search
for
 About Bioline  All Journals  Testimonials  Membership  News


Zoological Research
Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
ISSN: 2095-8137
Vol. 28, No. 3, 2007, pp. 243-248
Bioline Code: zr07038
Full paper language: Chinese
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge

Zoological Research, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2007, pp. 243-248

 en Bird Predation and Selection of Different Insects by Great Evening Bats (Ia io)
HAN, Bao-yin; GU, Xiao-ming; LIANG, Bing & ZHANG, Shu-yi

Abstract

The diet of the great evening bat, Ia io, was studied in Guizhou province of China in November 2005 and May, July and September 2006. The diet was examined by faecal analysis. Bird feathers were found to comprise most of the great evening bats' faeces in July, September and November. This discovery demonstrates that the great evening bat is a bird-eating bat. In November, bird remains were found comprising 82% (by volume) of the bat faeces, but were not found in May. The food component in May mainly consisted of Coleoptera (85%). In July and September, the proportions of bird feathers and Coleoptera found in the bat faeces were similar (44.6% and 48.7% in July, 51.1% and 43.4% in September, respectively). From May to November, the proportion of bird predation by the great evening bats gradually increased, and the proportion of Coleoptera eaten gradually decreased. Apart from Coleoptera, the great evening bats also preyed on other organisms, including Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera. Comparing the food components of bats by faecal analysis with the potential food availability measured in the foraging area, we suggest that the great evening bat is a selective predator.

Keywords
Great evening bats (Ia io) Diet Bird predation Coleoptera

 
© Copyright 2007 Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Alternative site location: http://www.zoores.ac.cn/

Home Faq Resources Email Bioline
© Bioline International, 1989 - 2024, Site last up-dated on 01-Sep-2022.
Site created and maintained by the Reference Center on Environmental Information, CRIA, Brazil
System hosted by the Google Cloud Platform, GCP, Brazil