Large Myotis (Myotis chinensis)
Description.
HB: 91-97; T:53-58; FA: 64-69; HF: 16-18; E:20-23
Dorsal fur is grey- brown. Ventral fur is grey or white-grey.
This is a relatively large Myotis, being the largest in
Thailand. The ears are rather long,
extending to the tip of the nose when laid forwards. The calcar is very long and
slender. The feet are
noticeably smaller than those of M. ricketti (length of foot is under half the
length of the tibia (Bates et al. 1999). Bates et al. (2005) give the forearm
length of bats from Myanmar as 65.1-68 mm. Borissenko & Kruskop (2003) give
forearm lengths of 65-69 mm for bats in Vietnam.
The species is closely related to the large mouse-eared bats M. myotis and
M. blythii of the Palaearctic. The skull is typical of the genus, though
considerably large than other Thai
Myotis.The upper inner incisors are thick and blunt, with a blunt internal
cusp, they are shorter than the lower incisors, which are slightly curved
outwards (Dobson1876) The first upper premolar is actually pointed and the
second is very small, slightly intruded from the tooth row
Population:
This is a relatively common species in at least part of its
range, for example Myanmar (P. Bates pers. comm.).
Population Trend: Unknown.
Habitat and Ecology:
It is found in a wide range of habitats from lowlands through
the hill country. It is known to hibernate in caves (Smith et al. 2008). Most of
the recent records in Southeast Asia (Bates et al. 1999, 2001) report it being
netted near cave entrances in or adjacent to limestone areas with rivers and
streams (Bates et al. 1999, 2001). Habitat
Roost sites and roosting behaviour
Roosts in caves.
Emergence and flight pattern
M. chinensis has relatively broad wings and is probably a
manoeuvrable species. Its close relatives M. myotis and M. blythii hunt by
gleaning (Arlettaz et al. 2001).
Foraging behaviour
Not known.
Echolocation calls
Not known.
Systems: Terrestrial
Major Threat(s):
There are no major threats to this species.
Conservation Actions:
This species is known to occur in protected areas throughout its wide range.