Myotis lavali Moratelli, Peracchi, Dias & Oliveira, 2011

Novaes, Roberto Leonan M., Claudio, Vinicius C., Diaz, M. Monica, Wilson, Don E., Weksler, Marcelo & Moratelli, Ricardo, 2022, Argentinean Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), including the description of a new species from the Yungas, Vertebrate Zoology 72, pp. 1187-1216 : 1187

Myotis lavali Moratelli, Peracchi, Dias & Oliveira, 2011

Comments.

Small to medium-sized species (FA 33.8-39.6 mm, body mass 5-6 g; Table 7 , Fig. 15 ), with silky and long fur (LDH 5-8 mm, LVH 4-6 mm). Ears are moderate in length (13-14 mm). Dorsal fur strongly bicolored, with Clove Brown bases (1/2 hair length) and Buffy Brown tips (1/2 hair length). The ventral fur strongly bicolored, with Bone Brown bases (1/2 hair length) and generally Pale Olive-Buff tips (1/2 hair length). Membranes and ears are Mummy Brown or lighter. Legs and dorsal surface of uropatagium naked. A fringe of hairs along the trailing edge of the uropatagium is absent. The plagiopatagium attached to feet on the level of the base of the toes by a wide band of membrane. Skull small to moderate in size (GLS 13.6-13.8 mm, BCB 6.5-6.7 mm), and the rostrum comparatively short and narrow. The P3 is smaller than P2 and usually aligned in the toothrow and visible in labial view. Sagittal crest usually present and very low, or even absent in some individuals; lambdoidal crests usually present and very low. Parietals decay anteriorly; occipital region rounded and projected beyond the occipital condyle limits; braincase is elongated in dorsal view; the postorbital and interorbital constrictions are comparatively narrow.

Myotis lavali occurs from Northeastern Brazil, throughout South American diagonal of open formations, to Paraguay and northern Argentina, in savannas, semi-arid fields, and seasonal forests ( Moratelli et al. 2019a; Weber et al. 2019). In Argentina, it is present in Dry Chaco scrublands and Yungas Forest from Salta and Santiago del Estero Provinces, in an altitudinal range from 120 to 800 m.

Figures

Figure 15. Adult female of Myotis izecksohni (CML 10200) from Misiones, Argentina.