Myotis lucifugus

Myotis lucifugus
SMBishop · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Little brown bat
Status	VU
Status system	IUCN3.1
Genus	Myotis
Species	lucifugus
Authority	(Le Conte, 1831)

Myotis lucifugus is a small insectivorous bat native to North America known as the little brown bat. It is a member of the family Vespertilionidae and has been the subject of extensive study by researchers associated with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Canadian Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Canada, and universities including Harvard University, University of Toronto, and University of California, Berkeley. Its population dynamics have influenced conservation policy at agencies like Environment and Climate Change Canada and international assessments by the IUCN.

Taxonomy and Naming

The species was described by John Eatton Le Conte in 1831 and placed in the genus Myotis, a group revised by taxonomists working at museums such as the American Museum of Natural History and the British Museum (Natural History). Nomenclatural treatments have appeared in monographs from the Linnean Society of London and catalogues produced by the United States National Museum. Molecular phylogenetics by research teams at institutions like University of Oxford, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and Smithsonian Institution have compared mitochondrial markers across taxa including relatives studied by American Society of Mammalogists members. Historical common names used in field guides published by National Geographic Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and The Audubon Society reflect regional usage documented in reports by the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Description

Adults are small, with fur coloration and morphology described in faunal accounts from the Field Museum of Natural History and illustrated in guides by Roger Tory Peterson and publications from the Lincoln Park Zoo. Diagnostic characters—ear shape, tragus form, forearm length, and dental formula—have been used in keys published by the American Society of Mammalogists and surveys conducted by state agencies such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and provincial agencies like Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Morphometric comparisons with congeners in studies at Yale University, University of British Columbia, and University of Michigan help distinguish the species from closely related taxa described in texts from the Royal Ontario Museum and the Canadian Journal of Zoology.

Distribution and Habitat

Range maps produced by organizations such as the IUCN, NatureServe, and the Canadian Wildlife Service show occurrence across much of Canada and the continental United States, with historical records in regions surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada. Habitats used for foraging and roosting are documented in reports by the National Park Service, Parks Canada, and state park systems like Yellowstone National Park and Algonquin Provincial Park. Roost sites include anthropogenic structures noted in case studies from the United States Forest Service, municipal inventories by the City of Toronto, and industrial surveys undertaken for projects approved by agencies such as the National Environmental Policy Act review offices. Seasonal movements referenced in banding datasets curated by the North American Bat Monitoring Program and long-term monitoring by the Bat Conservation International indicate localized philopatry and occasional dispersal documented in conservation literature.

Behavior and Ecology

Foraging behavior and diet—primarily small nocturnal insects—have been quantified in research collaborations among Cornell University, Duke University, and the University of Alberta using acoustic surveys promoted by the North American Bat Monitoring Program and equipment sourced from manufacturers used by labs like those at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Echolocation parameters have been characterized in studies affiliated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University and reported at meetings of the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Conservation Biology. Roosting ecology in maternity colonies has been the focus of fieldwork conducted by organizations such as Bat Conservation International, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with behavioral observations compared against data from European projects led by the Bureau des Recherches Génétiques and the Natural History Museum, London.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Reproductive timing—spring mating with delayed fertilization and summer maternity colonies—has been detailed in monographs from the American Society of Mammalogists and longitudinal studies at institutions including University of Minnesota and McGill University. Life-history parameters, including litter size, age at first reproduction, and longevity records verified by museum collections at the Smithsonian Institution and banding recoveries documented by the North American Banding Council, are used in population models applied by analysts at NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Geological Survey for demographic assessments.

Conservation and Threats

Population declines from white-nose syndrome, a disease caused by the fungus described in research by teams at Syracuse University, Drexel University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Veterinary School at Cornell University, have prompted emergency listings and recovery planning by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the IUCN. Conservation actions proposed and implemented involve habitat protection under frameworks used by National Park Service, Parks Canada, and state natural heritage programs like NatureServe, as well as mitigation guidance produced by the U.S. Forest Service and nonprofit organizations including The Nature Conservancy and Bat Conservation International. Threat assessments in environmental impact statements prepared for projects reviewed by the National Environmental Policy Act and provincial equivalents consider secondary stressors such as pesticide exposure investigated by scientists at Environmental Protection Agency and landscape fragmentation documented by the World Wildlife Fund.

Category:Myotis Category:Bats of North America