Myotis caucensis Allen, 1914

Velazco, Paúl M. & Patterson, Bruce D., 2019, Small Mammals Of The Mayo River Basin In Northern Peru, With The Description Of A New Species Of Sturnira (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2019 (429), pp. 1-69 : 43-44

Myotis caucensis Allen, 1914

VOUCHER MATERIAL: Waqanki: 1 adult female ( FMNH 203646 ), 2 adult males ( MUSM 39243 , 39244 ) ; see table 19 for measurements.

IDENTIFICATION: Myotis is the most diverse and widely distributed bat genus with 126 species recognized ( Burgin et al., 2018). The taxonomy and systematics of the genus, especially in the

New World, is confused and controversial (e.g., LaVal, 1973; Moratelli and de Oliveira, 2011; Moratelli et al., 2011 a,b, 2013; Moratelli and Wilson, 2011; Larsen et al., 2012; Mantilla-Meluk and Muñoz-Garay, 2014). Recently, several studies have attempted to clarify the taxonomy of the Myotis nigricans species complex ( Larsen et al., 2012; Moratelli et al., 2013; Moratelli and Wilson, 2014). One of the results of these revisions was the recognition of Myotis caucensis as a valid species where previously it had been regarded as a junior synonym of Myotis nigricans osculatii ( Wilson, 2008b; Moratelli et al., 2013). M. caucensis occurs along the intermontane valleys of the Andes in Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and Peru and the adjacent Amazon lowlands across an elevational range from ca. 200 to 2600 m ( LaVal, 1973; Moratelli et al., 2013). No subspecies are currently recognized in M. caucensis ( Moratelli et al., 2013) . Our Mayo River basin voucher specimens exhibit the diagnostic characteristics of the species: medium-size (FA 36.0–38.5 mm); dorsal pelage silky and unicolored; a fringe of hairs lacking along the trailing edge of the uropatagium; sagittal crest absent; and frontals not steeply sloping ( Moratelli et al., 2013). Measurements of our specimens fall within the range of measurements reported for the species.