Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2003 Evidences of Piscivory by Myotis capaccinii (Bonaparte, 1837) in Southern Iberian Peninsula
José R. Aihartza, Urtzi Goiti, David Almenar, Inazio Garin
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Faeces of Myotis capaccinii were collected from four individuals netted in a spring colony in Denia, Alicante (south-eastern Iberian Peninsula). Faecal analysis revealed the presence of fish scales and bones in all droppings examined (two pellets for each individual, i.e., n = 8), with volumes ranging 6-82.5 % of prey remains. Remains of Diptera and Trichoptera were also found. These data provide the first evidence of piscivory in M. capaccinii, and reveal that this may be an important feeding behaviour in this species, at least locally and/or seasonally.

LITERATURE CITED

1.

I. Ahlén 1990. Identification of bats in flight. Swedish Society for Conservation of Nature & Swedish Youth Association for Environmental Studies and Conservation, Stockholm, 50 pp. Google Scholar

2.

J. D. Altringham 1996. Bats. Biology and Behaviour. Oxford University Press, New York, 262 pp. Google Scholar

3.

M. Alvarez-Cobelas , A. Rubio-Olmo , and P. Muñoz-Ruiz . 1992. Eutrophication in Spanish freshwater ecosystems. Limnetica, 8: 263–266. Google Scholar

4.

J. A. Barrientos 1988. Bases para un curso práctico de entomología. Asociación Española de Entomología, Barcelona, 754 pp. Google Scholar

5.

P. Bloedel 1955. Hunting methods of fish-eating bats, particularly Noctilio leporinus. Journal of Mammalogy, 36: 390–399. Google Scholar

6.

A. M. Boonman , F. Bretschneider , and W. A. Van De Grind . 1998. Prey detection in trawling insectivorous bats: dukweed affects hunting behaviour in Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 44: 99–107. Google Scholar

7.

A. R. C. Britton , and G. Jones . 1999. Echolocation behaviour and prey-capture success in foraging bats: laboratory and field experiments on Myotis daubentonii. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 202: 1793–1801. Google Scholar

8.

A. R. C. Britton , G. Jones , J. M. V. Rayner , A. M. Boonman , and B. Verboom . 1997. Flight performance, echolocation and foraging behaviour in pond bats Myotis dasycneme (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). Journal of Zoology (London), 241: 503–522. Google Scholar

9.

A. Brosset 1975. Le régime alimentaire du Myotis daubentoni. Commentaires sur l'observation de J. F. Terrasse. Mammalia, 39: 148. Google Scholar

10.

A. Brosset , and C. Delamare Deboutteville . 1966. Le régime alimentaire du vespertilion de Daubenton Myotis daubentoni. Mammalia, 30: 247–251. Google Scholar

11.

M. Chinery 1977. Guía de campo de los insectos de España y de Europa. Ed. Omega, Barcelona, 402 pp. Google Scholar

12.

J. Y. Courtois 1998. Contribution à la connaissance de la répartition et des caractéristiques biologiques du murin de Capaccini (Myotis capaccinii) en Corse. Arvicola, 10 (2): 42–46. Google Scholar

13.

I. Doadrio 2001. Atlas y libro rojo de los peces continentales de España. Directión General de Conservación de la Naturaleza, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Museo Natural de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, 365 pp. Google Scholar

14.

A. Elosegi , E. González , A. Basaguren , and J. Pozo . 1997. Water quality variability in the Agüera stream watershed at different spatial and temporal scales. Pp. 55–68, in International river water quality ( G. Best, T. Bogacka, and E. Niemirycz , eds.). E & FN Spon, London, 496 pp. Google Scholar

15.

B. Elvira 1988. Clave preliminar de las escamas de los peces de agua dulce de España, a nivel de la familia. Doñana Acta Vertebrata, 15: 177–185. Google Scholar

16.

M. B. Fenton , and W. Bogdanowicz . 2002. Relationships between external morphology and foraging behaviour: bats in genus Myotis. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 80: 1004–1013. Google Scholar

17.

J. S. Findley 1972. Phenetic relationship among bats of the genus Myotis. Systematic Zoology 21: 31–52. Google Scholar

18.

A. Guillén 1999. Myotis capaccinii (Bonaparte, 1837). Pp. 106–107, in The atlas of European mammals ( A. J. Mitchell-Jones, G. Amori, W. Bogdanowicz, B. Kryštufek, P. J. H. Reijnders, F. Spitzenberger, M. Stubbe, J. B. M. Thissen, V. Vohralík, and J. Zima, eds). T. & AD Poyser Ltd., London, 484 pp. Google Scholar

19.

D. Harper 1992. Eutrophication of freshwaters. Principles, problems and restoration. Chapman & Hall, London, 327 pp. Google Scholar

20.

G. Jones , and J. M. V. Rayner . 1988. Flight performance, foraging tactics and echolocation in free-living Daubenton's bats Myotis daubentonii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Journal of Zoology (London), 215: 113–132. Google Scholar

21.

G. Jones , and J. M. V. Rayner . 1991. Flight performance, foraging tactics and echolocation in the trawling bat Myotis adversus. Journal of Zoology (London), 225: 393–412. Google Scholar

22.

