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496. Large Myotis Myotis chinensis French: Murin de Chine / German: China-Mausohr / Spanish: Ratonero de China Taxonomy. Vespertilio chinensis Tomes, 1857, “ China.” Subgenus Myotis; myotis species group. Myotis chinensis has occasionally been treated as a subspecies of M. myotis, butit is clearly distinct on morphological and molecular grounds. Relationship of M. chinensis to other Myotis is still unresolved. The name luctuosus has been treated as a subspecies of M. chinensis in China, but there does not seem to be considerable variation to Justify it recognition. Monotypic. Distribution. C & SE China (from Shanxi and Jiangsu S to Yunnan, Guanxi, and Guangdong; isolated records in Nei Mongol, Beijing, and Hainan), E Myanmar, N Thailand, N Laos, and N & C Vietnam. Descriptive notes. Head-body 91-97 mm, tail 53-58 mm, ear 20-23 mm, hindfoot 16-18 mm, forearm 64-69 mm; weight 25-30 g. The Large Myotis is very large. Dorsal pelage is dark olive-brown, with lateral taupe or blackish brown striations leading to dark gray venter (hair tips are slightly paler and grayer than on dorsum, both of which have dark bases). Bare parts of membranes, ears, and muzzle are dark gray. Ears are long and slender, and tragus is tapered and slightly angled forward. Calcar is long and unkeeled. Skull and teeth are robust; rostrum is relatively short, and braincase is relatively long; P is about one-half to two-thirds the crown area and height of P? and is slightly intruded; and P, is one-half to two-thirds the crown area and height of P, and compressed in tooth row. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44 and FNa = 50. Habitat. Large variety of habitats from lowland forests to hilly regions, including urban areas (e.g. around Beijing), at elevations of 50-1000 m. Food and Feeding. Large Myotis likely glean relatively large terrestrial insects (particularly carabid Coleoptera and Orthoptera). Fecal samples from Beijing primarily contained carabid Coleoptera (45-2% by volume), Orthoptera (25%), Diptera (10-6%), and smaller amounts of Odonata, Homoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. Breeding. No information. Activity patterns. Large Myotis appear to roost in caves in limestone areas and is known to hibernate in caves in winter in China. Calls are steep FM sweeps, with average start frequency of 83-6 kHz, end frequency of 14 kHz, peak frequency of 54-2 kHz, interpulse interval of 53-9 milliseconds, and duration of 6-3 milliseconds in Beijing, China. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Large Myotis is widespread and appears to be relatively common in some areas. Bibliography. Bates, Hendrichsen et al. (1999), Bates, Nwe Tin, Bu Si-Si-Hla et al. (2005), Bates, Nwe Tin, Swe Khin-Maung & Bu Si-Si-Hla (2001), Csorba, Bates & Furey (2008b), Francis (2008a), Kawai et al. (2003), Kruskop (2013a), Liu Hao et al. (2010), Ma Jie et al. (2008), Puechmaille, Allegrini et al. (2012), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Wang Yingxiang (2003), Wu Yi etal. (2006), Zhang Weidao (1984), Zhang Yongzu et al. (1997)., Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, pp. 716-981 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 981, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6397752

We review eight species of the genus Macronyssus from China including one new species and the newly described male and protonymph of a known species: M. leishanensis Tian, Jin & Zhang, M. laifengensis Wang & Shi, M. xianduensis (Zhou, Tang & Wen), M. tieni (Grokhovskaya & Nguen-Huan-Hoe), M. radovskyi (Domrow), M. pararadovskyi Tian, Jin & Zhang, M. miraspinosus Gu & Wang, M. pararchaetus sp. nov. Macronyssus parachaetus is described from females found on Myotis ricketti (Thomas) in Fangshan, Beijing; M. miraspinosus Gu & Wang is redescribed from the female and newly described male and protonymph found on Myotis chinensis (Tomes) in Guiding, Guizhou. Keys to 21 species of the genus known from China are given for females, males and protonymphs in this article.

To the Editor: Emerging infectious diseases have caused catastrophic declines in wildlife populations, and the introductions of many pathogen have been linked to increases in global trade and travel (1). Mapping the distribution of pathogens is necessary to identify species and populations at risk and identify sources of pathogen spillover and introduction. Once pathogen distributions are known, management actions can be taken to reduce the risk for future global spread (2). Bats with symptoms of white-nose syndrome (WNS) were first detected in the United States in 2006, and the disease has subsequently caused precipitous declines in temperate bat populations across eastern North America (3,4). Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of WNS, is a cold-growing fungus that infects bats’ skin during hibernation, leading to more frequent arousals from torpor and death (3). P. destructans is widespread throughout Europe (5), but, to our knowledge, its presence in Asia has not been documented. We sampled bats and hibernacula surfaces (cave walls and ceilings) across northeastern China during 2 visits (June–July 2014 and March 2015) using a previously described swab-sampling technique (6). Bats were captured inside caves and at their entrances. DNA was extracted from samples by using a modified QIAGEN DNeasy blood and tissue kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA, USA) and tested in duplicate for the presence of P. destructans with a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) (6,7). In the summer of 2014 and winter of 2015, we collected 385 samples from hibernacula surfaces at 12 sites in 3 provinces and 1 municipality (Figure, panel A) and 215 samples from 9 species of bats at 10 sites (summer: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus pusillus, Myotis adversus, Myotis macrodactylus, Myotis pilosus, Myotis chinensis, Murina usseriensis; winter: R. ferrumequinum, Murina leucogaster, Myotis petax). During the summer, P. destructans was widely distributed across the study region with positive samples (determined on the basis of qPCR results) obtained from cave surfaces at 9 of 12 sites and from bats at 2 of the 9 sites where bats were sampled (Figure, panel A). Figure A) Distribution of Pseudogymnoascus destructans in cave environments during summer at 9 sites in northeastern China. Pie charts show the prevalence (red indicates fraction of positive samples) of P. destructans, and the size of pie graphs indicates the ... Prevalence of P. destructans was low during summer in the environment (mean prevalence across sites 0.06 ± 0.03) and in bats. Bats of 3 species tested positive for P. destructans in the summer: M. macrodactylus (1/10), M. chinensis (1/1), and M. ussuriensis (1/1). P. destructans was not detected in bats of 4 other species, of which >20 individual animals of each species were sampled (R. ferrumequinum, R. pusillus, M. pilosus, and M. adversus). The low prevalence of P. destructans in bats and on hibernacula surfaces in China during the summer was similar to comparable results from studies in North America (6). In winter, prevalence at the 2 sites we revisited was much higher; 75% of 85 samples from 3 species tested positive, including samples from 16/17 M. petax bats. We also detected P. destructans in bats from 2 additional species (R. ferrumequinum [11/19 bats] and M. leucogaster [11/16 bats]). In addition, during March 2015, we observed visual evidence of P. destructans in bats (M. petax; Figure, panel C) and obtained 2 fungal cultures from swab specimens taken from these bats. To isolate P. destructans from these samples, we plated swab specimens from visibly infected bats on Sabouraud dextrose agar at 10°C. We identified potential P. destructans isolates on the basis of morphologic characteristics. DNA was then extracted from 2 suspected fungal cultures and tested for P. destructans by qPCR, as previously described. To further confirm the presence of P. destructans, we prepared the fungal isolates for Sanger sequencing (Technical Appendix). The 600-nt amplification products from these 2 isolates were sequenced and found to be 100% identical to the P. destructans rRNA gene region targeted for amplification. In addition, using BLAST (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast.cgi), we found that sequences were a 100% match with isolates from Europe (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"GQ489024","term_id":"284944064","term_text":"GQ489024"}}GQ489024) and North America (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"EU884924","term_id":"211905147","term_text":"EU884924"}}EU884924). This result confirms that the same species of fungus occurs on all 3 continents. We also obtained wing biopsy punches from these bats and found lesions characteristic of WNS by histopathologic examination (Figure, panel B; Technical Appendix). The occurrence of P. destructans at most sites sampled indicates that this pathogen is widespread in eastern Asia (Figure, panel A). The presence of P. destructans in bats from 6 species in China and on bats in 13 species in Europe (8) confirms the generalist nature of this fungus and suggests that it may occur throughout Eurasia (Figure, panel D). Decontamination and restrictions on the use of equipment that has been used in caves in Asia would help reduce the probability of introducing P. destructans to uninfected bat populations (e.g., western North America, New Zealand, southern Australia, and temperate areas of South America). These measures would also reduce the risk of introducing new strains of P. destructans to regions where bats are already infected (e.g., eastern North America and Europe). These measures are necessary to prevent the devastating effects this pathogen has had on bats in North America and would help maintain the ecosystem services that bats provide (9,10). Technical Appendix: The Technical Appendix describes the DNA sequencing of fungal isolates to confirm the presence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans and histologic examination of bat fungal lesions. Click here to view.(238K, pdf)

