The first specimens of Myotis velifer from California were taken in1909 by C. L. Camp at Needles, San Bernardino County (Grinnell, Univ.California Publ. Zool., 12:266, March 20, 1914), and subsequently thisbat was recorded from farther south in the lower Colorado River Valleyat the Riverside Mountains, Riverside County (Stager, Jour. Mamm.,20:226, May 14, 1939). West of the Rocky Mountains the species is knownto occur also in at least the southern two-thirds of Arizona,southwestern New Mexico, and is recorded from Thistle Valley, Utah, onthe basis of two young specimens in alcohol (Miller and Allen, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 144:87, May 25, 1928). Through comparisons made possibleby the acquisition, in the last few years, of mammals from many parts ofMexico by the Museum of Natural History of the University of Kansas, itbecame evident that Myotis velifer in California and Arizona was anheretofore unnamed subspecies. It may be known as
Myotis velifer brevis new subspecies
Myotis velifer, Grinnell, Univ. California Publ. Zool.,12:266, March 20, 1914; Grinnell, H. W., Univ. California Publ.Zool., 12:259, January 31, 1918.
Myotis velifer velifer, Miller and Allen, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus.,144:87, May 25, 1928; Burt, Jour. Mamm., 14:115, May 15, 1933;Burt, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 39:22, February 14,1938; Hatfield, Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 6:146, January 12, 1942.
Type.—Male, adult, No. 22631, Museum of Natural History,University of Kansas; Madera Canyon, 5,000 ft., Santa RitaMountains, Pima County, Arizona; obtained on March 12, 1948, by J.R. Alcorn; original number 5571.
Range.—Lower Colorado River Valley in California and Arizona,through southern two-thirds of Arizona, southwestern New Mexico,and northern Sonora; southern limits of range unknown.
Diagnosis.—Size small (see measurements). Color pale, upperparts being near (16"j) Snuff Brown (capitalized color terms areof Ridgeway, Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, Washington, D.C, 1912); underparts dull Pinkish Buff to nearly white in somespecimens; ears and flight membranes near (16"l) Olive Brown;skull small.
Comparisons.—From Myotis velifer incautus (J. A. Allen),Myotis velifer brevis differs in: Size smaller; color slightlydarker; skull smaller. From Myotis velifer peninsularis Miller,M. v. brevis differs in: Size larger; color darker; skull larger.From Myotis velifer velifer (J. A. Allen), M. v. brevis differsin; Size smaller; pelage paler, with less extensive ba