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Common Whiskered Myotis

Myotis mystacinus

French: Murin a moustaches / German: Kleine Bartfledermaus / Spanish: Ratonero bigotudo

Other common names: Common Whiskered Bat, Whiskered Bat, Whiskered Myotis

Taxonomy. Vespertilio mystacinus Kuhl, 1817,

Hanau, Germany.

Subgenus Myotis; mystacinus species group. Several species were formerly grouped as a “whiskered Myotis ” morpho-group (e.g. M. mystacinus, M. muricola, M. brown, M. davidii, M. sibiricus, M. brandti) in subgenus Selysius, but genetic data show the group to be paraphyletic. Sympatric with M. davidii in the Middle East, where the respective ranges of the two require clarification. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution. M.m.mystacinusKuhl,1817—widespreadinEuropeNto64°N,fromSScandinaviatoNIberianPeninsulaandGreece,alsoonCorsicaandCrete.

M.m.caucasicusTsytsulina,2000—Turkey,Lebanon,andCaucasus,extendingintoN&NEIran.

M. m. occidentalis Benda, 2000 — S Iberian Peninsula and N Morocco.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 35-48 mm, tail 30-43 mm, ear 12-15 mm, hindfoot c. 7 mm, forearm 32-36- 5 mm; weight 4-7 g. The Common Whiskered Myotis is one of the smallest bats in Europe, with remarkably long fur. Dorsally dark brown or brownish, although some have reddish or even golden fur; ventrally grayish. Juveniles are always darker than adults, from blackish to grayish. Very similar to Brandt's Myotis (M. brandtir) and the Alcathoe Whiskered Myotis (M. alcathoe), from which it can be distinguished by penis shape, which is long and regularly narrow in the Common Whiskered Myotis . Wings are blackish and are attached to body at base of fingers. Face and ears are dark or even black. Ears relatively long, with 4-5 horizontal folds; when extended, ears overpass snout by more than 2 mm; tragus long, sharp and pointed. Foot relatively small, especially compared to trawling bats. The Iberian race seems to be larger and brighter. Skull is small and delicate; braincase is high with strongly concave forehead; no sagittal crest. P? is half height and crown area of P*, which does not touch P* P* and P* are usually both within tooth row, sometimes both slightly displaced lingually; lower molars are myotodont. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44 and FNa = 50

Habitat. Very varied, from open habitats to forest patches, grassland, shrubland and desert, to humid areas, forests and following watercourses. Locally, it is a regular house-dweller in urban zones, where it also uses orchards and gardens. But in the south ofits range, it seems more closely related to woodlands (beech, oak, coniferous or deciduous forests). It also frequents agricultural land and montane ecosystems. Occurs from sea level up to mountains over 2000 m (e.g. Moroccan mountains from the Rif to southern slope of High Atlas).

Food and Feeding. The Common Whiskered Myotis feeds on a wide-range of insects, with average prey size ¢.7- 5 mm. Usually takes flying insects, especially Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera; but in lesser proportions also Coleoptera and non-flying insects such as spiders or caterpillars. Sometimes forages in vegetation, taking insects from surfaces. It has agile flight and high maneuverability. It usually hunts along forest borders, in semi-open areas and especially near inland waters, preferably over calm water; also floodplains. Rarely hunts aquatic insects.

Breeding. Maternity colonies usually number 20-60, although colonies of several hundred have also been reported. The Common Whiskered Myotis uses a broad range of roosts such as trees, buildings and rock crevices, as well as bird and bat boxes. Colonies are frequently mixed with Common Pipistrelles ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and single bats of other species. Males spend the summer alone, as maternity colonies are composed mostly of females, except in the Balkans, where colonies tend to be smaller and mixedsex). One-year-old females are sexually mature; young are born between mid-June and July. Mating has been reported between late-July and first half of August, occurring in male roosts, swarming sites or hibernation places (where mating occurs in early spring). At swarming sites, this species is one of the most abundant at caves; sex ratio is quite balanced compared with other Myotis (with high proportions of males). Mating starts in autumn and continues until hibernation. As in many other temperate species, the Common Whiskered Myotis has a delayed implantation of the embryo, as it only starts developing in spring when bats wake from hibernation. Maximum longevity record suggests a maximum of 23 years in the wild.

Activity patterns. During the breeding season, colonies are commonly found in small cavities, cracks and gaps in houses, or under bridges or rock crevices; the Common Whiskered Myotis changes the roost frequently. In hibernation roosts, it is normally found alone or in relatively small aggregations, occupying caves, mines, tunnels or cracks in rocks, forming colonies of up to 100 bats. At hibernation roosts, temperature tends to range 2-8°C, with high humidity. Heaps of boulders may also be important sites for hibernation. Echolocation calls (similar in all small Myotis) are relatively long (3-6 milliseconds); modulated pulses start at 75-120 kHz and end at 28-30 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sedentary or a short-distance migrant, usually not exceeding 50-100 km;a few flights surpass 150 km, with a maximum of 625 km in France. This species usually emerges to forage at sunset or up to ¢.30 minutes later; it moves up to 5 km each night to foraging areas; occasionally hunts during sunlight hours, covering average area of ¢.230 ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Common Whiskered Myotis is widespread, with no threats apparent. Due to the recent split of Brandt’s Myotis and the Alcathoe Whiskered Myotis,its status needs reassessment. Local declines o have been reported, due to roost loss, disturbance or vandalism of underground habitats, and conversion of orchards for housing. In North Africa, the species is also used for traditional medicine, but at present this does not represent a threat. British and German populations seem to be stable. In Africa, the species seems to be very rare.

Bibliography. Albayrak (1991), Benda & Karatas (2005), Benda & Tsytsulina (2000), Benda, Abi-Said et al. (2016), Benda, Faizolahi et al. (2012), Benda, Gazaryan & Vallo (2016), Boston, Buckley et al. (2010), Boston, Hanrahan et al. (2011), Buckley et al. (2013), Coroiu (2016c¢), Hanék (1970), Hanék et al. (2001), von Helversen et al. (2001), Kammonen (2015), Kondo & Sasaki (2005), Kruskop & Borisenko (1996), Lugan et al. (2011), Mayer & von Helversen (2001), Nogueras et al. (2013), Piksa (2008), Tsytsulina et al. (2012).