Myotis Mystacinus Research Articles

A new subspecies of Myotis mystacinus (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) from East Asia

A new subspecies of the Whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus mongolicus, is described from eastern Mongolia and Transbaikalia. Comparedto the other north-east Asian members of the subgenus Selysius Bonaparte, 1841 it most closely resembles the central Asian M. mystacinus przewalskii Bobrinskoy, 1926 but differs from the latter by higher braincase and enlarged hind foot. In skull proportions, dentition and coloration patterns it occupies a somewhat intermediate position between M. mystacinus przewalskii and M. brandtii (Eversmann, 1845).

Renal Coccidiosis with Cystic Tubular Dilatation in Four Bats

Renal coccidiosis was diagnosed in four bats of different species (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Myotis mystacinus, M. nattereri, and Nyctalus noctula). Multiple white and partly indented foci up to 2 mm in diameter were visible on the renal surface. Histologically, the foci appeared as cystic dilated tubules with proliferated epithelium. Asexual and sexual coccidian stages were seen in the epithelial cells, and the extremely distended tubular lumina were filled with schizonts, free zoites, microgamonts, macrogamonts, and unsporulated oocysts. Because the majority of the renal tissue appeared uninvolved in the disease process at the gross and histologic levels and there was no evidence for uremia in other organs, renal function was probably not impaired. Precise classification of the coccidia was impossible because no sporulated oocysts were available. The parasite morphology and the hitherto unreported cystic dilatation of infected tubules containing all developmental stages differ from renal coccidioses reported previously and therefore suggest an undescribed coccidian species.

Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance

<i>Animal Sonar: Processes and Performance</i>

Sonar signal design of the Chinese bat Pipistrellus abramus temmink and the French bat Myotis mystacinus during natural hunting prey

There are more than 100 species of bats in China. This paper gives the first description of Chinese FM bat signals and a comparison with the French FM bat. Twenty signals emitted by a South China bat, Pipistrellus abramus temmink (P.a.t.), and 49 signals by a French bat, Myotis mystacinus (M.m.), during searching, identification, pursuit, and prey capture in the field were studied via time, frequency analysis, and 3-D wideband ambiguity diagrams. The evolution of main signal parameters (duration, dominant frequency, bandwidth, and average sampling pace along the hunting track) was described as a function of estimated bat-prey distance in order to find the relation between the parameters and distance. The results suggest that the P.a.t. bat and the M.m. bat use a similar strategy of signal design although they are living in different continents, and hunting different insects in different environments. For two species of FM bats, a turning point in the parameter evolution exists at about 1.5 m between bat and prey. In our recorded signals, the M.m. bat emits much larger bandwidth and stronger harmonics than the P.a.t. bat. As a consequence, the range resolution and bearing resolution are higher for the M.m. bat than for the P.a.t. bat in this experiment. [Work supported by NSFC 1881155 of China and RCP 445 CNRS of France; partially supported by NIH grant NS 20527 to Professor P. Jen of the University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, MO.]

Sperm Storage in the Reproductive Tract and Prolonged Survival of the Graafian Follicle in the Female Orange Whiskered Bat, Myotis formosus tsuensis , of Korea *

Sperm Storage in the Reproductive Tract and Prolonged Survival of the Graafian Follicle in the Female Orange Whiskered Bat, Myotis formosus tsuensis , of Korea *

Studies on the prevalence of haematozoa of British bats

AbstractBloodfilms were collected from 491 bats representing 12 of the 15 species of British bats, from a number of sites in England and Scotland, and examined for haematozoa. Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) sp. were found in Pipistrelluspipistrellus, Nyctalus noctula, N. leisleri, Eptesicus serotinus and Myotis brandtii, and Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) incertum was found in P. pipistrellus. Both subgenera of trypanosomes appear to be transmitted by the bat bug Cimex pipistrelli. Gametocytes of the haemoproteid Poly‐chromophilus murinus were found in one‐third of Myotis daubentonii examined, and stages of the parasite were found in the vector, the wingless blood‐sucking fly, Nycteribia kolenatii, collected from these bats. The piroplasm Babesia vesperuginis was found in the blood of P. pipistrellus and Myotis mystacinus, and was the only parasite to show evidence of pathogenicity to bats.

A Craniometric Comparison of Holocene Populations of Myotis Mystacinus (Kuhl, 1817) and M. Brandtii (Eversmann, 1845) (Chiroptera, Mammalia)

This paper presents the results of an analysis of about four hundred skulls of Myotis mystacinus and M. brandtii of the Holocene age from the Záskočie Cave (Central Slovakia). A review of criteria for species determination is presented, including a new criterion concerning the morphology of P4 roots, as well as the results of a statistical survey of skull dimensions and correlation and regression analyses. The author concludes that the above mentioned bats are not sibling species, but that they belong to different subgenera of the genus Myotis.

Trichostrongyloidea nematodes, parasites of Microchiroptera

1. a) List of Nematodes collected by Professor Aellen in european Microchiroptera. Additionnal morphological data to the study of Molinostrongylus alatus, M. panousei, M. skrjabini. Description of M. aelleni n. sp. b) Description of M. richardae n. sp., M. benexae n. sp. et M. bauchoti n. sp., parasites of malagasian Molossidae. c) Description of M. colleyi n. sp. and M. owyangi n. sp., parasites of Malaysian Vespertilioninae, and of Allintoschius dunni n. sp., discovered in Myotis mystacinus from Malaysia and Pipistrellus nanus from Africa. 2. Taking into account the characteristics of the synlophe, the 17 species of the genus Molinostrongylus may be divided into five groups, each one being reasonably well characteristic of the genus of their Chiropteran host. 3. The composition of the Trichostrongyloidea fauna of Chiroptera and its relationship with Trichostrongyloidea from other Mammals (Tupaiidae, Pholidotes, Primates, Sciuridés) are analysed. Six groups are separated and divided into two well defined lines: 1) genus Strongylacantha, and 2) 12 genera stemming more or less directly from the Molineinae, 4. The three conical outgrowths at the tip of the female tail which differenciate presently the Anoplostrogylinae from the Molineinae appear to be an unreliable characteristic. The two subfamilies form a complex group which will be better understood if the evolution of the synlophe and that of the caudal bursa of the males are taken into account.

