Have introduced fish initiated piscivory among the long-fingered bat?

During the winter of 2003–2004 feces were collected from a winter colony of the long-fingered bat (Myotis capaccinii) in the Hazorea cave (north-west Israel). Of the 1913 feces that were examined, 234 contained scales of Gambusia affinis – a small fish that had been introduced to Israel around 1920 in order to control mosquito larvae. The remains of spiders and five insect orders were also represented in the feces. This is the first report of a piscivorous bat in the Middle East and the first finding of fish remains in the feces of M. capaccinii. The findings show that in the north of Israel this species does not hibernate but remains active throughout the winter. It appears that the consumption of G. affinis reflects a change in the diet of these bats from insectivory to semi-piscivory.     

Ecology and evolutionary biology of fishing bats

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Adaptive auditory risk assessment in the dogbane tiger moth when pursued by bats

Moths and butterflies flying in search of mates risk detection by numerous aerial predators; under the cover of night, the greatest threat will often be from insectivorous bats. During such encounters, the toxic dogbane tiger moth, Cycnia tenera uses the received intensity, duration and emission pattern of the bat''s echolocation calls to determine when, and how many, defensive ultrasonic clicks to produce in return. These clicks, which constitute an acoustic startle response, act as warning signals against bats in flight. Using an integrated test of stimulus generalization and dishabituation, here we show that C. tenera is able to discriminate between the echolocation calls characteristic of a bat that has only just detected it versus those of a bat actively in pursuit of it. We also show that C. tenera habituates more profoundly to the former stimulus train (‘early attack’) than to the latter (‘late attack’), even though it was initially equally responsive to both stimuli. Matched sensory and behavioural data indicate that reduced responsiveness reflects habituation and is not merely attributable to sensory adaptation or motor fatigue. In search of mates in the face of bats, C. tenera''s ability to discriminate between attacking bats representing different levels of risk, and to habituate less so to those most dangerous, should function as an adaptive cost–benefit trade-off mechanism in nature.     

Helicteres ovata (Sterculiaceae), Pollinated by Bats in Southeastern Brazil

The interactions between Helicteres ovata flowers and the bat Glossophaga soricina were observed in south eastern Brazil. During bat visits, pollen is unselectively spread over small areas of the visitors' body (which is uncommon for a bat flower). Seemingly related to this limitation of pollen availability, the variable orientation of the stigma makes it able to pick up grains scattered on almost any part of the bat's body. Day visitors were two hummingbird species which do not pollinate the flowers. Most Brazilian Helicteres species have red flowers with a long androgynophore. The few modifications departing from the bird flower type within the genus suggest, together with the problem of pollen placing and collecting, that H. ovata is a recent derivate from the ornithophilous stock.     

Foraging Ecology Predicts Learning Performance in Insectivorous Bats

Bats are unusual among mammals in showing great ecological diversity even among closely related species and are thus well suited for studies of adaptation to the ecological background. Here we investigate whether behavioral flexibility and simple- and complex-rule learning performance can be predicted by foraging ecology. We predict faster learning and higher flexibility in animals hunting in more complex, variable environments than in animals hunting in more simple, stable environments. To test this hypothesis, we studied three closely related insectivorous European bat species of the genus Myotis that belong to three different functional groups based on foraging habitats: M. capaccinii, an open water forager, M. myotis, a passive listening gleaner, and M. emarginatus, a clutter specialist. We predicted that M. capaccinii would show the least flexibility and slowest learning reflecting its relatively unstructured foraging habitat and the stereotypy of its natural foraging behavior, while the other two species would show greater flexibility and more rapid learning reflecting the complexity of their natural foraging tasks. We used a purposefully unnatural and thus species-fair crawling maze to test simple- and complex-rule learning, flexibility and re-learning performance. We found that M. capaccinii learned a simple rule as fast as the other species, but was slower in complex rule learning and was less flexible in response to changes in reward location. We found no differences in re-learning ability among species. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that animals’ cognitive skills reflect the demands of their ecological niche.     

