Rhogeessa mira, LaVal, 1973

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 716-981 : 859

215.

Least Yellow Bat

Rhogeessa mira

French: Rhogeessa menue / German: Kleinste Gelbfledermaus / Spanish: Rogesa menuda

Taxonomy. Rhogeessa (Rhogeessa) mira LaVal, 1973 ,

“ 20 km N El Infiernillo, Michoacan, Mexico, elevation 125 m.”

See R. parvula . Sympatric with R. parvula and R. alleni . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from only a few records between the villages of El Infiernillo and Zicuiran, Michoacan, S Mexico.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.38 39 mm, tail 26-33 mm, ear 10-13 mm, hindfoot 5-6 mm, forearm 25-27- 8 mm; weight 3 g (one specimen). The Least Yellow Batis the smallest species in the genus. General coloration is yellowish; dorsally bicolored, with buckthorn brown to buffbrown tips and butffier bases, and no strong contrast between bases and tips; ventrally no contrast between bases and tips, with coloration similar to bases of dorsal fur. Ears dark, contrasting sharply with fur. Uropatagium sparsely furred, with hairs reaching knee or past it. Skull small, with moderate slope on forehead; sagittal crest absent. 1,18 slightly smaller than I; cingulum of C' has soft edges.

Habitat. Semiarid areas of xeric shrub vegetation dominated by mesquites and cacti. Has been captured over streams in gallery forest and thorn scrub. Altitudinal range 125-340 m.

Food and Feeding. Stomach contents of five individuals yielded 68-8% Coleoptera , with Scarabaeidae most abundant; Diptera was the second highest (10%), with Dixidae commonest; less abundant were Lepidoptera (4%), Hemiptera (3:2%), Hymenoptera (1%), Neuroptera (1%), and Blattodea (0-5%), with 11-5% unidentified items.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Considered rare, and its restricted distribution of the Rio Balsas Basin represents an extent of occurrence of only ¢. 6700 km ®. The development of a dam in the area is leading to habitat loss, changes in forest cover, and changes in river cycles.

Bibliography. Alvarez & Avifa (1965), Alvarez-Castaneda & Gonzalez-Ruiz (2018), Arroyo-Cabrales & Baker (2014e), Arroyo-Cabrales & Ospina-Garces (2016a), Arroyo-Cabrales & Polaco (1997), Baird et al. (2008, 2009), LaVal (1973a), Loera-Padilla et al. (2017), Simmons (2005).

Figures

202. Canyon Bat (Parastrellus hesperus), 203. Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus), 204. Van Gelder’s Bat (Bauerus dubiaquercus), 205. Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus), 206. Black-winged Little Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa tumida), 207. Yucatan Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa aenea), 208. Bickham’s Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa bickhami), 209. Menchu’s Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa menchuae), 210. Ecuadorian Little Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa velilla), 211. Tiny Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa minutilla), 212. Genoways’s Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa genowaysi), 213. Thomas's Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa io), 214. Northern Little Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa parvula), 215. Least Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa mira), 216. Allen’s Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa alleni), 217. Slender Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa gracilis), 218. Husson’s Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa hussoni), 219. Western Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus), 220. Caspian Barbastelle (Barbastella caspica), 221. Arabian Barbastelle (Barbastella leucomelas), 222. Eastern Barbastelle (Barbastella darjelingensis), 223. Japanese Barbastelle (Barbastella pacifica), 224. Beijing Barbastelle (Barbastella beijingensis)

Distribution. Known from only a few records between the villages of El Infiernillo and Zicuiran, Michoacan, S Mexico .