The Annamit myotis (''Myotis annamiticus'') is a species of

mouse-eared bat The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a Neo-Latin construction, from the Greek language, Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") an ...

in the family

Vespertilionidae 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 familie ...

, described in 2001, and indigenous to the

Minh Hóa District {{Orphan, date=December 2021 Minh (Chữ Nôm: 明) is a popular unisex given name of Vietnamese origin, written using the Chinese character (明) meaning "bright", and is also popular among other East Asian names. The Chinese name Ming has the ...

on the northern coast of

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Following its description, investigators succeeded in locating ''M. annamiticus'' only in

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park Phong may refer to: Computer graphics *Phong shading *Phong reflection model * Blinn–Phong shading model * Bui Tuong Phong - creator of the Phong shading interpolation method and reflection model. Other * Phong-Kniang language * Nam Phong ...

, and the data regarding the distribution, population, and range of the species is otherwise inadequate to determine its conservation requirements. However it is protected by

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 2001. Thirteen individuals of the new species had been captured in 1999 in the foothills of the

Annamite Range The Annamite Range (; ) is a major mountain range of Mainland Southeast Asia, extending approximately through Laos, Vietnam, and a small area in northeast Cambodia. Geography The highest points of the Annamite Range are the -high Phou Bia, th ...

, which is the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

for the

species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

"''annamiticus''."

Description

It is a relatively small bat with a forearm length of and a mean weight of . Its fur is short and dense, with its color grayish brown. Its ventral fur is frosted white at the tip. From head to base of tail, it is ; its tail is . The ears are long while the tragi are long.

Biology and ecology

It has been observed foraging for prey above the surface of small streams. It echolocates with high-intensity calls that have a maximum energy of 45 k Hz. Females give birth in the spring around the end of April and beginning of May.

Range and habitat

Its range likely includes two countries in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

—

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

and

Conservation

As of 2016, it is evaluated as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

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 ...

Footnotes