Behavioural plasticity in a native species may be related to foraging resilience in the presence of an aggressive invader

Competition between invasive and native species can result in the exploitation of resources by the invader, reducing foraging rates of natives. However, it is increasingly recognized that multiple factors can enhance the resilience of native species competing for limiting resources with invaders. Although extensively studied in terrestrial species, little research has focused on behavioural plasticity in aquatic ecosystems and how this influences native species resilience. Here, we examined the role of behavioural plasticity in interactions between a native Australian fish, Pseudomugil signifer, and a widespread invasive fish, Gambusia holbrooki. To determine whether P. signifer displays behavioural plasticity that may mitigate competition with G. holbrooki, we first quantified social behaviours (aggression, submission and affiliation) and shoal cohesion for each species in single- and mixed-species groups. Second, we compared the feeding rates of both species in these groups to ascertain if any modulation of social behaviours and cohesion related to foraging success. We found that aggressive and submissive behaviours of G. holbrooki and P. signifer showed plasticity in the presence of heterospecifics, but social affiliation, shoaling and, most importantly, foraging, remained inflexible. This variation in the degree of plasticity highlights the complexity of the behavioural response of a native species and suggests that both behavioural modulation and consistency may be related to sustaining foraging efficiency in the presence of an invader.     

Community level impacts of invasive mosquitofish may exacerbate the impact to a threatened amphibian

Invasive fish threaten many native freshwater fauna. However, it can be difficult to determine how invasive fish impact animals with complex life cycles as interaction may be driven by either predation of aquatic larvae or avoidance of fish‐occupied waterbodies by the terrestrial adult stage. Mosquitofish (Gambusia spp.) are highly successful and aggressive invaders that negatively impact numerous aquatic fauna. One species potentially threatened by Gambusia holbrooki is the green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea). However, G. holbrooki's role in this frog's decline was unclear due to declines driven by the chytrid fungal disease and the continued co‐existence of these fish and frogs in multiple locations. To clarify the extent to which Gambusia is impacting L. aurea, we conducted 3 years of field surveys across a deltaic wetland system in south‐east Australia. We measured the presence and abundance of aquatic taxa including G. holbrooki, and L. aurea frogs and tadpoles, along with habitat parameters at the landscape and microhabitat scale. Generalized linear models were used to explore patterns in the abundance and distributions of L. aurea and G. holbrooki. We found strong negative associations between G. holbrooki and tadpoles of most species, including L. aurea, but no apparent avoidance of G. holbrooki by adult frogs. Native invertebrate predators (Odonata and Coleoptera) were also absent from G. holbrooki‐occupied ponds. Due to the apparent naivety of adult frogs toward G. holbrooki, the separation of G. holbrooki and tadpoles, plus the abundance of alternative predators in G. holbrooki‐free ponds, we conclude that the impact of G. holbrooki on L. aurea recruitment is likely substantial and warrants management action.     

Heat and hypoxia give a global invader, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gambusia holbrooki,</Emphasis> the edge over a threatened endemic fish on Australian floodplains

Deciphering the mechanisms by which climate change interacts with invasive species to affect biodiversity is a major challenge of global change biology. We conducted experiments to determine whether the global invader, Gambusia holbrooki, was more resistant to high water temperature (heat) and low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) than a threatened native fish, Nannoperca australis. Metabolic experiments conducted at 25 and 29 °C showed that G. holbrooki had at least four times the capacity for metabolic depression during hypoxia than N. australis. An increase in environmental temperature from 25 to 29 °C had no significant impact on the critical oxygen tension, P _crit, of G. holbrooki, but significantly and strongly increased P _crit of N. australis. Gambusia holbrooki also had a lower Q ₁₀ of standard metabolic rate than N. australis. Our results indicate that G. holbrooki have physiological traits conferring greater resistance to hypoxia than N. australis, and as temperature increases, the resistance of N. australis to hypoxia was more eroded than that of G. holbrooki. Intensive monitoring of the temperature and dissolved oxygen dynamics of wetlands showed that contemporary heat waves are already causing conditions that might give G. holbrooki the edge over N. australis on Australian floodplains. Our study adds weight to recent anecdotal reports of drought and heat waves causing localised extinction of N. australis, but the proliferation of G. holbrooki.     

Otolith chemistry of prey fish consumed by a fish predator: does digestion hinder Russian doll techniques?

