Beijing mouse-eared bat explained

The Beijing mouse-eared bat, or Peking myotis (Myotis pequinius) is a species of vesper bat. It is found only in China.

Taxonomy

It was described as a new species in 1908 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas.The holotype had been collected by Malcolm Playfair Anderson in 1907.Anderson encountered the species in a cave west of Beijing.^[1]

Description

It is a relatively large mouse-eared bat with a forearm length of .Its fur is short and velvety, with the fur on its back a gray, reddish-brown.In contrast, its belly fur is off-white.^[2]

Biology and ecology

It is insectivorous, consuming mostly beetles.^[3] During the day, individuals roost in caves, though they may also roost in human structures.

Range and habitat

The Beijing mouse-eared bat is endemic to China, where it is found in the provinces of Anhui, Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanxi, and Sichuan.

Conservation

As of 2019, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN.It meets the criteria for this classification because its extent of occurrence exceeds ; its population is presumably large; and it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline.

See also

• Beijing barbastelle

Notes and References

1. Thomas. O.. 1908. The Duke of Bedford's Zoological Exploration in Eastern Asia.-X. List of Mammals from the Provinces of Chih-li and Shan-si, N. China. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1908:May-Dec. [pp.431-983] . 637–638.
2. Book: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Andrew T.. Smith. Yan. Xie. Robert S.. Hoffmann. Darrin. Lunde. John. MacKinnon. Don E.. Wilson. W. Chris. Wozencraft. Princeton University Press. 2010. 978-1400834112. 379.
3. 10.3161/1733-5329(2006)8[451:ECWSDA]2.0.CO;2. 2006. 8. 2. 451–463. Echolocation calls, wing shape, diet and phylogenetic diagnosis of the endemic Chinese bat Myotis pequinius. Acta Chiropterologica. Jones. Gareth. Parsons. Stuart. Zhang. Shuyi. Stadelmann. Benoît. Benda. Petr. Ruedi. Manuel.