Brandt's bat

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Brandt's bat

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Myotis
Species:
M. brandtii
Binomial name
Myotis brandtii
(Eversmann, 1845)
Map showing distribution of species in Eurasia
Myotis brandtii range in red
Synonyms
  • Vespertilio brandtii Eversmann, 1845
  • Myotis mystacinus brandtii

Brandt's bat or Brandt's myotis (Myotis brandtii) is a species of

vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is native throughout most of Europe and parts of western Asia.[1]

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was described in 1845 by German zoologist Eduard Friedrich Eversmann, who placed it the genus Vespertilio.[2] For a time, the Brandt's bat was considered a subspecies of the whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus. In 1958, one author proposed that the two might be separate species, based on baculum differences; this idea gained traction in papers authored in 1970 and 1971.[3] It is named for the German zoologist Johann Friedrich von Brandt.[4]

Formerly, populations in central and eastern Asia were classified in this species. However, more recent studies indicate that they form a distinct species, the Siberian bat (Myotis sibiricus).[5]

Range and habitat

It is found throughout Europe and western Asia, and can be found in the following regions: Great Britain, Western Europe, Central Europe, Fennoscandia, and western Russia.[1] In the Balkans it is limited to the mountains.[6] In 2010, Brandt's bat was documented in Ireland for the first time.[7] Throughout its range, it has been documented at elevations from 0–1,800 m (0–5,906 ft) above sea level. It can be found in deciduous forests, or forests that are a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. It is often found in close proximity to water.[1]

Description

It has dark gray or brown fur that is grayish underneath with golden tips. The face and the tips of ears are pinkish in color.[8]

Biology

Brandt's bat in the hand of a researcher

Like primates and other bats, the Brandt's bat has lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C.[9]

Reproduction

During the summer, females will form

maternity colonies to raise their young. The litter size is one pup. Pups are born in early summer, with pups becoming volant around one month of age. Maternity colonies have also been found in tree cavities and in bat houses. Some females reach sexual maturity at three months of age, but most do not breed until after reaching a year of age.[8] Mating occurs in the fall,[8] but females store the sperm until the spring, which is when fertilization occurs.[9]

Longevity

Brandt's bats had previously been reported to have very long lifespans nearing 40 years, but these populations have since been reclassified into a different species, the

hibernates, which is linked to longer life expectancies in bats.[9]

Senses

Like other

sense of smell. Its eyes are small and adapted to vision in low-light levels. They are likely totally or partially color-blind, and likely unable to see clearly in bright daylight.[9] The frequencies used by this bat species for echolocation lie between 32 and 103 kHz, have maximum energy density at 51 kHz and have an average duration of 4.2 ms.[11][12]

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as

least concern by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this designation because it is an abundant, widespread species, with no indication of a decline in its population.[1] Like all bat species in Europe, the Brandt's bat is a European Protected Species, meaning that it is illegal to deliberately capture, kill, injure, or disturb individuals; in addition, their roosts are protected as "breeding or resting" places.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Gazaryan, S.; Kruskop, S.V.; Godlevska, L. (2021) [errata version of 2020 assessment]. "Myotis brandtii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T85566997A195857637. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ Eversmann, E. F. (1845). Vespertiliones in promontoriis Uralensibus tractibusque confinibus observati. Moscow: Bulletin de la Société impériale des naturalistes de Moscou. pp. 18–21.
  3. doi:10.1163/26660644-04601004
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0801895333
    .
  5. ^
    ISSN 1508-1109
    .
  6. ^ Myotis brandtii - Science for Nature Foundation
  7. S2CID 83910263
    .
  8. ^ a b c "Brandt's bat" (PDF). bats.org. Bat Conservation Trust. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  9. ^
    PMID 23962925
    .
  10. ^
    ISSN 1079-5006
    .
  11. PMID 10934005
    .
  12. S2CID 86180828
    .
  13. ^ "What are European Protected Species?". Biodiversity Planning Toolkit. Association of Local Government Ecologists (ALGE). 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2017.

External links

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