The effect of digestion by a predatory fish (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides) on stable isotopic (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) and trace elemental (Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca) compositions of prey fish (bluegill Lepomis macrochirus) otoliths was investigated in a laboratory experiment. Trace element and stable‐isotopic signatures of L. macrochirus otoliths were not significantly altered for up to 16 h after L. macrochirus were consumed by M. salmoides. Prey fish otoliths recovered from predator digesta can retain environmental stable isotopic and trace elemental signatures, suggesting that determination of environmental history for prey fishes by stable‐isotope and trace‐element analysis of otoliths recovered from stomachs of piscivorous fishes will be feasible.     

Reproductive and age classes do not change spatial dynamics of foraging long-fingered bats (Myotis capaccinii)

Spatial dynamics of foraging long-fingered bats (Myotis capaccinii) were studied in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula. We analysed the locations of 45 radio-tracked individuals during three discrete periods through the breeding season and measured the spatial parameters related to their foraging behaviour in order to test whether variations in spatial use occur. Colony range, measured as the minimum convex polygon through all the radiolocations, was 345 km², but the area used during each period was smaller. During pre-breeding, foraging bats gathered at two stretches of different tributary rivers; during lactation, they scattered throughout the river system; and during weaning, they aggregated at a stretch of the main river. Individuals on average flew 5.7 km from roosts to foraging areas, with a maximum absolute distance of 22.7 km. Individual foraging ranges were measured linearly, because the bats foraged mostly along rivers; their values averaged 1.3 km/night and overlapped extensively between neighbouring bats (>65% on average). The sampling period, rather than the bats’ reproductive status, age, or sex, explained the observed variability in spatial distribution and size of hunting sites. We did not find differences in spatial parameters between lactating females and non-lactating bats, nor between juveniles and adults. This is the first study to split the independent effects of season and population class in order to enable unconfounded interpretations of the spatial dynamics of foraging reproductive females and juveniles. We speculate that the relationship between colony size and prey availability ruled the observed changes in foraging area through seasons. The considerable overlap in individual foraging ranges may be a necessary adaption to large colonies forced by the specific roost requirements of the long-fingered bat and the narrow foraging niche they appear to occupy.     

Ageing studies done 50 years apart for an inshore fish species from southern Australia—contribution towards determining current stock status

The status of the stocks of Southern Garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir) in South Australia is currently uncertain. Knowing the extent to which populations have become truncated from fishing activity would help resolve this. Estimates of population structure are available for this species from market sampling done across the two-year periods of 1954 and 1955 and 2006 and 2007. During the latter, fish age was estimated from transverse sections of otoliths using a modern quality assessment and quality control (QA/QC) protocol. The resulting age structures were dominated by the 1+ and 2+ age classes, with older fish contributing less than 16% of harvested numbers. Also, there were few fish >30 cm CFL in size. In comparison, in 1954 and 1955, fish age was determined from whole otoliths, whilst QA/QC procedures were poorly developed. The resulting age structures were dominated by 3+ and 4+ age classes, whilst >25% of the numbers were >30 cm CFL in size. Before concluding that populations were now truncated, it was necessary to reconcile the difference in ageing methods between studies. This was done by assessing the tractability of obtaining accurate estimates of fish age from whole otoliths. Otoliths from a broad age range collected in 2006 and 2007, when immersed in water and displaying the distal face, displayed interpretable patterns of increments. Furthermore, the growth of these otoliths in length slowed but had not stopped even for relatively old fish, indicating that the anterior edge remained a growing edge. A comparison of counts between whole and sectioned otoliths from the same fish gave comparable estimates of age. The studies indicated the tractability of obtaining accurate estimates of age from whole otoliths, when using modern laboratory equipment. However, since cruder techniques were used in the 1950s the accuracy of those ages remained in question. Fortuitously, a small set of otoliths collected in 1955 were available to this study. These were sectioned, counted and compared to counts of the whole otoliths done in the 1950s. Again the counts were comparable, thus conferring confidence about age estimates from the 1950s. The populations of Southern Garfish in 2006 and 2007 were considerably truncated relative to the 1950s, as a consequence of heavy commercial exploitation over the past 50 years. Historical datasets on population structure have made a significant contribution towards understanding current fishery status.     

