The flat-headed myotis (''Myotis planiceps'') is a species of

vesper bat Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat famili ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

where it is found in certain montane forests in the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

in the northeast of the country. Once thought to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

, this bat was rediscovered in 2004 by Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales and colleagues. The species is now classified as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Description

''M. planiceps'' is a small member of '' Myotis'', growing to a length of . It weighs about . The ears are fur-less and about long, and the face lacks ornamentation. The interfemoral membrane (which stretches from one hind leg to the other) includes the tail. The fur is about long and the individual hairs have blackish bases and brown tips.

Distribution and habitat

This bat is

to Mexico where it is restricted to a small area in the states of

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

and

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

in the

range in the northeast of the country. It occurs at altitudes between and its total range is probably smaller than . It has specific habitat requirements, being confined to montane forests with ''

Yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

'' and pinyon pine.

Status

The mountain forests with yucca and pinyon pine where the flat-headed myotis lives are limited in extent and subject to logging and man-made degradation. With the quality and quantity of its

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

declining, the bat's population has dwindled, so much so that in 1996 it was thought to be

. It has been rediscovered since then and two new localities have been found. The total population is probably fewer than 250 individuals and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has rated its conservation status as

. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent

extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1830756 Mouse-eared bats Endemic mammals of Mexico Bats of Mexico Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1955 Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental