496.

Large Myotis

Myotis chinensis

French: Murin de Chine / German: China-Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero de China

Taxonomy. Vespertilio chinensis Tomes, 1857,

“ China.”

Subgenus Myotis; myotis species group. Myotis chinensis has occasionally been treated as a subspecies of M. myotis, butit is clearly distinct on morphological and molecular grounds. Relationship of M. chinensis to other Myotis is still unresolved. The name luctuosus has been treated as a subspecies of M. chinensis in China, but there does not seem to be considerable variation to Justify it recognition. Monotypic.

Distribution. C & SE China (from Shanxi and Jiangsu S to Yunnan, Guanxi, and Guangdong; isolated records in Nei Mongol, Beijing, and Hainan), E Myanmar, N Thailand, N Laos, and N & C Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 91-97 mm, tail 53-58 mm, ear 20-23 mm, hindfoot 16-18 mm, forearm 64-69 mm; weight 25-30 g. The Large Myotis is very large. Dorsal pelage is dark olive-brown, with lateral taupe or blackish brown striations leading to dark gray venter (hair tips are slightly paler and grayer than on dorsum, both of which have dark bases). Bare parts of membranes, ears, and muzzle are dark gray. Ears are long and slender, and tragus is tapered and slightly angled forward. Calcar is long and unkeeled. Skull and teeth are robust; rostrum is relatively short, and braincase is relatively long; P is about one-half to two-thirds the crown area and height of P? and is slightly intruded; and P, is one-half to two-thirds the crown area and height of P, and compressed in tooth row. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44 and FNa = 50.

Habitat. Large variety of habitats from lowland forests to hilly regions, including urban areas (e.g. around Beijing), at elevations of 50-1000 m.

Food and Feeding. Large Myotis likely glean relatively large terrestrial insects (particularly carabid Coleoptera and Orthoptera). Fecal samples from Beijing primarily contained carabid Coleoptera (45-2% by volume), Orthoptera (25%), Diptera (10-6%), and smaller amounts of Odonata, Homoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera .

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Large Myotis appear to roost in caves in limestone areas and is known to hibernate in caves in winter in China. Calls are steep FM sweeps, with average start frequency of 83-6 kHz, end frequency of 14 kHz, peak frequency of 54-2 kHz, interpulse interval of 53-9 milliseconds, and duration of 6-3 milliseconds in Beijing, China.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Large Myotis is widespread and appears to be relatively common in some areas.

Bibliography. Bates, Hendrichsen et al. (1999), Bates, Nwe Tin, Bu Si-Si-Hla et al. (2005), Bates, Nwe Tin, Swe Khin-Maung & Bu Si-Si-Hla (2001), Csorba, Bates & Furey (2008b), Francis (2008a), Kawai et al. (2003), Kruskop (2013a), Liu Hao et al. (2010), Ma Jie et al. (2008), Puechmaille, Allegrini et al. (2012), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Wang Yingxiang (2003), Wu Yi etal. (2006), Zhang Weidao (1984), Zhang Yongzu et al. (1997).