Myotis muricola (Bates and Harrison, 1997)

Bates, Paul J. J., Nwe, Tin, Bu, Si Si Hla, Mie, Khin Mie, Swe, Khin Maung, Nyo, Nyo, Khaing, Aye Aye, Aye, Nu Nu, Toke, Yin Yin, Aung, Naing Naing, Thi, Mar Mar & Mackie, Iain, 2005, A review of the genera Myotis, Ia, Pipistrellus, Hypsugo, and Arielulus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Myanmar (Burma), including three species new to the country, Acta Chiropterologica 7 (2), pp. 205-236 : 210-211

Myotis muricola

Nepalese Whiskered Bat

Vespertilio muricola Gray, 1846: 4 ; Nepal

New material from Myanmar

Tanintharyi division: Near Leik Kyi Vil-

lage, 14.11.2003, 1 ♂ (TB12).

Previous records from Myanmar

Tanintharyi division: Tanintharyi (= Te-

nasserim, Wroughton, 1915 b); Ross Island

( Lindsay, 1926).

Descriptive characters

A small Myotis with a forearm length of 33.7 and 34.2 mm, based on two specimens from Myanmar ( Table 4; FA = 31.2–37.0 mm in Bates and Harrison, 1997; 32.3–34.9 mm in Hendrichsen et al., 2001 and 32.4–38.3 mm in Borissenko and Kruskop, 2003). The feet are small measuring less than half the length of the tibiae. The hairs of the dorsal pelage have dark-brown tips and black roots. On the ventral surface, the hair tips are buff-brown with black bases. The ears are narrow, with a tall narrow tragus. The upper canine (C1) exceeds the third premolar (P4) in height. The second upper premolar (P3) is about two-thirds the crown area of the first (P2), both lie in the toothrow, although sometimes P3 maybe dis- placed slightly internally. The second lower premolar (P3) is about half the crown area and height of the first (P2); both lie within the toothrow.

Similar species

For the distinction between M. muri- cola and M. mystacinus , see above. In comparison to M. siligorensis , the skull of M. muricola is larger but the braincase is less elevated and the canines are more ro- bust ( Fig. 2 ; Bates et al., 1999).

Ecological notes

All specimens currently recorded from Myanmar were collected in the lowland evergreen Dipterocarp rainforests of Ta- nintharyi (= Tenasserim) Division. In No- vember, 2003 a single specimen was col- lected by local people from near Leik Kye village on Kadan Island, which is situated in the northern part of the Myeik (= Mergui) Archipelago. The area included extensive rubber plantations, some subsistence agri- culture and heavily disturbed secondary for- est. The altitude was between 100 and 200 metres. Previously, four specimens had been collected from the nearby Doun Island (= Ross Island in Lindsay, 1926). On the mainland, it was collected at Tanintharyi (= Tenasserim) village, which is at the conflu- ence of the Great and Little Tanintharyi Rivers. According to Wroughton (1915 b), the village was surrounded by fruit orchards and ‘secondary growth jungle and was shut in by hills’ which have an altitude of 300 m (1,000 feet).

Figures

FIG. 2. Bacula of four species of Pipistrellus. Lateral (above) and dorsal (below) views of: A — P. paterculus. MDI 12, Myanmar; B — P. javanicus. B50, Myanmar; C — P. abramus. HZM.3.32167, Vietnam; D — P. ceylonicus. HZM.3.31458, Sri Lanka, which is included to facilitate size comparisons with Fig. 1. Scale = 2 mm