Urtzi Goiti, Jose Ramon Aihartza, Inazio Garin
Diet and prey selection in the Mediterranean horseshoe bat Rhinolophus euryale
(Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) during the pre-breeding season
In May 2001 we collected droppings of Rhinolophus euryale from a colony
located in the Basque Country (souhtwestern Europe). Simultaneously, we
used Malaise traps to determine prey availability in different habitats, weighting
it according to the habitat use of bats. Prey categories found in droppings
were then compared to availability to perform the selection analysis. The
main consumed prey were by far small lepidopterans (5-11 mm long), followed
by tipulids, and scarabaeid beetles (entirely Rhizotrogus sp.). Moths and
beetles were selected positively, whereas the other categories were underrepresented
in the diet. These results suggest the importance of small moths
in the pre-breeding diet of this species, although other items might seasonally
play an important role.
Mammalia, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-1461
Volume: 68, 12/2004
Pages: 397 - 402
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