414.

Sir David Attenborough’s Myotis

Myotis attenboroughi

French: Murin dAttenborough / German: David-Attenborough-Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero de David Attenborough

Taxonomy. Myotis attenboroughi Moratelli et al., 2017,

“Charlottesville, 1 km N of Pirate’s Bay, ca. 11°19N, 60°33'W, Saint John Parish, Tobago Island, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, sea level.”

Subgenus Pizonyx; albescens species group. See M. nigricans . Monotypic.

Distribution. Only known from Tobago I, Lesser Antilles.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 35-43 mm, tail 32-35 mm, ear 12-16 mm, hindfoot 6-8 mm, forearm 31-4-33- 3 mm; weight c. 4 g. Fur is medium to long (dorsal fur 6-8 mm; ventral fur 5-6 mm) and silky. Ventral hairs are strongly bicolored, with black bases (two-thirds the length) and light buff tips (one-third). Bases and tips of dorsal fur contrast weakly, with black bases (two-thirds) and mummy-brown tips (one-third). Ears are medium-sized, extending forward halfway from eye to nostril. Antitragal notch is barely evident. Membranes are mummy brown; plagiopatagium is attached to foot at toes by a broad band of membrane. Fringe of hairs along trailing edge of uropatagium is absent; upper and lower surfaces of uropatagium are naked or nearly naked. Skull is small (greatest length of skull 12:5-13- 1 mm; braincase breadth 5-9-6- 2 mm); occipital region is rounded, projecting behind posterior surfaces of occipital condyles; sagittal crest is generally absent or, when present,is low; lambdoidal crests are generally present and low but can be absent. P? is aligned in tooth row, being smaller than P* and P* and visible in labial view. Wing morphology is typical of aerial insectivore that uses cluttered spaces.

Habitat. Forested habitats from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 260 m.

Food and Feeding. Sir David Attenborough’s Myotisis an aerial insectivore that forages over water in dams, streams, and near the ocean.

Breeding. One pregnant and one lactating Sir David Attenborough’s Myotis were collected in April.

Activity patterns. Sir David Attenborough’s Myotis emerges just before sunset. A large group was found roosting in a dam house on the Hillsborough Reservoir.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Sir David Attenborough’s Myotis is endemic to the island of Tobago, whose area is of only ¢. 300 km? it is only known from a few localities and just over a dozen specimens; and it might have a high risk of extinction.

Bibliography. Goodwin & Greenhall (1961), Moratelli et al. (2017).