Precision in prey selection by the trident -nosed bat (Cloeotis percivali)
- 1 January 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH in Mammalia
- Vol. 43 (1) , 53-57
- https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.1979.43.1.53
Abstract
Stomach samples from 55 African trident-nosed bats (C. percivali), collected in Zambia over 12 mo., were analyzed for prey remains. Lepidoptera were identified in all stomachs. Only 7 bats had eaten prey other than lepidopterans. The width of the food niche for Cloeotis is compared with that of a temperate insectivorous species, Pipistrellus hesperus, and is narrower. Data are presented on the size distribution of selected insect taxa collected by light trapping. Seasonal aspects of prey abundance in relation to rainfall patterns is also presented. C. percivali may be a specialist on lepidoterans irrespective of seasonal or short term changes in their abundance.This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Food Habits of Cave Bats from Zambia, AfricaJournal of Mammalogy, 1976
- The Role of Time and Energy in Food PreferenceThe American Naturalist, 1966
- On Optimal Use of a Patchy EnvironmentThe American Naturalist, 1966
- Moth Sounds and the Insect-Catching Behavior of BatsScience, 1965