Sir David Attenborough's myotis

Sir David Attenborough's myotis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Myotis
Species:	M. attenboroughi
Binomial name
Myotis attenboroughi Moratelli et al., 2017

Sir David Attenborough's myotis (Myotis attenboroughi) is a species of small bat in the family Vespertilionidae that is endemic to the Caribbean island of Tobago. Its presence on nearby Trinidad is as yet uncertain. It is the only mammal species currently known to be endemic to Trinidad and Tobago. It was named after famed English naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

It was formerly assigned to Myotis nigricans until a 2017 study revealed that it was a distinct, previously unknown species. It is the sister species to a clade containing M. cf. handleyi, M. nesopolus, and 3 possibly undescribed species from South and Central America. It can be distinguished from all other Caribbean Myotis by its small skull and steeply sloping frontals.

It feeds on moths and other small flying nocturnal insects, and roosts in caves, tree hollows, and the attics of buildings.^[1]

See also

• List of things named after David Attenborough and his works

References