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Maghreb Myotis

Myotis punicus

French: Murin du Maghreb / German: Punisches Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero de Magreb

Other common names: Felten's Myotis, Maghreb Mouse-eared Bat, Maghrebian Myotis

Taxonomy. Myotis blythit punicus Felten in Felten et al, 1977,

“Hohle [= Cave] El Haouaria, Cap [= Cape] Bon, Tunesien [= Tunisia],” north-central Africa.

Subgenus Myotis; myotis species group.

Monotypic.

Distribution. W Mediterranean Is (Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, Gozo, Pantelleria), NW Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 67-79 mm, ear 26- 1-29 mm, forearm 54-63- 9 mm; weight 19-25 g. The Maghreb Myotisis a cryptic species with the Greater Myotis ( M. myotis) and the Lesser Myotis ( M. blythii). Dorsal fur is fluffy and dark brown or gray, contrasting with whitish or pale brown venter. Wings are inserted at base oftoes; wingspans are 350-410 mm. Ears are very long, and together with its larger size allowsfield identification when resting. Tragusis fully pigmented, without dark spot on tip as in the Greater Myotis . The Maghreb Myotis is more similar to the Lesser Myotis than to the Greater Myotis, although it cannot be identified at species level with only external morphology. There is no report of the Maghreb Myotis living sympatrically with the Great Myotis or the Lesser Myotis; they are genetically very differentiated. Skull is large with robust rostrum and low braincase compared to unrelated Myotis; forehead region is moderately concave and sagittal crestis strongly developed. P? is about one-half height and crown area of P? or less and is within tooth row or somewhatlingually displaced.

Habitat. Various habitats particularly open habitats (e.g. pastures, agricultural lands, or meadows) with little and short vegetation from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1200 m. The Maghreb Myotisis rarely found in forests or cluttered environments, but it does forage in edges or linear structures. Because it occurs in North Africa, it is often forages in semi-desert areas.

Food and Feeding. Diets of Maghreb Myotis mainly contain grasshoppers, bush-crickets, crickets, beetles, and moths. In some regions, Diptera also is a large percentage of diets. Cicadas, spiders, and other bugs are also found in feces. It tends to hunt in areas with low or strongly grazed vegetation because it needs to fly very close to the ground to glean prey. It can capture prey by hovering and capturing it with its feet or by landing on top of it. It can switch from gleaning to aerial hawking if no ground insects are available and flying insects are more abundant.

Breeding. Maternity colonies of the Maghreb Myotis are always in underground roosts (e.g. caves or mines) and contain several hundred up to 1000 adult females. Parturition dates vary between regions: March-April in Algeria and May in Morocco. Females become sexually active during their first year oflife.

Activity patterns. The Maghreb Myotisis a strictly cave dwelling. It roosts in natural and artificial roosts (e.g. caves, mines, or buildings). In Corsica, roosts have internal temperatures of 4-9°C in winter and 10-28°C in summer. Echolocation is almost identical to that of the Greater Myotis and the Lesser Myotis, hindering identification of pulses during acoustic surveys. Pulses are extremely modulated and range from 80-90 kHz to 20-30 kHz, with peak frequencies c.30 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Besides maternity colonies, Maghreb Myotis often roost alone in ruins, tunnels, roofs, and cracks in bridges. These individuals, usually males, defend their spot fiercely during the mating season (usually in August). When reproductive season ends, individuals move to hibernacula that tend to be very close to maternity colonies (even in the same cave if it has proper conditions for hibernation). Long-distance movements have not been reported, but seasonal distances between winter and summer roosts are largely unknown. Maximum reported distance is ¢. 22 km, and the 12 km between Corsica and Sardinia seem to minimize gene flow and keep populations isolated. Divergence time of these populations is estimated to be in the early to Middle Pleistocene. Populations in North Africa and on Mediterranean islands are highly differentiated. Maximum longevity is reportedly 5-8 years. Maghreb Myotis commonly share space with other strict cave-dwelling species such as several species of Rhinolophus, Schreibers’s Long-fingered Bats ( Miniopterus schreibersii), and Long-fingered Myotis (M. capaccinii).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Main threats to the Maghreb Myotis are disturbance in caves and mines by tourists, fires, and vandalism. Some individuals have been captured for medical purposes.

Bibliography. Agnarsson et al. (2011), Ahmim & Moali (2011), Baron & Vella (2010), Bendjeddou, Bitam et al. (2013), Bendjeddou, Bouslama & Amr (2016), Beuneux (2004), Biollaz et al. (2010), Bosso et al. (2016), Bruyndonckx et al. (2010), Castella et al. (2000), Ruedi & Mayer (2001), Walters et al. (2012).