Mammals of the WorldRussian Myotis
Myotis petax
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Genus
- Myotis
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Kazakhstan|Russia|Mongolia|China|North Korea|South Korea|Japan
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Eastern Water Myotis|Sakhalin Myotis
About this species
- Size
- 44–58mm
- Diet
- Small flying insects
- Habitat
- River valleys in forest
- Range
- Eastern Siberia and East Asia, including central Asia
- Litter size
- Usually 1; sometimes 2
- Gestation
- 50–55 days
The eastern water bat, listed here as Russian myotis, is a small Myotis measuring 44–58mm, with a 34–39mm forearm. It has short dense dark-brown dorsal fur, a greyer to whitish underside, a broad bare muzzle, and comparatively large feet. Its tail is enclosed in the broad interfemoral membrane. It was long treated as an eastern subspecies of Daubenton's bat before being revalidated. (Yoshiyuki; Matveev et al. 2005, as summarized on Wikipedia)
It occupies forested river valleys from eastern Siberia through central Asia, northern China, Korea, and northern East Asia. Small flying insects, especially flies and moths, are taken mainly over water. Summer roosts include tree hollows, bridges, and buildings; females form colonies and usually produce one pup, occasionally two, after a reported 50–55-day gestation. Deep caves and abandoned mines commonly hold winter groups. (Smith and Xie 2008; Matveev et al. 2005, as summarized on Wikipedia)
Description: Wildlife of Korea guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)