Food habits of northern (Eptesicus nilssoni) and brown long-eared (Plecotus auritus) bats in Sweden

Food habits of sympatric northern and brown long-eared bats were examined by analysis of droppings collected in six maternity roosts of each species. Relatively large, nocturnal flying insects such as moths (Lepidoptera), June-beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), crane-flies (Diptera: Tipulidae) and caddis-flies (Trichoptera), were eaten by both bat species, representing 47% (by volume) of the northern and 57% of the long-eared bat's diet. Small dipterans were important food items for the northern bat (47% of the diet) but not for the long-eared bat, which instead consumed large amounts of diurnal or predominantly non-flying taxa such as blow-flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), earwigs (Dermaptera), spiders (Araneae) and harvestmen (Opiliones) (40% of the diet). The difference in food selection by the two species is probably due to the different foraging strategies used.     

Food composition of the Near Eastern Fire Salamander,Salamandra infraimmaculata Martens, 1885 (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae) from Eastern Anatolia

This study presents data on the food composition of the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata, from Bingöl, eastern Turkey. A total of 139 prey items was determined in the food content of 28 individuals (14 juveniles, 7 males, and 7 females). Insecta (N%= 37.4), Gastropoda (27.3%), and Isopoda (25.9%) constitute together 91% of the food items. The most frequent prey groups in the diet are Coleoptera (F%=50.0%), Isopoda (57.1%), and Gastropoda (46.4%). Coleoptera (V%= 34.6%), Gastropoda (28.0%), and Isopoda (23.5%) had the highest prey volumes. No significant difference was found between the sexes in food composition. The species generally feeds upon poorly flying or slow-moving invertebrates, but is opportunistic in taking up more mobile prey species as well. Diptera, Odonata and Hemiptera were found in small numbers only.     

Dietary composition and echolocation call design of three sympatric insectivorous bat species from China

Studying the diet of echolocating, insectivorous bats can provide important insights into their foraging behaviors and ecological constraints they are facing. By examining an extensive data set covering a period of 2 years, the present study identifies the dietary composition of three sympatric insectivorous bat species in rural areas of Beijing municipality. Each species clearly has different preferences for particular food items. Greater horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, preferred to catch nocturnal, actively flying insects, mostly moths (Lepidoptera), and to a lesser percentage flies (Diptera), beetles (Coleoptera), and flying ants and termites (Hymenoptera). Other nocturnal insects which do not exhibit any perceptible wing movements, such as true bugs (Homoptera), or strictly diurnal insects that hardly ever fly in the dark, such as grasshoppers (Orthoptera) and dragon- and damselflies (Odonata), were never found in droppings of horseshoe bats. Large mouse-eared bats, Myotis chinensis, preferentially glean relatively large terrestrial prey of the order Coleoptera (mostly carabid beetles) and Orthoptera, whereas greater tube-nosed bats, Murina leucogaster, consume predominantly smaller, diurnal Coleoptera (mostly soldier beetles, Cantharidae, and ladybugs, Coccinellidae). Our findings also indicate previously not described, significant spectro-temporal differences in the echolocation signals of M. chinensis and M. leucogaster. The results suggest that in our study area the dramatic differences in the dietary composition of these three bat species are mainly based upon differences in their foraging behaviors, including differences in their echolocation signal structure. The dietary data provide important background information for conservational efforts, such as habitat protection.     

Diet of nestling Barn Swallows <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hirundo rustica</Emphasis> in rural areas of Poland

Analysis of faecal sacs of nestling Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica from 52 breeding colonies located within fifteen spatially-separated villages in Poland has revealed that the basic component of the diet was Coleoptera (56.1% of all identified prey items), followed by Hymenoptera (24.1%), Diptera (16.1%) and Hemiptera (3.3%). The average mass of all prey items with known weight amounted to 3.40 mg (95% CL, 3.16–3.63 mg; median=0.49 mg) dry weight. Coleopterans associated with dung and manure jointly made up 23.5% of the number and 24.3% of the total biomass of all representatives of the order. Statistically significant negative relationships between the average weight of prey and number of prey found in 52 analyzed breeding sites suggest a particular need for Barn Swallows to find larger-bodied prey rather than to exploit the local abundance of smaller prey. The high percentage of Coleoptera in the diet of nestling Barn Swallows probably results from extensive or traditional farm management based on rules of organic farming in agricultural areas of central Europe, mainly commonly used organic fertilizers, and suggests the importance of these insects as a more easily accessible and larger-bodied prey in comparison to some small Diptera or Hymenoptera. We believe that a large number of randomly collected faecal samples from tens of breeding sites allow us to precisely describe variation in the diet of the Barn Swallow. Our work has great importance for documenting of the food composition of the Barn Swallow in traditional European countrysides, i.e. under environmental and agricultural conditions which, as a result of transformations of the system of farming, ceased to exist in the western and northern part of this continent.     

Stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the diet of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell) in Libby Creek,Wyoming, USA

The stonefly component of a naturally reproducing population of brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis) was studied by analyzing 216 stomach pump samples collected between May 15 and August 10, 1991 and 1992, from Libby Creek, an alpine stream in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. Stoneflies constituted 10.3% of the total items recovered and were the second most abundant order in the samples. Nineteen species of Plecoptera representing five families were identified. Approximately 43% of all stoneflies were Sweltsa lamba; the next most prevalent species was Zapada haysi (12%). The other prevalent insect orders in the samples were Diptera (57.2%), Ephemeroptera (8.4%) and Trichoptera (6.1%). Terrestrial Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera were most common in July and August. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Analysis of the diet of Daubenton’s batMyotis daubentonii in Ireland

The diet of Daubenton’s batMyotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817), which takes prey by aerial hawking and from the surface of water, was investigated by analysis of faeces collected in summer at 7 roosts, all close to rivers in pastoral land, in three widely-separated districts in Ireland. Forty-seven categories of arthropod prey were identified; several were insect taxa found in and around water. Most categories were recovered at most roosts, but mainly in small amounts. The main categories were the same throughout, accounting for 82% of the diet by percentage frequency in droppings for pooled data: Chironomidae/Ceratopogonidae 24% (adults 14%, preadult stages 10%), other nematoceran Diptera 21%, other Diptera 10%, and Trichoptera 26% (adults 20%, preadult 6%). A quarter of the prey had evidently been obtained from the water’s surface (eg aquatic insects, their larvae and pupae). Although consumption of several food items varied significantly by month at one or more roosts, little of such variation was consistent between roosts.     

Pathways of alien invertebrate transfer to the Antarctic region

Alien species pose an increasing threat to the biodiversity of the Antarctic region. Several alien species have established in Antarctic terrestrial communities, some representing novel functional groups such as pollinators and predators, with unknown impacts on ecosystem processes. We quantified the unintentional introduction of alien invertebrates to the Antarctic region over a 14-year period (2000–2013). To do this, probable pathways (Australian Antarctic cargo operations) and endpoints (research stations) for invertebrate introductions were searched. In addition, we undertook a stratified trapping programme targeting invertebrates on supply vessels in transit to the Antarctic region and also at cargo facilities in Australia during the 2012–2013 austral summer field season. Our results show that a diverse suite of invertebrate taxa were being introduced to the Antarctic region, with 1,376 individuals from at least 98 families observed or trapped during the sampling period. Many individuals were found alive. Diptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera were the most common taxa, comprising 74 % of the collection. At the family level, Phoridae (small flies) and Noctuidae (moths) were most commonly observed. Individuals from 38 different families were repeatedly introduced over the study period, sometimes in high numbers. Food and large cargo containers harboured the most individuals. These findings can assist in improving biosecurity protocols for logistic activities to Antarctica, thereby reducing the risk of invasions to the Antarctic region.     

Foraging and diet of the northern bat Eptesicus nilssoni in Sweden

Northern bats foraged predominantly in small individual and transient feeding sites usually in open places near trees and over water. Lakes were preferred as foraging habitat as compared to woodlands and farmlands. The pattern of habitat selection did not change drastically during the period of reproduction. The diet was probably unselective, consisting mainly of small dipterans and moths and also caddis flies, lacewings and mayflies (lake area) and dung beetles (farmland). Northern bats consumed insects of 3–30 mm body length, thus taking prey items of a broader size range than other bat species studied.     

Diet seasonality and food overlap among fishes of the upper Orituco stream, northern Venezuela.

