Armenian whiskered bat

The Armenian whiskered bat (Myotis hajastanicus ) is an extremely rare or already extinct bat species from the genus of mouse ears (Myotis ). She is or was in the valley of Lake Sevan endemic in Armenia. The specific epithet refers to the hajastanicus Armenian Hayastan name for Armenia.

Features

The Armenian whiskered bat is similar to the whiskered bat ( Myotis mystacinus ) and was considered a time as their subspecies. In 2000 she was awarded species status due to morphological differences. It reaches a head-body length of 45 mm, a tail length of 39-49 mm, a forearm length of 34.5 to 37 mm, a wing span of 20 cm and a weight of 4.5 to 9 g The hair base is brown, the back is yellowish- brown, the belly pale yellowish to white and the wing membranes are light brown. The feet of the claws are shorter than half the length of the tibia. The Epiblema is not developed. The coat is thick and long, especially on the back.

Habitat and behavior

The Armenian whiskered bat was discovered in 1928 on the eastern shore of Lake Sevan near Sorza at an altitude of 1800 m. About the way of life nothing is known. She probably is similar to that of the steppes - whiskered bat (Myotis aurascens ). The habitat includes forests, scrublands and sleeps in underground locations.

Status

The Armenian whiskered bat was observed at five locations in the valley of Lake Sevan. All specimens were females, probably from nursery colonies. Males were never discovered. The last confirmed evidence comes from the year 1989. Since there were two extensive searches, including several days in 2003 in which no copy has been demonstrated. The disappearance of the species is probably related to deforestation in Armenia together since the 1930s. Today there are 30 specimens in the Museum collections.