Little Brown Bat
Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte, 1831)

Taxonomy

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class

Trogloxene

Realm

Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from 51 counties across nine states.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia

Counties

Alabama

Jackson

Arkansas

Garland, Independence, Searcy, Sharp, Stone

Georgia

Bartow, Dade, Polk, Walker

Illinois

Jo Daviess, Union

Indiana

Lawrence, Monroe

Kentucky

Breckinridge, Carter, Christian, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Hart, Jackson, Jessamine, Lee, Letcher, Meade, Menifee, Morgan, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Trigg, Warren, Wayne

Pennsylvania

Armstrong, Bucks, Lycoming, Mifflin, Somerset

Tennessee

Bedford, Blount, Campbell, Davidson, Fentress, Montgomery, Overton, Pickett, Sevier, Van Buren, White

Virginia

Lee

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

EN Endangered

Assessed in 2021.

NatureServe

G3 Vulnerable

National ranks

Canada

N3B Vulnerable (breeding), NNRN (non-breeding), NNRM (migrant)

United States

N3 Vulnerable

Subnational ranks

Newfoundland and Labrador

S2 Imperiled

New Brunswick

S1 Critically Imperiled

Manitoba

S2N Imperiled (non-breeding), S5B Secure (breeding)

Nova Scotia

S1 Critically Imperiled

Saskatchewan

S4B Apparently Secure (breeding), S4N Apparently Secure (non-breeding)

Yukon

S3B Vulnerable (breeding)

Prince Edward Island

S1 Critically Imperiled

Ontario

S3 Vulnerable

British Columbia

S3 Vulnerable

Northwest Territories

S3 Vulnerable

Quebec

S1 Critically Imperiled

Alberta

S2B Imperiled (breeding), SNRN (non-breeding), SNRM (migrant)

NJ

S1 Critically Imperiled

Nevada

S2 Imperiled

Arkansas

S1 Critically Imperiled

Iowa

S4 Apparently Secure

Florida

SNR Unranked

Oklahoma

S2 Imperiled

Kentucky

S2 Imperiled

Utah

S3 Vulnerable

NH

S1 Critically Imperiled

Ohio

S1 Critically Imperiled

DE

S1 Critically Imperiled

South Carolina

S2 Imperiled

Idaho

S3 Vulnerable

Connecticut

S1 Critically Imperiled

Washington

S3 Vulnerable

South Dakota

S5 Secure

Georgia

S1 Critically Imperiled

Tennessee

S3 Vulnerable

Wyoming

S5 Secure

Indiana

S1 Critically Imperiled

Missouri

S2 Imperiled

District of Columbia

S4 Apparently Secure

ME

S5 Secure

Colorado

S4 Apparently Secure

Mississippi

SH Possibly Extirpated

Kansas

S3 Vulnerable

Illinois

S5 Secure

Vermont

S1 Critically Imperiled

West Virginia

S1 Critically Imperiled

Wisconsin

S2 Imperiled

Oregon

S3 Vulnerable

Pennsylvania

S1 Critically Imperiled

Montana

S2 Imperiled

New York

S1 Critically Imperiled

North Carolina

S2 Imperiled

Virginia

S2 Imperiled

Alaska

S3 Vulnerable

RI

S5 Secure

California

SNR Unranked

Alabama

S3 Vulnerable

Michigan

S1 Critically Imperiled

ND

SNR Unranked

Massachusetts

S2 Imperiled

Minnesota

S3 Vulnerable

Maryland

S1 Critically Imperiled

NE

SNR Unranked

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

References

• Bailey, V. 1933. Cave Life of Kentucky. US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, DC, USA. 256 pp.
• Banta, A.M. 1907. The fauna of Mayfield's Cave. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 67: 1–114. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/60987.
• 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
• Collins, J. & Sanders, C. 2016. A summary of bat-friendly gates and applications in Pennsylvania. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 201–208. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• 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.
• Giovannoli, L. 1933. Invertebrate life of Mammoth and other neighboring caves. In: Bailey, V. (ed), Cave Life of Kentucky, pp. 600–623.
• Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1979. Caves and associated fauna of Eastern Kentucky, Volume 3. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 130 pp.
• Hauer, C.L., McGovern, E.E. & Whidden, H.P. 2016. Impacts of white-nose syndrome on bats in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 167–179. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• 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, III., H.H. 1994. Assessment of the ecological resources of the caves of Russell Cave National Monument, Jackson County, Alabama and of selected caves at the Lookout Mountain Unit of Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, Dade County, Georgia and Hamilton County, Tennessee. 200 pp.
• Johnson, J.S., Scafini, M.R., Sewall, B.J. & Turner, G.G. 2016. Hibernating bat species in Pennsylvania use colder winter habitats following the arrival of white-nose syndrome. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 181–199. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Lamb, J. & Wyckoff, G. 2010. White-nose syndrome monitoring and response report for Tennessee. Tennessee Bat Working Group. 24 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. 2005. A biological inventory of caves of the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Chapter Cave Program, The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 156 pp.
• Lewis, J.J. & Lewis, S.L. 2005. Inventory of the subterranean fauna of Tims Ford State Park, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tennesee Natural Heritage Program, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 28 pp.
• Linzey, D.W. 1995. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 1995 update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111: 1–81.
• Linzey, D.W. 2016. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 2016 revision. Southeastern Naturalist 15, Monograph 8: 1–93.
• 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.
• McLaren, S.B. & Wible, J.R. 2016. Pennsylvania bats preserved as museum specimens: a storehouse of information. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 63–74. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Poulson, T.L. 1961. Cave adaptation in amblyopsid cavefishes. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 185 pp. doi:10.7302/9847
• Trumbore, L.E., Reynolds, R.J., Thomas, S.C., Orndorff, W., Cramphorn, B., Gladstone, N.S., Harden, C.W., Lewis, J.J., Milne, M.A., Ober, K.A., Shear, W.A., Stephen, C.D.R. & Zigler, K.S. 2024. Cave biodiversity of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 86: 13–24. doi:10.4311/2022LSC0116
• Wallace, R.L. 1984. Biological survey report of Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 33 pp.
• Wallace, R.L. 1990. Biological survey report of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 34 pp.
• 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.
• Zalik, N.J., Vardo-Zalik, A.M. & Butchkoski, C.M. 2016. Pennsylvania's Appalachian bat count: trends from summer roost surveys and a comparison of surveys before and after the arrival of white-nose syndrome. In: Butchkoski, C.M., Reeder, D.M., Turner, G.G. & Whidden, H.P. (eds), Conservation and Ecology of Pennsylvania's Bats, pp. 153–166. The Pennsylvania Academy of Science, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
• 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

How to cite this account

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.