Southeastern Myotis
Myotis austroriparius (Rhoads, 1897)

Taxonomy

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class

Trogloxene

Realm

Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from 29 counties across six states.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky

Counties

Alabama

Bibb, Conecuh, Morgan, Shelby

Arkansas

Garland, Pike

Florida

Alachua, Citrus, Columbia, Gilchrist, Jackson, Levy, Marion, Sumter, Suwannee, Washington

Georgia

Decatur, Grady, Lee, Washington

Illinois

Hardin, Pope

Kentucky

Breckinridge, Christian, Edmonson, Hardin, Lee, Livingston, Trigg

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Assessed in 2017.

NatureServe

G4 Apparently Secure

National ranks

United States

N4 Apparently Secure

Subnational ranks

Tennessee

S3 Vulnerable

Louisiana

S3 Vulnerable

Virginia

S2 Imperiled

Indiana

SH Possibly Extirpated

Kentucky

S3 Vulnerable

Missouri

S1 Critically Imperiled

Oklahoma

S1 Critically Imperiled

Arkansas

S3 Vulnerable

Texas

S3 Vulnerable

Georgia

S3 Vulnerable

Mississippi

S3 Vulnerable

Florida

S3 Vulnerable

North Carolina

S2 Imperiled

South Carolina

S3 Vulnerable

Alabama

S2 Imperiled

Illinois

S2 Imperiled

Ranks looked up 2 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

References

• Bain, J.R. 1981. Roosting ecology of three Florida bats: Nycticeius humeralis, Myotis austroriparius, and Tadarida brasiliensis. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 131 pp.
• Barr, T.C., Jr. & Kuehne, R.A. 1971. Ecological studies in the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky. II. The Ecosystem. Annales de Speleologie 26: 47–96. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.3.1.10
• Clark, Jr., D.R., Wenner, A.S. & Moore, J.F. 1986. Metal residues in bat colonies, Jackson County, Florida, 1981–1983. Florida Field Naturalist 14: 38–45. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ffn/vol14/iss2/2/. details
• DiSalvo, A.F., Bigler, W.J., Ajello, L., Johnson, J.E. & Palmer, J. 1970. Bat and soil studies for sources of histoplasmosis in Florida. Public Health Reports 85: 1063–1069. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2031812/. details
• Dusi, J.L. 1976. Mammals. In: Boshung, H. (ed), Endangered and threatened plants and animals of Alabama. Alabama Museum of Natural History Bulletin 2, pp. 88–92. Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
• Florea, L.J., Budd, D.A. & Brinkman, R.B. 2009. Caves and karst of west-central Florida. In: Palmer, A. & Palmer, M.V. (eds), Caves and Karst of America, pp. 189–196. National Speleological Society, Huntsville, Alabama, USA.
• Franz, R. 1992o. Withlacoochee Light-Fleeing Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) lucifugus lucifugus (Hobbs). In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 203–205. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
• Franz, R. 1992l. Orange Lake Cave Crayfish Procambarus (Ortmannicus) franzi Hobbs and Lee. In: Deyrup, M. & Franz, R. (eds), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates, pp. 197–198. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
• Franz, R., Bauer, J. & Morris, T. 1994. Review of biologically significant caves and their faunas in Florida and south Georgia. Brimleyana 20: 1–109. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/229726. details
• Franz, R. & Lee, D.S. 1982. Distribution and evolution of Florida's troglobitic crayfishes. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 28: 53–78.
• Gore, J.A. 1992. Gray Bat Myotis grisescens. In: Humphrey, S.R. (ed), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume I. Mammals, pp. 63–70. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
• Gore, J.A. & Hovis, J.A. 1998. Status and conservation of southeastern Myotis maternity colonies in Florida caves. Florida Scientist 61: 160–170. doi:10.2307/3493189
• Heath, D.R., Saugey, D.A. & Heidt, G.A. 1986. Abandoned mine fauna of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 40: 33–36.
• Hobbs & H.H. Jr. 1942b. The Crayfishes of Florida. University of Florida Biological Science Series Volume 3, Issue 2, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 179 pp.
• Hobbs, H.H. Jr. & Lee, D.S. 1976. A new troglobitic crayfish (Decapoda, Cambaridae) from Peninsular Florida. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 89: 383–392. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34553823. details
