Division of the Myotis bat genus based on multivariate analysis of craniodental morphology

21/08/2024

Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, along with colleagues, conducted a multivariate statistical analysis based on 23 craniodental morphological measurements from 209 specimens to study the differences among bat species of the Myotis genus in Vietnam.

The Myotis genus includes approximately 139 species, distributed widely across the globe, including in Vietnam. Myotis is considered a taxon that has not developed specific characteristics, retaining a primitive dentition. Like most vespertilionid bats, Myotis bats have many specialized morphological features, such as greatly expanded cochleae, related to their ability to echolocate. Myotis bats vary in size from relatively small to large and possess features such as relatively narrow ears with a length always exceeding their width, and auricles that are straight, narrow and pointed.

Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the studied species can be divided into four groups as follows: very large-sized species (M. chinensis), large-sized species (M. pilosus, M. indochinensis and M. annectans), medium-sized species (M. altarium, M. hasseltii, M. montivagus, M. horsfieldii, M. ater, M. laniger and M. muricola), and small-sized species (M. annamiticus, M. aff. siligorensis, M. rosseti and M. alticraniatus). The analysis identified key craniodental characteristics contributing to differences in distinguishing Myotis species, including the width of the hard palate, the minimum height of the mandibular ramus, the width of the zygomatic arch, and dental structure. Based on the differences in the craniodental morphology of Myotis bats, the scientists conducted comparisons between species pairs with similar morphology and further discussed newly identified characteristics expected to support the classification and systematics of Myotis bats in Vietnam.

The research was published in the Biodiversity Data Journal, Volume 12, 2024: Vu HY, Bui TH, Hoang TT, Vu KL, Nguyen TS (2024) Multivariate analysis of craniodental morphology in mouse-eared bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis) from Vietnam. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e122597. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e122597

Translated by Phuong Huyen
Link to Vietnamese version