Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 1-16

Call parameters and facial features in bats: a surprising failure of
form following function

AMANDA GOUDY-TRAINOR^{1, 2} and PATRICIA W. FREEMAN^{1, 3}

¹University of Nebraska State Museum and School of Biological Sciences,
W436 Nebraska Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514, USA
²Present address: Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, 1223 Capitol Court,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53715-1299, USA
³Corresponding author: E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

We attempted to correlate echolocation call parameters to a comprehensive array of ear and nose measurements from 12 families of bats. Surprisingly, we failed to find any significant relationships. We did find consistent differences between nasal and oral emitters such as: (a) nasal emitters have higher frequencies with maximum energy for their size than oral emitters, (b) nasal emitting bats tend to have longer, narrower skulls, and (c) nasal emitters have a shorter distance from the nostril to the eye (muzzle length).

Key words: Chiroptera, call parameters, echolocation, nasal and oral sound emission, facial features, noseleaves, ears, muzzle length

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 17-24

The influence of regional climate and nightly weather conditions on
activity patterns of insectivorous bats

JANET L. ERICKSON^{1, 2} and STEPHEN D. WEST¹

¹College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
²Present address: Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA
E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

We examined the influence of average climatic conditions and nightly weather variations using bat detectors on the summer activity of bats. Average summer precipitation was the principal climate variable correlated with differences in bat activity along a latitudinal array of sites, with the highest activity levels occurring at sites located in montane rain shadows. On a nightly basis, the occurrence of rain and low temperatures had strong negative correlations with flight activity. However, the variation in nightly activity at a site that was explained by weather was relatively small. Our results suggest that the use of long-term climatic data offers potential to predict variations in bat activity among sites. Such information may be useful in recognizing conservation priorities for the management of bats in the Pacific Northwest where topography is complex and climate conditions are variable.

Key words: bats, climate, activity patterns, bat detector, Pacific Northwest

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 25-32

Effects of different surfaces on the perception of prey-generated noise by the Indian false vampire bat Megaderma lyra

GANAPATHY MARIMUTHU¹, KOILMANI EMMANUVEL RAJAN^{1, 3}, SRIPATHI KANDULA¹,
STUART PARSONS², and GARETH JONES²

¹Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021, India; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
²School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, Great Britain
³Department of Molecular Recognition and Biostructure, Institute of Biotechnology, National University Autonomous of Mexico, APDO 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62250, Mexico

The low- and high-frequency components of a rustling sound, created when prey (freshly killed frog) was jerkily pulled on dry and wet sandy floors and asbestos, were recorded and played back to individual Indian false vampire bats (Megaderma lyra). Megaderma lyra responded with flight toward the speakers and captured dead frogs, that were kept as reward. The spectral peaks were at 8.6, 7.1 and 6.8 kHz for the low-frequency components of the sounds created at the dry, asbestos and wet floors, respectively. The spectral peaks for the high-frequency sounds created on the respective floors were at 36.8, 27.2 and 23.3 kHz. The sound from the dry floor was more intense than that of from the other two substrata. Prey movements that generated sonic or ultrasonic sounds were both sufficient and necessary for the bats to detect and capture prey. The number of successful prey captures was significantly greater for the dry floor sound, especially to its high-frequency components. Bat-responses were low to the wet floor and moderate to the asbestos floor sounds. The bats did not respond to the sound of unrecorded parts of the tape. Even though the bats flew toward the speakers when the prey generated sounds were played back and captured the dead frogs we cannot rule out the possibility of M. lyra using echolocation to localize prey. However, the study indicates that prey that move on dry sandy floor are more vulnerable to predation by M. lyra.

Key words: Megaderma lyra, gleaning, passive sound localization, prey detection

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 33-47

Feeding ecology of Pteropus rufus (Pteropodidae) in the littoral forest
of Sainte Luce, SE Madagascar

AN BOLLEN^{1, 2, 3} and LINDA VAN ELSACKER^{1, 2}

¹University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
²Centre for Research & Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26,
B-2018 Antwerp, Belgium; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
³Department of Ecology & Conservation, Institute of Zoology, University of Hamburg,
Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

This paper examines bat-plant interactions by focusing on the fruit diet and food selection of flying foxes (Pteropus rufus) in the littoral forest fragments of Sainte Luce, SE Madagascar. Analyses of faecal samples and opportunistic observations revealed 40 endemic plant species in the diet. The bats mainly eat odorous ripe and juicy berries. No particular fruit colour was predominant in their diet. Both multi- and single-seeded fruits are eaten. Small seeds (1-3.5 mm in length) are usually swallowed whole. Passage through the digestive tract of the flying foxes does not reduce the germination rate of seeds nor the percentage of seeds germinated. This study indicates that the role of flying foxes in both short and long distance seed dispersal for a large number of endemic tree species of the littoral forest should not be underestimated when designing reforestation programs in particular or conservation action plans in general.

Key words: Pteropus rufus, seed dispersal, frugivory, Madagascar

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 49-54

Feeding ecology of the common slit-faced bat (Nycteris thebaica)
in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ERNEST C. J. SEAMARK¹ and WIESŁAW BOGDANOWICZ²

¹Department of Nature Conservation, Mangosuthu Technikon, P.O. Box 12363, Jacobs 4026,
Republic of South Africa; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
²Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland

Monthly samples of arthropod remains (n = 1,190 culled parts) collected over a year from under a Nycteris thebaica night roost in the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve (South Africa) show that prey eaten by bats vary significantly by order but not by season. Nevertheless, there was a significant interaction between the prey category and season, suggesting that these two factors are not independent from each other. Coleoptera (49.6% in the culled parts, calculated as percent composition) dominated in spring (September-November), Orthoptera (38.8%) in summer (December-February), Hemiptera (42.8%) in autumn (March-May), and Lepidoptera (36.3%) in winter (June-August). The diet also included a frog and a small fish (n = 2 parts).

Key words: Nycteris thebaica, Nycteridae, culled parts, diet, South Africa

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 55-76

Systematic implications of chromosome GTG-band and bacula morphology for Southern African Eptesicus and Pipistrellus and several other species of Vespertilioninae (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

TERESA C. KEARNEY^{1, 2}, MARIANNE VOLLETH³, GIANCARLO CONTRAFATTO⁴,
and PETER J. TAYLOR⁵

¹Biology Department, University of Natal, Private Bag X10, Dalbridge,
Durban, 4014, Republic of South Africa
²Present address: Vertebrate Department, Transvaal Museum, P.O. Box 413, Pretoria, 0001,
Republic of South Africa; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
³Dept. of Human Genetics, Otto-von-Guericke-University, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
⁴Biology Department, University of Natal, Private Bag X10, Dalbridge,
Durban, 4014, Republic of South Africa
⁵Durban Natural Science Museum, P.O. Box 4085, Durban 4000, Republic of South Africa

Phylogenetic analyses of bacular and chromosomal GTG-band characters verify the suggestion that Eptesicus hottentotus (A. Smith, 1833) is the only true Eptesicus Rafinesque, 1820 of the six southern African species (capensis, cf. melckorum, rendalli, somalicus and zuluensis) formerly classified as Eptesicus. GTG-banded chromosomes studied in rendalli, zuluensis and capensis confirm the affiliation of all of them to the genus Neoromicia; these species were previously placed in the Pipistrellus Kaup, 1829, subgenus Neoromicia based on bacular morphology. For karyological reasons, the elevation of the subgenus Neoromicia to generic rank is established by the presence of three Robertsonian fusion chromosomes (7/11, 8/9, 10/12) as distinguishing characters. The move of Hypsugo nanus and cf. melckorum to the genus Neoromicia is indicated by chromosomal analysis and bacular morphology, respectively. The close phylogenetic relationship between Pipistrellus cf. kuhlii and P. rusticus is shown by a shared Robertsonian fusion element (11/12).

Key words: bacula, GTG-banded chromosomes, Eptesicus, Pipistrellus, Neoromicia

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 77-97

On a collection of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from The Gambia

DIETER KOCK¹, LINDA BARNETT², JAKOB FAHR³, and CRAIG EMMS²

¹Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
²Research and Development Unit, Department of Parks and Wildlife Management,
P.O. Box 2164, Serrekunda, The Gambia
³Department of Experimental Ecology (Bio III), University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11,
D-89069 Ulm, Germany

A recent collection of bats from The Gambia presented in this publication comprises 17 species, four of which (Lissonycteris angolensis, Pipistrellus (P.) rusticus, P. (Neoromicia) guineensis, and Scotoecus hirundo) represent new records for The Gambia, raising the total number of known species from 27 to 31. Notes on taxonomy, distribution, ecology and biology are presented.

Key words: Gambia, Chiroptera, taxonomy, distribution, ecology, biology

Acta Chiropterologica, 4(1) 2002: 99-106

SHORT NOTES

Differential ingestion of Ficus seeds by frugivorous bats: a first experimental test
in Ptenochirus jagori (Pteropodidae)

JOCHEN REITER

Conservation Biology Unit, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany E-mail:
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Key words: Ptenochirus jagori, germination, seed dispersal, Ficus, Philippines, differential ingestion

Commensal aerobic bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract of Pipistrellus nathusii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): lack of Escherichia coli in fecal samples

TOMASZ JARZEMBOWSKI

Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Gdansk, ul. Do Studzienki 38,
80-227 Gdansk, Poland; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

Key words: Pipistrellus nathusii, oral cavity, feces, commensal flora, Escherichia coli, Poland