DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS AND ROOSTS OF SOUTHEASTERN MYOTIS AND RAFINESQUE'S BIG-EARED BAT IN EASTERN TEXAS

Myotis austroriparius and Corynorhinus rafinesquii are rare bats of the southeastern United States that reach the western limit of their range in eastern Texas. Although the presence of both bats in Texas has been known for over 30 years, there is little roosting information on either species. We located 15 roost sites of M. austroriparius in 9 Texas counties and 13 roosts of C. rafinesquii in 5 counties. Maternity roosts for M. austroriparius were located by tracking radiocollared adult females during the maternity season. These efforts resulted in 10 new county records (from 13 to 23 counties) for M. austroriparius and 5 new county records (from 10 to 15 counties) for Corynorhinus rafinefsquii in Texas. In addition to general roosting sites, 6 maternity roosts for M. austroriparius and 4 for C. rafinesquii were identified in 6 eastern Texas counties.