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| Greater mouse-eared bat | |
|---|---|
| Name | Greater mouse-eared bat |
| Status | LC |
| Status system | IUCN3.1 |
| Genus | Myotis |
| Species | myotis |
| Authority | (Borkhausen, 1797) |
Greater mouse-eared bat is a large vesper bat native to much of Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa. It is notable for its size among Chiroptera and for being studied in contexts ranging from biospeleology to conservation biology. Researchers from institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, and the Zoological Society of London have published work on its ecology, physiology, and responses to threats like White-nose syndrome and habitat loss.
The species was described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1797 and placed in the genus Myotis, a clade within the family Vespertilionidae that includes many insectivorous bats studied by taxonomists at the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, Berlin. Its specific name derives from classical nomenclature practices used by 18th-century naturalists in the era of Carl Linnaeus and contemporaries who contributed to binomial taxonomy. Molecular phylogenetics involving researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge have clarified relationships among Eurasian Myotis species, alongside comparative work by scientists at the University of Warsaw and the University of Tartu.
The species is distinguished by a robust body, large ears, and a wingspan exceeding many congeners, traits documented in field guides produced by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Morphometric comparisons have been carried out by teams at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin and the National Museum of Natural History, Paris. Pelage is typically brownish with a lighter underside; cranial measurements and dental formulas have been described in papers associated with the Linnean Society of London and the American Museum of Natural History. Echolocation call parameters have been quantified by groups at the University of Vienna and the Hungarian Natural History Museum.
The bat occurs across much of continental Europe, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula including Spain and Portugal through central regions such as France, Germany, and Poland to eastern limits in Ukraine and western Russia, with disjunct populations in parts of Turkey and North Africa near Morocco. Its distribution has been mapped in surveys coordinated by the European Mammal Foundation and national bodies like the Polish Academy of Sciences and the French National Museum of Natural History. Typical roosts include caves and underground complexes such as those studied at Postojna Cave and the Carlsbad Caverns National Park context, alongside anthropogenic structures documented by preservationists at English Heritage sites and urban surveys in Rome. Habitats used for foraging include woodlands monitored by the Forest Research Agency and agricultural mosaics assessed by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Roosting behavior has been examined in collaborative projects involving the Bat Conservation Trust and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, revealing seasonal movements between summer maternity sites and winter hibernacula in karst systems recorded by speleologists associated with the International Union of Speleology. Social structure and colony dynamics have been analyzed by researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of Zurich, while studies on thermoregulation reference work from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Hamburg. Parasite loads and pathogen surveillance have involved teams at the Pasteur Institute and the Karolinska Institutet.
The species is insectivorous, preying on ground-dwelling and flying arthropods documented in dietary studies led by the Natural History Museum, London and the University of Barcelona. Foraging strategies include gleaning and aerial hawking across woodland edges cataloged by ecologists at the Royal Society and the Scottish Natural Heritage agency. Prey taxa recorded include Coleoptera and Orthoptera identified by entomologists at the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, Vienna. Acoustic foraging studies employing equipment from the Acoustic Ecology Lab and field teams affiliated with the University of Bristol have detailed echolocation frequencies and maneuvering behavior.
Reproductive timing, including mating swarms and delayed fertilization patterns, has been documented by reproductive biologists at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Copenhagen. Maternity colonies, juvenile growth rates, and pup development have been monitored in long-term studies coordinated by the Bat Conservation Trust and regional conservation groups such as Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Lifespan estimates and demographic models have been produced in collaboration with the University of Helsinki and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
Assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, the species nonetheless faces localized declines tied to cave disturbance investigated by teams from the European Commission’s habitat directives and national conservation agencies like the Environment Agency (England). Threats include habitat fragmentation documented by the World Wildlife Fund and the impact of pesticides studied by researchers at the Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Food Safety Authority. Disease surveillance, including concerns over White-nose syndrome and novel pathogens, has engaged laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Conservation measures promoted by NGOs such as the Bat Conservation Trust and policy instruments like the Habitat Directive aim to protect key roosts and foraging landscapes.
Category:Myotis