Southwestern myotis was only recognized as its own species in 1955, after decades of being mistaken for the long-eared myotis, and Arizona’s Sky Islands, Chiricahua National Monument foremost among them, sit close to the core of its range in the oak and pine forest of the region’s isolated mountain ranges. Coronado National Forest and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area offer the same kind of forest-and-water combination the species depends on.
The single confirmed Arizona record on file falls in June, too little to describe any real seasonal pattern. A recently split, easily confused species like this one is likely under-recorded across its whole range, since even trained observers may log it under its more familiar look-alike without a close inspection.
Full species profile
