CONTINUED RANGE EXPANSION BY THE CAVE MYOTIS

The cave myotis (Myotis velifer) is a cavernicolous bat that ranges northward from Honduras to the southern Great Plains and southwestern United States. Its known range in the United States includes the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and small, southern portions of Nevada and California (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970). The cave myotis inhabits caves, mines, and buildings, depending on time of year and specific roost requirements (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970, Kunz 1973, Sparks and Choate 2000). Before European settlement of areas within the range of the cave myotis, it likely was restricted to caves (Sparks and Choate 2000). However, it has adapted successfully to conditions that exist in roosts other than caves (Sparks and Choate 2000). The most obvious evidence of these adaptations is the formation of colonies during the summer months, when maternity or bachelor colonies are established in buildings, such as barns, and mines (Fitch et al. 1981, Kunz 1973, Sparks and Choate 2000)