Discovered in 1955 by Baker and Stains, it was originally believed to be a member of the species Myotis evotis.

Later that same year Hoffmeister and Krutzsch identified the mysterious bat as M. evotis Apache, a new subspecies.

It wasn't until 1969 that M. auriculus was recognized as an independent species by scientists Genoways and Jones.

[3] The southwestern myotis is generally larger than similar bat species living within its range.

Found in Guatemala, Mexico, and the southern United States, it is a nocturnal insectivore.

This bat generally has forearms that exceed 37mm, ears larger than 19mm, and a skull that is longer than 15.7mm.

Despite the lack of sexual dimorphism in the species, the male bats eat many more moths than the females.

The minimum life span of the Southwestern myotis is 3 years and 2 moths.

[5] The Southwestern myotis migrates from Guatemala in the south to Arizona and New Mexico in the north.

[4] The southwestern myosit has been found as far north as Flagstaff Arizona and Santa Fe New Mexico.