Nouveaux Nématodes du genre Trichospirura Smith et Chitwood, 1967, en Malaisie

Description of Trichospirura willmottae n. sp. parasite of the salivary ducts of Tupaia glis and T. sp. (single virgin female) parasite of the intestine of Myotis mystacinus in Malaysia. The two species are very closely related to the type species, a parasite of the pancreatic ducts of brasilian Primates, and can be differentiated mainly by the mensurations of the posterior extremities of the bodies. While the genus Rhabdochoma, parasite of the intestine of fresh-water fishes, underwent a very similar, but more or less pronounced, morphological evolution, it became adapted to many different hosts: Sea-fishes, Saurians, Mammals and to many locations. This evolutionary line includes six genera; Trichospirura, the only parasite in Mammals, is one of the more evolved. Some remarks are made on the host-distribution of Trichospirura, on the relationships between Rabdochonidae and Cystidicolidae and on the osmo-excretory apparatus of Trichospirura. The hypertrophy of this apparatus, which could be the consequence of the passage during the course of evolution from aquatic to terrestrial life, is comparable to that of the Pneumospirurinae.

Activity During Natural Hibernation in Three Species of Vespertilionid Bats

1. Patterns of winter-activity in three species of bats (Myotis mystacinus, M. daubentoni, M. dasycneme) were studied in three hibernation quarters in The Netherlands. The methods of investigation involved: individual marking, automatic recording of intracave and extracave flights and assessment of the frequency of movements between hibernation sites by short-interval searches. 2. Although differing in details, the species studied show close agreement in most aspects of hibernation behaviour. Major differences probably exist with other species in other climates. 3. Arrivals in the cave takes place gradually from September to December. Most bats leave the cave between the middle of March and the middle of April. There are consistent specific and sexual differences in the timing of hibernation. Females tend to arrive and to leave earlier than the males. Departure from the cave in spring is correlated with the prevailing temperature, while the arrival in autumn is not. 4. Population turnover during the winter is small. No more than an estimated 10% of the bats venture outside the cave upon waking. Recorded extracave migrations took place mainly in autumn and over distances not exceeding 1 km. 5. Microhabitat selection is such that the bats throughout the winter tend to concentrate in the coldest parts of the cave. Low outside temperatures cause cooling of the cave near the entrance during the winter season, and the bats respond by shifting their positions from the rear to the front of the cave, whereas on occasional warm days they tend to move to the rear. In the front part of the cave where stronger air circulation and temperature fluctuations prevail, bats tend to hide in fissures, while in the thermoconstant rear they prefer exposed locations. 6. Myotis mystacinus and M. daubentoni are solitary hibernating bats. In M. dasycneme 10% of the locations were shared simultaneously by two or more individuals. Observed matings were concentrated in autumn. 7. Some bats return to exactly the same locations in consecutive winters. A positive correlation between sequences of locations occupied by (presumably) the same individuals in different years leads to the hypothesis that the selection of locations, which were occupied in former years, is connected to an endogenous annual program clock. 8. The frequency of intracave movements shows large seasonal variation, being relatively high in autumn and spring, and low in mid-winter. The occurrence of the same patterns in the rear part of the cave under almost constant conditions suggests the endogenous nature of a seasonal variation in arousal frequency. 9. The frequency of movements from one resting site to another was positively correlated with ambient temperature. High outside temperatures (directly or indirectly, by reversed thermocirculation) had a positive effect on the frequency of movements from locations in the front part of the cave. 10. The daily distribution of recorded flights shows that the activity of the hibernating bats is almost exclusively nocturnal in October. With a decrease in activity towards mid-winter, flights become more uniformly distributed over the 24 hrs and their mean shifts significantly to a later part of the night. The increase in activity in spring is accompanied by the return of nocturnalism. 11. During the hibernation extracave flights take place mainly between sunset and sunrise. Occasional outward flights in daytime are usually immediately followed by returns into the hibernaculum. 12. Weight loss of the bats is rapid in the first half of the hibernation season and occurs at a slower rate in the second half. It is concluded that feeding does not occur during the major part of the winter. 13. Energetical implications of winter activity in bats are discussed, and compared with other hibernators. The arousals from hibernation constitute a major proportion of bat energy expenditure during the winter. This expenditure of energy with the possibility of starvation in spring is among the greatest hazards to which temperate zone bats are exposed. The hypothesis is advanced that the energetic balance between gain due to successful feeding activity on mild autumn and spring days and loss due to arousal and movements gives positive survival value to an endogenous seasonal variation of arousal frequency.

Notes on the Distribution and Systematics of Myotis Mystacinus Kuhl, 1819

In 1965 I recorded the occurrence of two distinct forms of Myotis mystacinus in Central Europe; my preliminary ranking was that they were two subspecies, Myotis mystacinus mystacinus and Myotis mystacinus brandtii. Those findings were in agreement with previous information by Topal (1958) pointing out differences in the morphology of the baculum in Hungarian populations of that species, and even considering the differences between the two forms of specific value. The present paper is a summary of new discoveries concerning this problem; the characters distinguishing the two forms are discussed, whereas new information on their distribution in Central Europe is presented, and their systematic position is evaluated.