渔场重心信度测算及渔场重心修正理论构建——以闽南-台湾浅滩渔场二长棘鲷为例

渔场重心是表征渔场位置的重要参数,准确掌握渔场重心,对判断鱼类洄游路线、确定中心渔场、表征鱼群分布特征和变化规律具有重要意义。渔场重心计算采用的是固定物体重心计算方法,然而运动的鱼类和固定物体有着本质的区别。因此,由固定物体重心计算的渔场重心能否体现鱼群分布特征,值得深入研究。渔场重心信度是用于度量由固定物体重心计算的渔场重心表征鱼群分布特征的能力,体现渔场重心的可信程度,而渔场重心修正是为了提升渔场重心表征鱼群分布特征的能力,提高渔场重心信度,以准确掌握渔场重心。以闽南-台湾浅滩渔场二长棘鲷(Parargrops edita Tanaka)为例,采用渔场重心、几何中心和单位捕捞努力量渔获量(Catch Per Unit Effort,CPUE)为参数,首次建立了渔场重心信度测算及渔场重心修正理论和方法,分析了渔场重心信度,研究了渔场重心修正方法和渔场重心的分布特征,旨在从更精细地水平上掌握二长棘鲷渔场重心,为生态智慧在渔业资源开发和管理的应用提供可靠的数据支持。结果表明:(1)二长棘鲷渔场重心信度各月变化在0.12—1.00,平均值0.67,均方差0.31,各月渔场重心可信度波动较大,12月份和2月份渔场重心信度最大为1.00,鱼群对称和均匀分布于渔场重心,渔场重心可信度最高,3—8月份渔场重心信度低于0.70,鱼群在渔场重心周围的对称性和均匀度差,渔场重心可信度差,其中3月份渔场重心信度最小为0.12;(2)渔场重心信度不仅反映了渔场重心可信程度,还体现了鱼群在渔场重心周围的分布特征,可作为研究鱼群分布特征的重要参数,渔场重心信度低于0.70,渔场重心需要修正;(3)渔区修正系数用于判别鱼群所在渔区是否排除,通过去除渔区修正系数小于0.5的鱼群,能保留85%以上的鱼群数量,提高渔场重心信度0.70以上;(4)修改后的渔场重心变化规律较显著,4—5月份,幼鱼群体重心向西迁移,6—7月份,索饵群体重心向东北方向移动,8月份,索饵群体重心开始往南迁移,9—11月份,越冬群体重心逐渐向南移动,12月份,生殖群体重心继续往南迁移,1—3月份生殖群体主要集中在305渔区(119°15'E,23°15'N)附近进行生殖活动,鱼群少有迁移。     

Multimodal cues improve prey localization under complex environmental conditions

Predators often eavesdrop on sexual displays of their prey. These displays can provide multimodal cues that aid predators, but the benefits in attending to them should depend on the environmental sensory conditions under which they forage. We assessed whether bats hunting for frogs use multimodal cues to locate their prey and whether their use varies with ambient conditions. We used a robotic set-up mimicking the sexual display of a male túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) to test prey assessment by fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus). These predatory bats primarily use sound of the frog''s call to find their prey, but the bats also use echolocation cues returning from the frog''s dynamically moving vocal sac. In the first experiment, we show that multimodal cues affect attack behaviour: bats made narrower flank attack angles on multimodal trials compared with unimodal trials during which they could only rely on the sound of the frog. In the second experiment, we explored the bat''s use of prey cues in an acoustically more complex environment. Túngara frogs often form mixed-species choruses with other frogs, including the hourglass frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus). Using a multi-speaker set-up, we tested bat approaches and attacks on the robofrog under three different levels of acoustic complexity: no calling D. ebraccatus males, two calling D. ebraccatus males and five D. ebraccatus males. We found that bats are more directional in their approach to the robofrog when more D. ebraccatus males were calling. Thus, bats seemed to benefit more from multimodal cues when confronted with increased levels of acoustic complexity in their foraging environments. Our data have important consequences for our understanding of the evolution of multimodal sexual displays as they reveal how environmental conditions can alter the natural selection pressures acting on them.     

