405.

LaVal's Myotis

Myotis lavali

French: Murin de LaVal / German: LaVal-Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero de LaVal

Taxonomy. Myotis lavali Moratelli et al, 2011,

“6.km S of Exu (7°30'S, 30°43'W), Pernambuco State, Brazil, 523 m above sea level.”

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

Distribution. From NE Brazil to Paraguay and NW Argentina.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.41 50 mm, tail 31-42 mm, ear 11-14 mm, hindfoot 5-8 mm, forearm 31: 5-37 mm; weight 3-7 g. Fur is long and silky (dorsal fur ¢. 7 mm; ventral fur ¢. 6 mm). Dorsal hairs are strongly bicolored, with medium brown bases (two-thirds the total length) and light-brown tips; ventral hairs are strongly bicolored, with dark brown bases (two-thirds the total length) and cinnamon buff tips. Specimens from Atlantic Forest can have darker dorsal fur and less contrast between bases and tips. Ears are short, extending forward halfway from eye to nostril. Antitragal notch is barely evident. Tragusis pointed, slightly curving outward above and convex below, with small (length 7-9 mm) triangular lobule at outer base. Plagiopatagium is attached to toes by a broad band of membrane. Fringe of hairs along trailing edge of uropatagium is absent, although some hairs can be present in a few specimens. Membranes are mummy brown. Skull is small to moderate in size (greatest length of skull 13-2-15- 2 mm), with long and upwardly oriented rostrum; postorbital constriction is narrow; forehead slopes steeply relative to skull; supraoccipital region is rounded; occipital projects beyond posterior limit of occipital condyles; sagittal and lambdoid crests are generally present and low; and P? is generally in tooth row.

Habitat. Brazilian Caatinga and Cerrado and Paraguayan Alto Chaco ecoregions, predominantly with semiarid and savanna formations, with peripheral records in seasonal semideciduous forests in adjacent Atlantic Forest at elevations of 15-900 m (apparently more frequent at ¢. 350-550 m.

Food and Feeding. [L.aVal’s Myotis forages in open areas and over water, capturing prey in flight. Diets include various insects, particularly Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera .

Breeding. L.aVal’s Myotis from Brazilian Caatinga breeds year-round, with no peaks of pregnancy or lactation in rainy seasons.

Activity patterns. [.aVal’s Myotis emerges just before sunset. In Brazilian Caatinga,its activity 1s concentrated in the first five hours after sunset, and it roosted in horizontal crevices in sandstone rock, small cave in a sandstone plateau with xeric shrub vegetation, and rooftops of abandoned human dwelling. Wing morphology is typical of aerial insectivore that uses cluttered spaces.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Brazilian Caatinga, LLaVal’s Myotis formed colonies of 16-20 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. L.aVal’s Myotis is widespread and presumably has a large population.

Bibliography. Barquez et al. (2017), Moratelli & Wilson (2013), Moratelli, Peracchi, Dias & Oliveira (2011), Solari (2017), Willig (1985a, 1985c).