It has disproportionately enormous ears, almost as long as its body. This trait evolved independently in big-eared bats across Europe, Asia and the Americas without close relationship between them, providing a classic example of convergent evolution towards the same anatomical solution for hunting via highly sensitive hearing. Endemic to the mountains of Mexico, it occupies caves and mines in mid- and high-altitude pine-oak forest, a much more restricted habitat than that of its more widespread North American relatives. Like other big-eared bats, it flies slowly and with great control, hovering close to vegetation to glean resting moths rather than always pursuing them in mid-air.
A small- to medium-sized bat, unmistakable due to its enormous ears, almost as long as the body, which it can fold beneath its wing at rest. It features greyish-brown fur and two prominent glandular swellings on the snout. It differs from other American big-eared bats by its restricted distribution in the Mexican mountains and by cranial details; to the naked eye, it shares the general appearance of enormous ears with the entire genus.
Mountain pine-oak forest, roosting in caves and mines, generally between 1500 and 3000 m altitude. Endemic to the main mountain ranges of central and southern Mexico, with no natural presence outside these mountains.
Insectivorous, specialising in moths that it locates largely by ear rather than by active echolocation, often gleaning them directly off vegetation while perched.
It forms maternity colonies in mountain caves and mines, exhibiting the slow, highly manoeuvrable flight typical of the entire big-eared bat genus. It is very sensitive to human disturbance at its breeding and hibernation roosts.
Its populations are considered to be in decline due to the alteration and loss of caves and mines used as roosts, alongside the degradation of the mountain pine-oak forest on which it depends for foraging.
Alteration and closure of caves and mines used as maternity and hibernation roosts, human disturbance at these roosts, and loss of mountain pine-oak forest through logging and land-use change.
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