The directional selectivity of auditory neurons is one of the essential response properties that underlie sound localization, an important task performed by the mammalian auditory system. Here we evaluated the sound azimuth selectivity of inferior collicular neurons in juvenile bats, Myotis chinensis, at the age of 15 days under free-field stimulation conditions. Compared with those in adult bats, neurons in juvenile bats were broadly tuned to sound azimuth angles as indicated by both the type and width of the azimuth selectivity curves. Their best azimuth was distributed over a wide range and, moreover, the adult-like relationship between the best azimuth and the best frequency of these neurons was not developed. These data indicate that the directional selectivity of inferior collicular neurons, like other response properties examined previously, undergoes considerable change during postnatal maturation.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans. Limited information about T. gondii infection in bats is available in China. The objective of the present study was to determine prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection in bats in Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, China. During May 2005 to August 2013, bats were sampled from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces, China, and liver tissues were collected for the detection of T. gondii by a nested PCR targeting the B1 gene. The positive samples were genotyped at 11 genetic markers (SAG1, 5′-and 3′-SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, c22-8, c29-2, and Apico) using multilocus polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A total of 626 bats representing 10 species were examined for T. gondii infection, 38 (6.1%) were tested positive with by PCR, 8 positive DNA samples were completely genotyped, of which 3 samples (2 from Cynopterus sphinx, and 1 from Murina leucogaster) represented ToxoDB#10, and 5 samples (2 from Murina leucogaster, 2 from Myotis chinensis, and 1 from Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) belonged to ToxoDB#9 ( http://toxodb.org/toxo/ ). The present study revealed an overall T. gondii prevalence of 6.1% in bats from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces in China, and reported two T. gondii genotypes (ToxoDB#9 and #10) having a wide geographical distribution in China. These results provide new genetic information about T. gondii infection in bats, and have implications for better understanding of the genetic diversity of T. gondii in China and elsewhere.

Myotis chinensis Large Myotis Vespertilio chinensis Tomes, 1857: 52; southern China New material from Myanmar Shan State: Thuye Oo Min Cave, 27.3. 2003, 1 ♂ (SH21); Kayin State: YathayPyan Cave, 26.11.2001, 1 ♂ (Sc4); Mon State: Hnidon Hill Cave, 4.12.2001, sex? (Sc21). Previous records from Myanmar Mon State: Saddan-Sin Cave (Bates et al., 2001). Descriptive characters A very large Myotis with a forearm length of 65.1–68.0 mm based on 5 speci- mens from Myanmar (Table 4) (FA = 65.0– 68.9 mm in Hendrichsen et al., 2001 and 65 – 69 mm in Borissenko and Kruskop, 2003). The dorsal pelage is dark grey-brown with the roots almost black. The ventral pelage is paler with grey hair tips and dark roots. The skull and teeth are robust. The second upper premolar (P3) is about half to two-thirds the crown area and height of the first (P2) and is slightly displaced internally. Likewise, the second lower premolar (P3) is half to two- thirds the crown area and height of the first (P2) and compressed in the toothrow. Similar species Myotis chinensis is distinguished from all other local species of Myotis by its large size. Ecological notes In Myanmar, all specimens have been collected in limestone caves. Originally recorded from the large cave complex of Saddan-Sin (Bates et al., 2001), it has sub- sequently been collected from three other caves. Hnidon Hill and Yathay-Pyan Caves in Mon and Kayin States respectively are both large with a number of tunnels and chambers and at an altitude of approximate- ly 50 m, both are surrounded by agricultural land and are the roosts of a rich variety of bat species. Thuye Oo Min Cave in Shan State is also large and is situated at an alti- tude of approximately 1,000 metres. It is surrounded by ponds and paddy fields., Published as part of Bates, Paul J. J., Nwe, Tin, Bu, Si Si Hla, Mie, Khin Mie, Swe, Khin Maung, Nyo, Nyo, Khaing, Aye Aye, Aye, Nu Nu, Toke, Yin Yin, Aung, Naing Naing, Thi, Mar Mar & Mackie, Iain, 2005, A review of the genera Myotis, Ia, Pipistrellus, Hypsugo, and Arielulus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Myanmar (Burma), including three species new to the country, pp. 205-236 in Acta Chiropterologica 7 (2) on pages 217-218, DOI: 10.3161/1733-5329(2005)7[205:AROTGM]2.0.CO;2, http://zenodo.org/record/3942897, {"references":["TOMES, R. F., 1857. Descriptions of four undescribed Society's Mammal Survey of India, Burma and species of bats. Proceedings of the Zoological Ceylon. Report No. 17. South Tennasserim. Jour- Society, London, 1857: 50 - 54. nal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 23:","BATES, P. J. J., TIN NWE, KHIN MAUNG SWE, and SI SI HLA BU. 2001. Further new records of bats from Myanmar (Burma), including Craseonycteris thonglongyai Hill 1974 (Chiroptera: Craseony- cteris). Acta Chiropterologica, 3: 33 - 41.","HENDRICHSEN, D. K., P. J. J. BATES, B. D. HAYES, and J. L. WALSTON. 2001. Recent records of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Vietnam with six species new to the country. Myotis, 39: 35 - 122.","BORISSENKO, A. V., and S. V. KRUSKOP. 2003. Bats of Vietnam and adjacent territories: an identification manual. Joint Russian - Vietnamese Science and Technological Tropical Centre and Zoological Museum of Moscow. M. V. Lomonosov State University, Moscow, 211 pp."]}