• Humphrey, S.R. & Gore, J.A. 1992. Southeastern Brown Bat Myotis austroriparius. In: Humphrey, S.R. (ed), Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. Volume I. Mammals, pp. 335–342. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
• Johnson, J.S., Sharp, N.W., Monarchino, M.N., Lilley, T.M. & Edelman, A.J. 2021. No sign of infection in free-ranging Myotis austroriparius hibernating in the presence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans in Alabama. Southeastern Naturalist 20: 20–28. doi:10.1656/058.020.0102
• Ludlow, M. & Gore, J. 1997. Conservation of cave roosting bats at a north Florida state park. Proceedings of the 1997 Karst and Cave Management Symposium: 132–135.
• Marshall, N. 1947. The spring run and cave habitats of Erimystax harperi (Fowler). Ecology 28: 68–75. doi:10.2307/1932919
• Martin, C.O. 2007. Assessment of the population status of the gray bat (Myotis grisescens). Status review, DoD initiatives, and results of a multi-agency effort to survey wintering populations at major hibernacula, 2005–2007. ERDC/EL TR-07–22. U.S. Army Corps of Enginners, Engineer Research and Development Center, Army Endangered Species Research Program, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. 97 pp.
• McDaniel, V.R. & Gardner, J.E. 1977. Cave fauna of Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 31: 68–71. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol31/iss1/22. details
• Niemiller, M.L., Anderson, C.L., Maxwell, E.C., Midgette, H., Quering, C., Richards, M., Wilson, K. & Wirwa, N. 2025b. A noteworthy range extension of the federally endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) south of the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. Southeastern Naturalist 24: N47-N58. doi:10.1656/058.024.0403
• Poucher, S. 2022. Wildlife of Florida's Springs. An Illustrated Guide to over 150 Species. Pineapple Press, Palm Beach, Florida, USA. 196 pp. ISBN 9780000000000.
• Pylka, J.M. 1957. Cave vertebrates of Florida. The Florida Speleologist 1: 6–7.
• Reeves, W.K., Jensen, J.B. & Ozier, J.C. 2000. New faunal and fungal records from caves in Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 62: 169–179. https://caves.org/wp-content/uploads/Publications/JCKS/v62/v62n3-Reeves.pdf. details
• Rice, D.W. 1955. Status of Myotis grisescens in Florida. Journal of Mammalogy 36: 289–290. doi:10.2307/1375896
• Rice, D.W. 1957. Life history and ecology of Myotis austroriparius in Florida. Journal of Mammalogy 38: 15–32. doi:10.2307/1376471
• Smith, L.M., Doonan, T.J., Sylvia, A.L. & Gore, J.A. 2021. Characteristics of caves used by wintering bats in a subtropical environment. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 12: 139–150. doi:10.3996/JFWM-20-078
• Tuttle, M.D. 1977. Gating as a means of protecting cave dwelling bats. 1976 National Cave Management Symposium Proceedings: 77–82.
• Webb, D.W., Taylor, S.J. & Krejca, J.K. 1993. The biological resources of Illinois caves and other subterranean environments. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA. 143 pp.
• Wenner, A.S. 1984. Current status and management of gray bat caves in Jackson County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 12: 1–24. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ffn/vol12/iss1/1?utm_source=digitalcommons.usf.edu%2Fffn%2Fvol12%2Fiss1%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages. details
• Zigler, K.S., Niemiller, M.L., Stephen, C.D.R., Ayala, B.N., Milne, M.A., Gladstone, N.S., Engel, A.S., Jensen, J.B., Camp, C.D., Ozier, J.C. & Cressler, A. 2020. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82: 125–167. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0125
• Zinn, T.L. 1977. Community ecology of Florida bats with emphasis on Myotis austroriparius. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 88 pp.
• Zinn, T.L. & Humphrey, S.R. 1981. Seasonal food resources and prey selection of the Southeastern Brown Bat (Myotis austroriparius) in Florida. Florida Scientist 44: 81–90. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24319689. details

How to cite this account

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

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