A comparison of different structures and methods for estimating age of northern-form Dolly Varden <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus malma malma</Emphasis> from the Canadian Arctic

Assessment of anadromous northern-form Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma malma in the Western Canadian Arctic requires reliable methods for estimating ages. Additionally, conservation efforts warrant determining whether fin rays provide a non-lethal alternative to otoliths. Precision and bias of whole and sectioned otoliths, and sectioned pectoral and pelvic fin rays were examined. Two age readers with different levels of experience ageing this species read each structure three times. Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated to measure precision, and age bias plots were created for each method of preparation/structure within and between readers. The experienced reader demonstrated the highest precision with sectioned otoliths (CV = 1.6 %) followed by whole otoliths (CV = 4.2 %) while pectoral and pelvic fins were the lowest, CV = 7.7 % and 7.5 %, respectively. The age bias plot showed little difference between whole and sectioned otoliths, although greater imprecision/bias was evident for whole otoliths at age ≥9. Compared to otoliths, fin rays produced younger age estimates starting at 5 years; however, pelvic fins were more biased towards younger estimates than pectoral fins. The less experienced reader had greater inconsistencies, tending to overage younger and underage older samples for all methods compared to the more experienced reader, underscoring the importance of experience when estimating age for this species. We conclude that both types of fin rays are a poor non-lethal alternative to otoliths for fish ≥5 years and recommend an experienced ager could use whole otoliths up to age 8 and sectioned otoliths for fish ≥9 years (>500 mm fork length).     

Zooplankton response to flooding of a drought refuge and implications for the endangered fish species Craterocephalus fluviatilis cohabiting with alien Gambusia holbrooki

Disruption to a river’s natural flow regime changes its ecological character, which becomes unfavourable for previously adapted biota. The zooplankton particularly are affected, and survival of larval and juvenile fish is largely determined by their availability. Alien fishes can also impact on recruitment in native fishes, sometimes through competition. In this regard, the invasive eastern Gambusia Gambusia holbrooki is linked to the decline of several fish species. It can have a substantial influence in shaping plankton communities, which implies that it competes with native fish that rely on the microfauna. The effects of river regulation and over abstraction of water in the Murray–Darling Basin, south-eastern Australia, were exacerbated by drought from 1997 to 2010. Consequently, the endangered Murray hardyhead Craterocephalus fluviatilis underwent substantial population decline and extirpations. The purpose of this study is to determine if a link exists between zooplankton response to flooding of a drought refuge and the recruitment success of C. fluviatilis in the presence of G. holbrooki. Flooding triggered sharp and substantial increases in the zooplankton and their eggs, which was the sole food of C. fluviatilis. This apparently benefitted the recruitment of C. fluviatilis, and sometimes alleviated diet overlap with G. holbrooki. Conversely, the zooplankton in a nearby non-flooded refuge was low in abundance and diversity, and all fish species were extirpated. The findings indicate that the flooding of drought refugia with relatively small volumes of water can be timed with ecological cues that would otherwise be desynchronized in highly regulated rivers, particularly during drought.     

Otoliths as object of EPR dosimetric research

Otoliths are the organs which fish use for hearing and keeping balance. Otoliths are the most calcified tissues in the fish body. In contrast to bones, otoliths are not affected by remodeling and, therefore, they are expected to accumulate any dose from ionizing radiation during lifetime. Therefore, EPR dosimetry with fish otoliths could be an important tool for dose reconstruction in radiobiology and radioecology. It could also provide useful information remediation actions to de-contaminate waterbodies. Consequently, in the present study, otoliths of three contaminated fish species (roach (Rutilus rutilus), pike (Esox lucius) and perch (Perca Fluviatilis)) were examined with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The fish were caught at storage reservoirs of liquid radioactive waste from Mayak PA and from the upper reach of the Techa River, which have been contaminated with different levels of radionuclide activity concentrations. It is shown that the radiation-induced EPR signal of otolith is stable and characterized by a linear dose response. However, the slope of the calibration curve (corresponding to the radiation sensitivity of the material) is not the same for different species; this may be caused by differences in mineralization. The reconstructed doses were found to be in the range from undetectable (in fish from the upper stream of the Techa River) up to 265 Gy (in roach from the most contaminated waterbody). In parallel, otoliths were measured with β-counter to detect ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y. Samples were also tested on the presence of alpha-emitters, but no alpha activity above background could be detected. However, a significant activity concentration of ⁹⁰Sr was detected (from 1?×?10¹ to 2?×?10⁴ Bq/g). The EPR doses measured correlated with the ⁹⁰Sr activity concentration measured in the otolith samples.     