Since 1999, the University of Yangon and the Harrison Institute have conducted a series of bat surveys in Myanmar. During this time, six species of vespertilionid bat have been collected that have not been recorded previously from the country. Two, Myotis horsfieldi and Myotis chinensis were published in 2001 and one, Kerivoula kachinensis, which is a new species to science, in 2004. The remaining three, Myotis mystacinus, Ia io and Pipistrellus pulveratus are included here for the first time. The record of M. mystacinus is the first authenticated one for South-East Asia. Since small vespertilionid bats are difficult to identify and are generally poorly understood, the paper includes a brief review of all 24 species of Myotis, Ia, Pipistrellus, Hypsugo, and Arielulus currently listed for Myanmar. Three of these, Myotis annectans, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Hypsugo savii are removed from the faunal list for lack of supporting data or because of previous misidentifications. The taxon Pipistrellu...

Myotis chinensis (Tomes, 1857). Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857:52. TYPE LOCALITY: "Southern China ". DISTRIBUTION: Szechwan and Yunnan to Kiangsu (China); Hong Kong; N Thailand. SYNONYMS: luctuosus. COMMENTS: Subgenus Myotis. Included in species myotis by Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951: 144); but see Lekagul and McNeely (1977:206)., Published as part of Karl F. Koopman, 1993, Order Chiroptera, pp. 137-241 in Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London :Smithsonian Institution Press on page 209, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7353060, {"references":["Ellerman, J. R., and T. C. S. Morrison-Scott. 1951. Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London, 810 pp.","Lekagul, B., and J. A. McNeely. 1977. Mammals of Thailand. Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, Sahakarnbhat Co., Bangkok, 758 pp."]}

Myotis chinensis (Tomes, 1857). Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857:52. TYPE LOCALITY: "Southern China ". DISTRIBUTION: Szechwan and Yunnan to Kiangsu (China); Hong Kong; N. Thailand. COMMENT: Included in myotis by Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951:144; but also see Lekagul and McNeely, 1977:206., Published as part of James H. Honacki, Kenneth E. Kinman & James W. Koeppl, 1982, Order Chiroptera, pp. 111-215 in Mammal Species of the World (1 st Edition), Lawrence, Kansas, USA :Alien Press, Inc. & The Association of Systematics Collections on page 186, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7352990, {"references":["Ellerman, J. R., and T. C. S. Morrison-Scott. 1951. Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London, 810 pp.","Lekagul, B., and J. A. McNeely. 1977. Mammals of Thailand. Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, Sahakarnbhat Co., Bangkok, 758 pp."]}