Northern long-eared myotis
Myotis septentrionalis
Myotis septentrionalis is a North American bat species from the genus of mouse ears (Myotis ) within the family of Myotis bats ( Vespertilionidae ).
Description
Myotis septentrionalis is 7.7 to 9.5 inches tall and 5 to 8 grams. The females are slightly larger and heavier than the males. Both the skin and the wing membrane are colored light brown. The third, fourth and fifth metacarpals are of equal length. The narrow skull has a relatively long rostrum and long ears. Compared to other Mouse ears (Myotis ) Myotis septentrionalis has a longer tail and a larger wing area. This type is highly maneuverable when flying slowly through densely vegetated terrain.
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area of Myotis septentrionalis extends across much of Canada and the eastern United States. The main distribution area includes doing Québec, Ontario and New England. The southern boundary of the distribution is located in Florida, while the western frontier Alberta, British Columbia, Montana and Wyoming runs. Fossils from the Pleistocene are for Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee before.
There are colonized mainly forested areas. Chance but specimens have also been caught in the prairie.
Way of life
As dormitories especially trees and rare caves and buildings are used, and these are changed about every two days. Males and females occupy separate sleeping quarters. Sexually mature females engage in groups of up to 60 animals. Males and immature females raced individually or in groups of up to 10 animals.
Myotis septentrionalis wintered mainly in caves and abandoned mines. Depending on the geographic location wintered the way from early September to early May. Wintering areas are usually used several times. The wintering areas are often associated with the Big Brown Bat ( Eptesicus fuscus ), Myotis lucifugus with and with Pipistrellus divided subflavus.
Reproduction
Mating usually takes place in late July to early October. The male mounts the female during copulation from behind and bites into her neck firmly. The females are likely to store capable of sperm over the winter, because the egg is fertilized until spring. The offspring are born, depending on geographical location, between mid-May and mid-July to the world.
Foraging
Myotis septentrionalis feeds mainly on insects, although the exact composition of the captured animals may vary depending on geographic region and season. The prey is caught during the flight, but can be collected from the ground or leaves. It is thereby captured everything that does not exceed a certain size. Search for food in both the canopy and the environment of ponds, rivers and roadsides are searched.
Diseases and Pests
The species is affected by the mite species Euschoengastia pipistrelli, Leptotrombidium myotis, Macronyssus crosbyi, Spinturax americanus and Olabidocarpus whitakeri as well as different species of the genus Acanthopthirus. Furthermore, the platform bug Cimex adjunctus and worms Hymenolepis christians soni, Plagiorchis vespertilionis were Prosthodendrium volaticum and Vampirolepis roundabushi detected. At some captured specimens of the rabies virus, the causative agent of rabies could, and the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, the causative agent of the Eastern equine encephalomyelitis, can be detected
System
The species was long regarded as a subspecies of Myotis keenii. Zyll van de Jong led Myotis septentrionalis in 1973 as an independent art Manning looks Myotis keenii as sister species during Zyll van de Jong and Nagorsen Myotis evotis view as such.
The specific epithet comes from the Latin septentrionalis and means something like "north ".
Swell
- M. Carolina Caceres and Robert MR Barclay Myotis septentrionalis in: Mammalian Species 2000, No. 634, pp. 1-4.