Signs of a vector's adaptive choice: on the evasion of infectious hosts and parasite‐induced mortality

Laboratory and field experiments have demonstrated in many cases that malaria vectors do not feed randomly, but show important preferences either for infected or non‐infected hosts. These preferences are likely in part shaped by the costs imposed by the parasites on both their vertebrate and dipteran hosts. However, the effect of changes in vector behaviour on actual parasite transmission remains a debated issue. We used the natural associations between a malaria‐like parasite Polychromophilus murinus, the bat fly Nycteribia kolenatii and a vertebrate host the Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii to test the vector's feeding preference based on the host's infection status using two different approaches: 1) controlled behavioural assays in the laboratory where bat flies could choose between a pair of hosts; 2) natural bat fly abundance data from wild‐caught bats, serving as an approximation of realised feeding preference of the bat flies. Hosts with the fewest infectious stages of the parasite were most attractive to the bat flies that did switch in the behavioural assay. In line with the hypothesis of costs imposed by parasites on their vectors, bat flies carrying parasites had higher mortality. However, in wild populations, bat flies were found feeding more based on the bat's body condition, rather than its infection level. Though the absolute frequency of host switches performed by the bat flies during the assays was low, in the context of potential parasite transmission they were extremely high. The decreased survival of infected bat flies suggests that the preference for less infected hosts is an adaptive trait. Nonetheless, other ecological processes ultimately determine the vector's biting rate and thus transmission. Inherent vector preferences therefore play only a marginal role in parasite transmission in the field. The ecological processes rather than preferences per se need to be identified for successful epidemiological predictions.     

Diet and feeding ecology of great black-backed gulls (Laws marinus) at a southern Irish breeding colony

The diet of great black-backed gulls ( Larus marinus ) on Cape Clear Island, Ireland consists largely offish and auks. Other foods, including mammals, crabs and goose barnacles ( Lepas ), represent less than 10% of the diet by weight. Most fish consumed are obtained as waste from fishing boats. The use of otoliths to determine fish dimensions and problems with the technique are discussed.     

Comparison of lethal and non-lethal age-based growth estimation methodologies to assess an endemic bay population of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

The Gilbert Bay, Labrador, MPA (Marine Protected Area) was created in 2005 to protect a genomically distinct and locally adapted bay resident population of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from commercial overfishing. Since then research showed that significant numbers of individuals migrate beyond MPA boundaries creating a concern that fishing continues to impact this endemic population. As part of research and MPA monitoring to assess the health of the protected cod population, lethal sampling of Gilbert Bay cod was conducted from 1998 to 2009 to gather length-at-age data from otoliths. Since then only non-lethal sampling methods were used so as to help conserve the protected population. This study was conducted to compare non-lethally (mark-recapture and length-frequency) obtained age and growth data with lethally (otolith-length-at-age) obtained data. The three methods produced similar results for the 1998 to 2009 period, and both of the non-lethal methods considered were consistent over the 20 year study, confirming their preference over lethal methods for this small endemic fish population.     

Identification of sound-localization cues in the HRTF of the bat-head model

Animals such as bats and dolphins exhibit impressive echolocation abilities in terms of ranging, resolution and imaging and therefore represent a valuable learning model for the study of spatial hearing and sound source localization leading to a better understanding of the hearing mechanism and further improvement of the existing localization strategies. This study aims to examine and understand the directional characteristics of a sonar receiver modeled upon the bat auditory system via measurements of the head-related transfer function (HRTF) in the horizontal plane. Four different models of the bat head were considered here and used to evaluate acoustic spectral characteristics of the sound received by the bat's ears – a sphere model, a sphere model with a pinna attached (two pinnae of different size were used in this study) and a bat-head cast. The performed HRTF measurements of the bat-head models were further analyzed and compared to identify monaural spectral localization cues in the horizontal plane defined by the bat's head and pinna shape and size. Our study suggests that the acoustical characteristics of a bio-inspired sonar head measured and specified in advance can potentially improve the performance of a receiver. Moreover, the generated auditory models may hold clues for the design of receiver characteristics in ultrasound imaging and navigation systems.