The diets of four diurnal fish species (Creagrutus bolivari, Knodus deuterodonoides, Knodus sp. and Poecilia reticulata) were examined during a year in the Orituco stream at northern Venezuela. The fishes were sampled monthly from February 1991 to March 1992 (except October 1991 and February 1992) in the stream main channel with a beach seine and a cast net. Diet is reported as frequency of occurrence and numeric proportion because variation in prey sizes was small. Non-parametric statistical tests were applied. A total of 18 distinct prey items were found in stomachs. The diet of these fishes consisted of aquatic insects (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera), allochthonous plant matter (fragments of leaves and seeds), microalgae (Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyceae) and terrestrial arthropods (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Arachnida). The low percentage of empty guts and the high fullness percentage of guts suggest that food was always abundant. Aquatic insects were more important in the dry season (November-April) while plant matter and terrestrial arthropods increased in the wet season (May-October). The Proportional Similarity Measure (PS) was high between characid species and low between characids and P. reticulata in the dry season. PS decreased during the wet season because of a reduction in aquatic insect consumption. The seasonal diet shift indicated the greater importance of allochthonous food only in the wet season.     

Analysis of the diet of Natterer's bat Myotis nattereri and the common long-eared bat Plecotus auritus in the West of Ireland

The diets of Natterer's bat Myotis nattereri and the common long-eared bat Plecotus auritus were investigated at a nursery colony of each species by analysis of droppings collected monthly from May to September. Respectively, 68% and 42% of the diets comprised items presumed to have been gleaned from foliage or other surfaces: diurnal insects, insects which rarely fly, and non-flying arthropods. Such surfaces included the ground: centipedes were eaten by both bats, and the muscid, Scatophaga stercoraria , usually associated with cattle dung, was a common prey. Indeed, the prevalence of cattle-farming around both of the bat roosts almost certainly contributed indirectly, in the form of S. stercoraria , to a significant part of the Diptera consumed. The chief food of M. nattereri was the larger Diptera, but Trichoptera, Hymenoptera and Arachnida were also important. Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera were minor prey, with Dermaptera and Chilopoda taken occasionally. Diptera, closely followed by Lepidoptera, together accounted for nearly two-thirds of the diet of P. auritus. Also taken, in descending order of importance, were Trichoptera, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Hymenoptera and Hemiptera. Plecotus auritus , but not M. nattereri , was evidently able to take a few small insects such as aphids and lesser nematoceran Diptera.     

The diet of the parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus in Sweden

Food habits of the parti-coloured bat in southern Sweden were investigated by analysis of fecal samples collected from three maternity roosts used in summer and, in addition, one roost used by a male during the mating season m autumn Small (c 3-10 mm) dipterans dominated all samples, representing 64-82% by volume, but larger flying insects like moths, caddis-flies and dung beetles were also eaten, together representing 14-33% At the family level, midges (Chironomidae) were by far the most common prey items, compnsing 12-67% of the diet The dominance of small prey items in the diet of the parti-coloured bat in Sweden contrasts with other bat species of similar size and foraging habits, but agrees with observations on parti-coloured bats in Ukrama and Poland     

The diet and foraging behaviour of the Dunnock Prunella modularis in a hedgerow habitat

The diet and foraging behaviour of a population of Dunnocks inhabiting hedgerows was studied between November 1981 and December 1983 at Nedge Hill, Shropshire. Invertebrates were most abundant in hedgerows and adjacent vegetation during the summer when the diet of the Dunnock was largely insectivorous. Beetles (Coleoptera) were the main taxa in the diet, with weevils (Curculionidae) and rove beetles (Staphylinidae) predominating. Arachnids were important, and snails (Gastropoda), earthworms (Oligochaeta), springtails (Collembola) and flies (Diptera) were taken. Seeds were available in the study area from July and featured in the diet from August to April. Nettle Urtica dioica comprised the main seed in the diet. Other important seeds included Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus , elder Sambucus nigra and dock Rumex obtusifolius. Stomach stones were most common in the faeces in winter. The Dunnocks were predominantly ground feeders and mainly used a hop-picking technique. Some seeds and invertebrates were picked directly off plants by Dunnocks above the ground. Most feeding occurred in hedgerows, which formed a small proportion of the study area. Overgrown hedgerows were the most important of the five hedgerow types. Nettle patches were an important feeding habitat. Dunnocks usually foraged alone or in pairs and rarely fed in association with other bird species. The highest proportion of time spent feeding was in January and the lowest in May.     

