contrasting with the basal color, giving a yellowish or grayish frosting appearance. Yellowish tips can be less evident in a few specimens in which the dorsal fur seems nearly unicolored (especially in northeastern Argentina). Ventral fur strongly bicolored, with blackish bases (2/3 hair length) and whitish tips (1/3 hair length). Ventral fur often becomes progressively paler (whiter) from upper thorax to pelvic region. Membranes and ears Mummy Brown. Legs and dorsal surface of uropatagium naked. Fringe of hairs along the trailing edge of the uropatagium always present. Plagiopatagium attached to feet on the level of the base of the toes by a wide band of membrane. Skull moderate in size (GLS 13.8-15.2 mm, BCB 6.8-7.3 mm), rostrum comparatively short and broad, and frontal bone strongly sloping. P3 smaller than P2 and usually aligned to the toothrow, and visible in labial view. Sagittal crest absent; lambdoidal crests usually present and ranging from low to medium. Parietals slope anteriorly; occipital region rounded and projecting beyond the occipital condyle limits; braincase globular in dorsal view; postorbital and interorbital constrictions comparatively wide.

Occurs from southern Veracruz, Mexico, southward through Central America into Uruguay, northern Argentina and eastern Brazil, from humid tropical forests to savannas and semi-arid environments ( Braun et al. 2009; Moratelli and Oliveira 2011; Moratelli et al. 2019a; Díaz et al. 2021). In Argentina, it occurs in Northwestern (Provinces of Jujuy, Salta, and Tucumán), Gran Chaco (Chaco, Formosa, and Santiago del Estero Provinces), Littoral regions (Provinces of Corrientes, Entre Ríos, and Misiones), and the Pampa area (Buenos Aires Province) ( Barquez and Díaz 2020), from humid forests (Southern Andean Yungas) to scrublands (Dry Chaco) in an altitudinal range from 5 to 1,400 m.

Figures

Figure 5. Adult female of Myotis albescens (CML 5108) from Salta, Argentina.