. Distribution of mammals in Colorado. Mammals. 1972 ARMSTRONG: COLORADAN MAMMALS 73 Plecotus townsendii Townsend's Big-eared Bat Plecotus townsendii is a species of western North America, ranging throughout Colorado except for the eastern plains. The extreme elevation from which specimens are available is about 9500 feet, at Gothic, Gunnison County. Townsend's big-eared bat roosts in caves, shaft mines, and occasionally in build- ings. Lechleitner (1969:52) presented some details on the species in the vicinity of Fort Collins, but in general the life history of the bat in Colorado is unknown.
. Distribution of mammals in Colorado. Mammals. 1972 ARMSTRONG: COLORADAN MAMMALS 73 Plecotus townsendii Townsend's Big-eared Bat Plecotus townsendii is a species of western North America, ranging throughout Colorado except for the eastern plains. The extreme elevation from which specimens are available is about 9500 feet, at Gothic, Gunnison County. Townsend's big-eared bat roosts in caves, shaft mines, and occasionally in build- ings. Lechleitner (1969:52) presented some details on the species in the vicinity of Fort Collins, but in general the life history of the bat in Colorado is unknown. Handley (1959) revised the taxonomy of American species of Plecotus and reviewed the literature on natural history. Because of their tendency to gather in maternity and hibernating colonies, popula- tions of P. townsendii are particularly vulner- able to wanton molestation by humans. This is especially true in Colorado where extensive natural caverns are few and hard-rock mines, generally readily accessible to man, are the most commonly available roosting sites. In the summer of 1969, I was told by residents of Moffat in the San Luis Valley that exten- sive colonies of big-eared bats had been pres- ent in the mines in North Crestone Canyon, but they had been disturbed frequently by local youngsters. Extensive search in the area revealed no recent evidence of cavernicolous bats. Plecotus townsendii pallescens (G. S. Miller, Jr.) Corynorhinus macrotis pallescens, G. S. Miller, Jr., N. Amer. Fauna, 13:52, 16 October 1897; type lo- cality, Keam Canyon, Navajo Co., Arizona. Plecotus townsendii pallescens, Handley, Proc. Nat. Mus., 110:190, 3 September 1959. Distribution in Colorado.—In suitable hab- itat in western, central, and southeastern parts of state (Fig. 29). Measurements.—Mean (and extreme) ex- ternal measurements of five males, followed by those of six females, all from Larimer County, are: (82-100), (87-102); (35-50), (38-51); (9-12), 11
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