Lesser Myotis

The lesser mouse-eared bat or lesser mouse-eared myotis (Myotis blythii) is a species of insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae. This species has a wide distribution from the Iberian Peninsula to China. == Taxonomy == The lesser mouse-eared bat has a complex taxonomic history. The oldest name is Vespertilio blythii which was given to a single specimen in the British Museum (Natural History) which was labelled "India" by Robert F. Tomes in 1857. In 1885 Francesco Saverio Monticelli described Vespertilio oxygnathus from Italy. Subsequent studies found very little morphological difference between Tomes's taxon in India and the European bats described by Moniticelli and so they were synonymised. Further studies found that the populations found between Europe and India, in Asia Minor, were larger, approaching the greater mouse-eard bat in size and these were named as the subspecies M. blythii omari with a fourth, isolated subspecies being described from southern Siberia and northern China, M. blythii ancilla. == Distribution == Lesser mouse-eared bats can be found in the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Turkmenistan…