Food habits of the endangered Alabama Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi Williams and Clemmer, 1991 (Acipenseridae)

The gut contents of 12 museum specimens of the federally (USA) endangered Alabama sturgeon were analyzed. This collective series represents 32% of the known museum specimens. Gut contents were dominated by aquatic insects and fishes. At the taxonomic level of insect orders, Dipterans (174.3/fish) were the most numerically abundant food item consumed, followed by Ephemeroptera (19.0/fish), Trichoptera (4.0/fish), Coleoptera (2.4/fish), and Odonata (2.0/fish). Weight, which better reflects the caloric value of food items consumed, showed a similar consumption pattern. Dipterans (12.5%) made up the largest percentage of the total weight of insect prey, followed by Ephemeroptera (8.9%), Trichoptera (6.0%), Odonata, (4.5%) and Coleoptera (0.9%). Volumetric values were substantially higher than weights for Odonata (13.4%) and Ephemeroptera (14.3%), but were comparable for Diptera (10.6%), Trichoptera (4.7%), and Coleoptera (2.2%). The diet of the Alabama sturgeon is similar to the pallid and shovelnose sturgeon, eating both aquatic invertebrates and fish. In terms of piscivory, the volume of fish in the diet of the Alabama sturgeon (34.5%) is intermediate between that of the shovelnose (0% fish) and the pallid sturgeon (60% fish). Based upon the habitat preference of the prey family assemblages present from the 12 guts examined, probable feeding habitats of this sturgeon include sandy to rocky bottoms, slow to swift water velocities, and the water column. Conservation of fish prey may be important to the survival and recovery of the Alabama sturgeon.     

The diets of two high-flying bats from Africa

The diets of two fast-flying, aerial-hawking bats from north-east Africa (Ethiopia) were investigated by means of faecal analysis. Otomops martiensseni (Molossidae; c. 35 g body mass), which is remarkably specialized morphologically with very long, narrow wings and large ears, and which uses low frequency echolocation (10kHz), feeds almost exclusively (97% by volume) on moths, mostly of large species. The smaller (20 g) Taphozous perforatus (Emballonuridae) also has long, narrow wings but short ears and is less morphologically extreme than Otomops. It feeds on moths (56%), but also on many other insect groups such as Isoptera (14%). Coleoptera (10o%), Orthoptera (8%), as well as Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Otomops martiensseni , in particular, appears to be a highly specialized moth predator.     

尼日利亚热带雨林池塘中茄氏旗鳉的食性

本文逐月研究了尼日利亚Mfangmfangpond中茄氏旗鳉全年的食性。其食谱按优势多寡出现的次序分别是陆生无脊椎动物、大型植物、水生无脊椎动物、小型甲壳动物、沙粒和藻类。我们将膜翅目、鞘翅目和双翅目昆虫作为其食性的次级项,而全年都出现的有机体碎屑作为初级项。雄鱼较雌鱼捕食了更多的陆生无脊椎动物。茄氏旗在雨季有16项食物组成,但旱季只有7项。就相对重要性而言,陆生和水生无脊椎动物在旱季更大,而大型植物碎屑、小型甲壳动物、沙粒和藻类则在雨季更大。成鱼较幼鱼更多地以外源性无脊椎动物为食。雌鱼较雄鱼有更强的觅食能力;同样,成鱼较幼鱼的觅食能力强得多.     

18S rDNA sequences and the holometabolous insects

The Holometabola (insects with complete metamorphosis: beetles, wasps, flies, fleas, butterflies, lacewings, and others) is a monophyletic group that includes the majority of the world's animal species. Holometabolous orders are well defined by morphological characters, but relationships among orders are unclear. In a search for a region of DNA that will clarify the interordinal relationships we sequenced approximately 1080 nucleotides of the 5' end of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene from representatives of 14 families of insects in the orders Hymenoptera (sawflies and wasps), Neuroptera (lacewing and antlion), Siphonaptera (flea), and Mecoptera (scorpionfly). We aligned the sequences with the published sequences of insects from the orders Coleoptera (beetle) and Diptera (mosquito and Drosophila), and the outgroups aphid, shrimp, and spider. Unlike the other insects examined in this study, the neuropterans have A-T rich insertions or expansion regions: one in the antlion was approximately 260 bp long. The dipteran 18S rDNA evolved rapidly, with over 3 times as many substitutions among the aligned sequences, and 2-3 times more unalignable nucleotides than other Holometabola, in violation of an insect-wide molecular clock. When we excluded the long-branched taxa (Diptera, shrimp, and spider) from the analysis, the most parsimonious (minimum-length) trees placed the beetle basal to other holometabolous orders, and supported a morphologically monophyletic clade including the fleas+scorpionflies (96% bootstrap support). However, most interordinal relationships were not significantly supported when tested by maximum likelihood or bootstrapping and were sensitive to the taxa included in the analysis. The most parsimonious and maximum-likelihood trees both separated the Coleoptera and Neuroptera, but this separation was not statistically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A checklist of arthropods associated with pig carrion and human corpses in southeastern brazil

