A New Bat (myotis) from Mexico

This 1961 publication announces the discovery of Myotis elegans, a previously unrecognized species of vesper bat found in Veracruz, Mexico. E. Raymond Hall, a prominent mammalogist, presents the morphological details that distinguish this small brown bat from its relatives: a relatively small skull, distinctive golden-tinted ventral fur, pale brown ears with a deeply notched tragus, and flight membranes slightly darker than its dorsal pelage. The paper provides comparative analysis with other Myotis species, mapping the geographic distribution that would later be understood to span from Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica. This terse taxonomic description captures a moment when careful morphological examination of specimens could still yield new species discoveries, offering a window into mid-twentieth-century mammalogical practice. For readers interested in the history of scientific discovery or the intricate work of species identification, this paper documents one small but meaningful addition to our understanding of New World bat diversity.