Beijing mouse-eared bat

The Beijing mouse-eared bat or Peking myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found only in China.

Taxonomy

It was described as a new species in 1908 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas.
The holotype had been collected by Malcolm Playfair Anderson in 1907.
Anderson encountered the species in a cave west of Beijing.

Description

It is a relatively large mouse-eared bat with a forearm length of.
Its fur is short and velvety, with the fur on its back a gray, reddish-brown.
In contrast, its belly fur is off-white.

Biology and ecology

It is insectivorous, consuming mostly beetles.
During the day, individuals roost in caves, though they may also roost in human structures.

Range and habitat

The Beijing mouse-eared bat is endemic to China, where it is found in the provinces of Anhui, Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanxi, and Sichuan.

Conservation

As of 2019, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN.
It meets the criteria for this classification because its extent of occurrence exceeds ; its population is presumably large; and it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline.