Myotis siligorensis (Horsfield, 1855)

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 : 211-212

Myotis siligorensis

Himalayan Whiskered Bat

Vespertilio siligorensis Horsfield, 1855: 102 ; Siligori, Nepal

New material from Myanmar

Shan State: Montawa Cave, 21.3.2003, sex?, (SH5); Naga Cave, 22.3.2003, 1 ♀ (SH10); Tonetar Cave (KT12); Mon State: Yathay Pyan Cave, 5.11.2002, 1 ♀ (H9).

Previous records from Myanmar

Kachin State: Hai Bum ( Carter, 1943); Adung Valley (FMNH).

Descriptive characters

This is a small species of Myotis with a forearm length of 32.9–35.6 mm, based on three specimens from Myanmar (Table 4; FA = 30.0– 31.5 mm in Bates and Har- rison, 1997; 31.0– 35.2 mm in Hendrichsen et al., 2001 and 31.8–35.3 mm in Boris- senko and Kruskop, 2003). The feet are small, less than half the length of the tibiae. The hairs of the dorsal pelage have midbrown tips and darker brown roots. On the ventral surface, the hair tips are pale creamy-buff with dark bases. The skull is small but with a relatively elevated brain-

case. The upper canine (C1) scarcely ex- ceeds the third upper premolar (P4) in height. The second upper premolar (P3) is about two-thirds the crown area and half the height of the first (P2), both lie in the toothrow. The lower canine (C1) is very weak, equal or less in height and crown area to the third lower premolar (P4). The second lower premolar (P3) is about half the crown area and two-thirds the height of the first (P2); both lie within the toothrow. Similar species

There is some mensural overlap with M. muricola . However, the ventral pelage of M. siligorensis is significantly paler and the skull has a more noticeably elevated braincase whilst the canines are evidently weak relative to skull size ( Bates et al., 1999).

Ecological notes

In Kachin State, a single individual was collected at an altitude of 490 m (1,600 feet) at Hai Bum ( Carter, 1943). It was also collected in the Adung Valley, which is in the foothills of Mount Khakaborazi in the eastern Himalaya. In Shan State, it was col- lected in the large cave complex of Mon- tawa, which is situated just below the sum- mit of the Taunggyi Range, about 4 km south-west of Taunggyi. The elevation is in excess of 1,000 m. It was also collected at Nagar Cave, the small entrance of which leads to a larger chamber with a pagoda. The original deciduous forest has been cleared for slash and burn agriculture (this took place over one hundred years ago) and both caves are now surrounded by moderately sparse vegetation, trees and shrubs.