Whiskered Bats
August 14, 2007
Whiskered Bats (Myotis mystacinus), and related species, are small European bats with long fur. M. alcathoe is the smallest among the European whiskered bats and uses the highest-frequency echolocation calls of all the European Myotis species. It prefers to hunt in small valleys with deciduous trees and flowing water. Initial records from Greece and Hungary indicate a distribution range in south-eastern Europe.
The analysis of morphological, behavioral and especially genetic characters have since identified further cryptic species of whiskered bats in the genus Myotis. As recently as 2001, whiskered bats have been discovered in the genus Myotis.