Necrophagous insects, mainly Diptera and Coleoptera, are attracted to specific stages of carcass decomposition, in a process of faunistic succession. They are very important in estimating the postmortem interval, the time interval between the death and the discovery of the body. In studies done with pig carcasses exposed to natural conditions in an urban forest (Santa Genebra Reservation), located in Campinas, State of S?o Paulo, southeastern Brazil, 4 out of 36 families of insects collected - Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae (Diptera) and Dermestidae (Coleoptera) - were considered of forensic importance, because several species were collected in large numbers both visiting and breeding in pig carcasses. Several species were also observed and collected on human corpses at the Institute of Legal Medicine. The species belonged to 17 different families, 6 being of forensic importance because they were reared from human corpses or pig carcasses: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae, Piophilidae (Diptera), Dermestidae, Silphidae and Cleridae (Coleoptera). The most important species were: Diptera - Chrysomya albiceps, Chrysomya putoria, Hemilucilia segmentaria, Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Calliphoridae), Pattonella intermutans (Sarcophagidae), Ophyra chalcogaster (Muscidae), Piophila casei (Piophilidae); Coleoptera - Dermestes maculatus (Dermestidae), Oxyletrum disciolle (Silphidae) and Necrobia rufipes (Cleridae).     

Diet of the Marsupial Micoureus demerarae in Small Fragments of Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil

The diet of the marsupial Micoureus demerarae was studied from fecal samples obtained from live-trapping in Atlantic Coastal Forest fragments at Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, southeastern Brazil, from 1995 to 1997. Among arthropods, the most frequent food items belonged to the orders Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, whereas Arachnida, Orthoptera, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera were also frequent. Lepidoptera and Diptera were represented mostly by larvae and pupae. Crustaceans of the orders Copepoda and Isopoda were also found. Plants were represented by seeds of species from secondary vegetation, mostly belonging to the families Piperaceae, Moraceae and Cecropiaceae, which should reflect frugivory. Predominance of arthropods in the diet was consistent with previous studies. Diet composition was remarkably constant among fragments, sexes, age classes, breeding versus non-breeding seasons, and climatic categories (dry versus humid months). The only significant difference was that diversity of arthropods was higher in the non-breeding than in the breeding season, but this was likely to be due to sampling effects. Given the natural abundances of the food items, the constancy of the diet is likely to reflect opportunism rather than food selection.     

Diets of adult and nestling starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in Hawke’s Bay,New Zealand

Abstract

Gizzards were examined from 334 adult and 62 nestling starlings collected in mixed farmland during 1971–72. The birds ate insects, spiders, earthworms, snails, millipedes, centipedes, seeds, and fruits. Starlings ate fewer subterranean animals (7%) than those usually living partially hidden (45%), on the ground (31%), or on vegetation (18%). About half the invertebrates eaten were 2–5 mm long and about a quarter 6–10 mm long. Nestlings tend to be fed significantly larger items than were eaten by adults. The commonest items in adult starlings were Coleoptera adults, Lepidoptera larvae, Hemiptera, and fruits; in nestlings, Coleoptera adults and Diptera adults and larvae were important. Earthworms were found in all the nestlings. More than 50% of adult gizzards contained earthworm chaetae in wetter months, but fewer in drier months. The diet of starlings, despite considerable overlap with the foods eaten by mynas, rooks, and magpies, included somewhat different components and proportions of the food supply. Fruits were found in adults only; most were probably eaten after harvest. Although predation on two major pasture pests—Costelytra zealandica and Wiseana cervinata larvae—was insubstantial, nearly 40% of the total invertebrates eaten by adult starlings were insect pest species.     

On the trophic spectrum of Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae) in western Iran

Using the stomach flushing technique, a total of 188 specimens of the Marsh Frog, Pelophylax ridibundus, were flushed, of which 129 had at least one food item in the stomach. The diet consisted of Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Chordata with Arthropoda being the most abundant group. Both diet volume and number of food items per stomach were significantly larger in April than in August. The proportion of frequency of occurrence (FOi%) of food categories did not show a constant food item in flushed materials. Pelophylax ridibundus prefers Diptera, Coleoptera, Amphipoda and Hymenoptera over other food categories. The Index of Relative Importance (IRI) for food categories differs between sexes and seasons. Differences were found in the food volume and the number of food items between seasons, but not between sexes. Prey volume is positively correlated with frog size.