434.

Kock’s Myotis

Myotis dieteri

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

Other common names: Dieter's Myotis, Kock's Bat

Taxonomy. Myotis dieteri M. Happold, 2005,

“ Grotte du Viaduc a Loudima, Republic of [the] Congo (04°15' S, 13°00'E).”

Provisionally subgenus Chrysopteron; however, it is suggested that, unlike all other sub-Saharan Myotis, M. dieteri may not belong in this subgenus. Monotypic.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in S Republic of Congo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢. 48 mm, tail 38 mm, ear 10 mm, hindfoot 11 mm, forearm 37 mm. Greatest length of skull is 14- 9 mm. Kock’s Myotis is only known from one adult female. Pelage is dense; dorsally dark brown with pale auburn at tips (on holotype dried hairs are now very dark brown with paler tips), mid-dorsal hairs ¢. 5 mm; ventrally described originally as gray, but now grayish (hairs brown with grayish tips). Wing membranes uniformly blackish, attached to base (distal end) oftibia; interfemoral membrane blackish, dorsally naked except for short, straight hairs that protrude slightly beyond posterior margin, from the heel to about three-quarters of distance to tip oftail. Ears short for an African vespertilionid, dark brown, subtriangular with rounded tip; tragus narrow, long, measuring ¢.60% of ear length. Tibia dorsally and ventrally naked; hindfoot comparatively long, measuring ¢.65% of tibia length. Face uniformly brown; naked muzzle dark brown. Skull small; profile of forehead region weakly concave; sagittal crest absent; anterior palatal emargination wide. P* and P° in tooth row, but much smaller than P* P* apparently slightly lower than P* with smaller crown area. Mandible is missing on type.

Habitat. Holotype was taken from a cave c. 100 m above a hillside; the cave had a narrow opening,sloping to a lenticular cavern c. 10 m wide and 2 m high. The caveis in area of degraded forest that has been partially replaced by patches of savanna; limestone caves and rivers are present.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Holotype was taken in cave occupied by c.100 bats, mostly Lander’s Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus lander), also Largeeared Slit-faced Bats (Nycteris macrotis). The cave seemed to be a permanent day roost for those two species, as they were present, with young, each time the cave was visited by researchers; but the same did not seem true for Kock’s Myotis, which was seen on only one visit (holotype and a few others).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Kock’s Myotis has not been recorded in extensive surveys from seemingly suitable caves in the Loudima-Kimongo region, or from caves in the Mayombe and lower Kouilou regions of the Republic of the Congo, the upper Ivindo River in Gabon, or Kikwit in DR Congo, suggesting that it may be very scarce and perhaps threatened.

Bibliography. Acellen & Brosset (1968), Csorba, Chou Cheng-Han et al. (2014), Happold, M. (2005, 2013bl).