Rickett water bat

Rickett water bat
Systematics
Order :	Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily :	Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea)
Family :	Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionidae)
Subfamily :	Myotinae
Genre :	Mouse ears ( myotis )
Type :	Rickett water bat
Scientific name
	Myotis pilosus
	( Peters , 1869)

The Rickett's water bat ( Myotis pilosus ( Syn .: Myotis ricketti Thomas , 1894 )) is a species of mouse ears ( Myotis ) within the bats (Chiroptera). It occurs in East and Southeast Asia from the east of the People's Republic of China to Laos and Vietnam . In contrast to most bat species, the species is highly adapted to the use of fish as a source of food and is therefore threatened, especially in China, by the high level of water pollution.

features

The Rickett water bat is a comparatively large species of bat. It reaches a head-torso length of about 65 millimeters and a tail length of 45 to 54 millimeters. The hind feet have a length of 15 to 17 millimeters and are about as long with the claws as the shins (tibiae). The ears measure 15 to 18 millimeters and are strong. The fur is very short and close-fitting. It is reddish brown on the back, the belly is almost white with black-gray hair tips. The hind legs and feet, as well as the base of the tail skin, are covered with short hair. The forearm length is 53 to 56 millimeters and the calcar is 18 to 21.5 millimeters long. The flight membrane starts in the middle area of the shins.

The skull has a total length of 18 to 21 millimeters. It is long and narrow with a flat sagittal crest. The tympanic cavities are small. The zygomatic arches are narrow and pointed in a wedge shape. The hypoconae of the upper molars are poorly developed and have no small ptotoconae. The outer incisors of the upper jaw have well-formed tooth tips.

Distribution area

distribution

The Rickett water bat occurs in East and Southeast Asia from the east of the People's Republic of China to Laos and Vietnam . In China, the species has been found in Anhui , Beijing , Fujian , Guangdong , Guangxi , Shandong , Shanxi , Yunnan , Zhejiang and Jiangxi as well as in Hong Kong and is probably also found in Hunan and Jiangsu . In 2004, 27 individuals smaller than those on the mainland were caught on Hainan . The distribution in Laos and Vietnam is isolated and not fully understood.

Way of life

The Rickett water bat feeds on insects and small fish. They mainly hunt over open water. They were also often caught in the area of cave entrances where they have their day quarters, as well as in secondary forest areas and limestone regions. Various fish species, including Zacco platypus , Carassius auratus and Phoxinus lagowskii , as well as butterflies and other insects, were identified as food sources using fecal samples from the region around Beijing . Zacco platypus sometimes represented up to 60% of the diet, making it probably the most specialized bat species in the region.

Systematics

Myotis pilosus is assigned to the mouse ears (genus Myotis ) as an independent species . The first scientific description comes from the German zoologist Wilhelm Peters from 1869. Oldfield Thomas also described Myotis ricketti in 1894 , which is considered a synonym . The frequent naming as Myotis ricketti despite the older name goes back to a faulty terra typica by Peters, which is in Uruguay . Sometimes it was assigned to its own subgenus as Rickettia .

Apart from the nominate form, no further subspecies are distinguished within the species .

Hazard and protection

The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of the warning list (near threatened). It is a widespread species, but it is not very tolerant of disturbances. The species is heavily dependent on clean water sources for its diet and, especially in China, water pollution is a major threat to the species' populations. Although no population figures are known, the species will decline significantly in China by more than 30% over the next Assumed 15 years or the next three generations due to water pollution. The threat is less severe in Southeast Asia. The relatively large bat species is probably hunted and used locally as a source of meat.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Don E. Wilson: Rickett's Big-Footed Myotis. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 380.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Myotis pilosus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2017-3. Posted by: G. Csorba, P. Bates, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (ed.): Myotis ricketti . In: Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3. Edition.

literature

Don E. Wilson: Rickett's Big-Footed Myotis. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 380.

Web links

Myotis pilosus inthe IUCN 2017-3 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: G. Csorba, P. Bates, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2018.

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Don E. Wilson: Rickett's Big-Footed Myotis. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 380.

[IUCN-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Myotis pilosus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2017-3. Posted by: G. Csorba, P. Bates, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2018.

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-3] Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (ed.): Myotis ricketti . In: Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3. Edition.