Food habits of Nyctinomops macrotis at a maternity roost in New Mexico, as indicated by analysis of guano
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Abstract
We examined 56 fecal pellets from under a maternity colony of big free-tailed bats (Nyctinomops macrotis) in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. The most important food items, listed in order of decreasing percent volume, were Cicadellidae, leafhoppers (26.7% volume, 58.9% frequency); Ichneumonidae, Ichneumon wasps (19.3% volume, 35.7% frequency); and Lepidoptera, moths (17.2% volume, 82.1% frequency). Overall, the most important orders as prey consumed, listed by decreasing percent volume, were Homoptera (27.6% volume, 62.5% frequency), Hymenoptera (19.5% volume, 37.5% frequency), Lepidoptera (17.2% volume, 82.1% frequency), Hemiptera (11.7% volume, 37.5% frequency), and Diptera (10.6% volume, 50.0% frequency). Our study documents an unusually varied diet, as previous studies indicated that these bats fed almost exclusively on moths.
Suggested Citation
Sparks, D.W., Valdez, E., 2003, Food habits of Nyctinomops macrotis at a maternity roost in New Mexico, as indicated by analysis of guano: Southwestern Naturalist, v. 48, no. 1, p. 132-135, https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909(2003)048<0132:FHONMA>2.0.CO;2.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Food habits of Nyctinomops macrotis at a maternity roost in New Mexico, as indicated by analysis of guano |
| Series title | Southwestern Naturalist |
| DOI | 10.1894/0038-4909(2003)048<0132:FHONMA>2.0.CO;2 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2003 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Southwestern Association of Naturalists |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 132 |
| Last page | 135 |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |