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.
| 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 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |