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''Myotis alcathoe'' is a European bat in the genus ''Myotis''. Known only from Greece and Hungary when it was first described in 2001, its known distribution has since expanded to Spain, England, Sweden, and Azerbaijan, among other countries. It is similar to the whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') and other species and is difficult to distinguish from them. However, its brown fur is distinctive and it is clearly different in characters of its karyotype and DNA sequences. Although some genetic data suggest that it is related to Geoffroy's bat (''Myotis emarginatus''), other analyses do not support a close relationship between ''M. alcathoe'' and any other species. With a forearm length of and body mass of , ''Myotis alcathoe'' is a small bat. The fur is usually reddish-brown on the upperparts and brown below, but more grayish in juveniles. The tragus (a projection on the inner side of the ear) is short, as is the ear itself, and the inner side of the ear is pale at the base. The wings are brown and the baculum (penis bone) is short and broad. ''M. alcathoe'' has a very high-pitched echolocation call, with a frequency that falls from 120 kHz at the beginning of the call to about 43 kHz at the end. Usually found in old-growth deciduous forest near water, ''Myotis alcathoe'' forages high in the canopy and above water and mostly eats flies. The animal roosts in cavities high in trees. Although there are some winter records from caves, it may also spend the winter in tree cavities. Several parasites have been recorded on ''M. alcathoe''. The IUCN Red List assesses ''Myotis alcathoe'' as "Data Deficient", but it is considered threatened in several areas because of its rarity and vulnerability to habitat loss. ==Taxonomy== The whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') and similar species in Eurasia (collectively known as "whiskered bats") are difficult to distinguish from each other; for example, the distantly related Brandt's bat (''Myotis brandtii'') was not recognized as distinct from ''M. mystacinus'' until the 1970s.〔Niermann et al., 2007, p. 362〕 Small, unusual ''M. mystacinus''-like bats were first recorded in Greece in the 1970s, but it was not until the advent of genetic studies that these bats could be confirmed as representing a distinct species, named ''Myotis alcathoe''.〔 In 2001, the species was described by German zoologists Otto von Helversen and Klaus-Gerhard Heller on the basis of specimens from Greece and Hungary.〔von Helversen et al., 2001, p. 217; Voigt et al., 2009〕 Although it also differs from other whiskered bats by morphological characters, ''Myotis alcathoe'' is most clearly distinct in its genetics, including DNA sequences and the location of the nucleolus organizer regions.〔von Helversen et al., 2001, p. 218〕 Hybridization with other whiskered bats further complicates attempts to identify ''M. alcathoe'' morphologically.〔 Von Helversen and Heller argued that none of the old names now considered synonyms of ''M. mystacinus'' could apply to ''M. alcathoe'', because these names all have their type localities in western or central Europe.〔 However, the more recent discovery of ''M. alcathoe'' further to the west renders it possible that an older name may be discovered.〔Ruedi et al., 2002, p. 648; Benda et al., 2003a, p. 364〕 In addition, Russian researcher Suren Gazaryan has suggested that the name ''caucasicus'' Tsytsulina, 2000 (originally proposed for a subspecies of ''M. mystacinus'' from the Caucasus) may prove to be applicable to ''M. alcathoe''; in that case, the species would be renamed ''Myotis caucasicus''.〔 The species may have remained undetected in Germany for so long because bat researchers did not sample its preferred habitats and would dismiss unusual-looking whiskered bats as being abnormal ''M. mystacinus'' or ''M. brandtii''.〔 On the basis of mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis, ''Myotis alcathoe'' was at first thought to be most closely related to Geoffroy's bat (''Myotis emarginatus'') of southern Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia.〔von Helversen et al., 2001, fig. 2; Mayer et al., 2007, fig. 1〕 However, a study of the mitochondrial cytochrome ''b'' gene incorporating many ''Myotis'' species did not support this relationship, and could not place ''M. alcathoe'' securely at a specific position among Eurasian ''Myotis''.〔Stadelmann et al., 2004, pp. 187–188〕 Two groups with slightly divergent mitochondrial DNA sequences (separated by 1.3 to 1.4% sequence divergence) are distinguishable within the species, which probably correspond to different glacial refugia where ''M. alcathoe'' populations survived the last glacial period. One, known as the "Hungarian" group, has been recorded from Spain, France, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia, and probably corresponds to a refugium in Iberia; the other, the "Greek" group, is known only from Greece and Slovakia.〔Spitzenberger et al., 2008, p. 7〕 The specific name, ''alcathoe'', refers to Alcathoe, a figure from Greek mythology who was turned into a bat when she refused the advances of the god Dionysus. She was associated with gorges and small streams, the preferred habitat of ''Myotis alcathoe'' in Greece.〔von Helversen et al., 2001, p. 217〕 In their original description, von Helversen and colleagues described her as a nymph,〔 and the common name "nymph bat" has therefore been used for this species.〔Dietz and von Helversen, 2004, p. 71; Benda, 2008, p. 107〕 However, none of the classical sources speak of Alcathoe as a nymph; instead, she was a princess, the daughter of King Minyas of Orchomenos. Therefore, Petr Benda recommended in 2008 that the common name "Alcathoe bat" or "Alcathoe myotis" be used instead.〔Benda, 2008, p. 107〕 Other common names include "Alcathoe's bat"〔Dietz and von Helversen, 2004, p. 71〕 and "Alcathoe whiskered bat".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Myotis alcathoe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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