E. K. V. Kalko 1990. Field study on the echolocation and hunting behaviour of the long-fingered bat, Myotis capaccinii. Bat Research News, 31 (3): 42–43. Google Scholar

23.

E. K. V. Kalko , and H.-U. Schnitzler . 1989. The echolocation and hunting behavior of Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentoni. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 24: 225–238. Google Scholar

24.

E. K. V. Kalko , H.-U. Schnitzler , I. Kaipf , and A. D. Grinnell . 1998. Echolocation and foraging behavior of the lesser bulldog bat, Noctilio albiventris: preadaptations for piscivory? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 42: 305–319. Google Scholar

25.

J. Ma , G. Jones , S. Zhang , J. Shen , W. Metzner , L. Zhang , and B. Liang . 2003. Dietary analysis confirms that Rickett's big-footed bat (Myotis ricketti) is a piscivore. Journal of Zoology (London), 261: 245–248. Google Scholar

26.

C. Mcaney , C. Shiel , C. Sullivan and J. Fairley . 1991. The analysis of bat droppings. Mammal Society, London, 48 pp. Google Scholar

27.

P. Médard , and E. Guibert . 1992. Données préliminaires sur l'écologie du murin de Capaccini, Myotis capaccinii en Languedoc-Roussillon. XVIéme Colloque Francophone de Mammalogie. Grenoble, 17–18 octobre 1992. Société Française pour l'Etude et la Protection des Mammifères, Paris, pp. 16–29. Google Scholar

28.

B. J. Muus , and P. Dahlström . 1981. Los peces de agua dulce de España y de Europa. Ed. Omega, Barcelona, 232 pp. Google Scholar

29.

U. M. Norberg , and J. M. V. Rayner . 1987. Ecological morphology and flight in bats (Mammalia; Chiroptera): wing adaptations, flight performance, foraging strategy and echolocation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 316: 335–427. Google Scholar

30.

A. Novick , and B. A. Dale . 1971. Foraging behavior in fishing bats and their insectivorous relatives. Journal of Mammalogy, 52: 817–818. Google Scholar

31.

R. M. Nowak 1994. Walker's bats of the world. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 287 pp. Google Scholar

32.

W. G. Reeder , and K. S. Norris . 1954. Distribution, type locality, and habits of the fish-eating bat, Pizonyx vivesi. Journal of Mammalogy, 35: 81–87. Google Scholar

33.

S. K. Robson 1984. Myotis adversus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): Australia's fish-eating bat. Australian Mammalogy, 7: 51–52. Google Scholar

34.

S. Y. Roué , and M. Barataud . 1999. Habitats et activité de chasse des chiroptères menacés en Europe: synthèse des connaissances en vue d'une gestion conservatrice. Le Rhinolophe, vol. spec. 2: 1–136. Google Scholar

35.

M. Ruedi , and F. Mayer . 2001. Molecular systematic of bats of the genus Myotis (Vespertilionidae) suggest deterministic ecomorphological convergences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 21: 436–448. Google Scholar

36.

D. Russo , and G. Jones . 2003. Use of foraging habitats by bats in a Mediterranean area determined by acoustic surveys: conservation implications. Ecography, 26: 197–209. Google Scholar

37.

B. M. Siemers , C. Dietz , D. Nill , and H.-U. Schnitzler . 2001a. Myotis daubentonii is able to catch small fish. Acta Chiropterologica, 3: 71–75. Google Scholar

38.

B. M. Siemers , P. Stiltz , and H.-U. Schnitzler . 2001b. The acoustic advantage of hunting at low heights above water: behavioural experiments on the European ‘trawling’ bats Myotis capaccinii. M. dasycneme and M. daubentonii. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 204: 3843–3854. Google Scholar

39.

A. De. Sostoa 2001. Las comunidaddes de peces de las Cuencas Mediterráneas: caracterización y problemática. Pp. 51–55, in Atlas y libro rojo de los peces continentales de España ( I. Doadrio , ed.). Directión General de Conservatión de la Naturaleza, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Museo Natural de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, 365 pp. Google Scholar

40.

F. Spitzenberger , and O. Von Helversen . 2001. Myotis capaccinii (Bonaparte, 1837) — Langfuβfledermaus. Pp. 281–301, in Handbuch der Säugetiere Europas. Band 4/I: Fiedertiere I ( J. Niethammer and F. Krapp , eds.). Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 602 pp. Google Scholar

41.

F. Terofal 1991. Peces de agua dulce en aguas europeas. Guías de Naturaleza Blume. Naturart S.A., Barcelona, 286 pp. Google Scholar

42.

J. F. Terrasse 1975. Comportement de pFche d'une chauve-souris, probablement un vespertilion de Daubenton (Myotis daubentoni, Leisler). Mammalia, 39: 147. Google Scholar

43.

N. Vaughan 1997. The diets of British bats (Chiroptera). Mammal Review, 27 (2): 77–94. Google Scholar

44.

E. Vicente , and M. R. Miracle . 1992. The coastal lagoon Albufera de Valencia: an ecosystem under stress. Limnetica, 8: 87–100. Google Scholar

45.

J. O. Whitaker Jr . 1988. Food habits analysis of insectivorous bats. Pp. 171–189, in Ecological and behavioural methods for the study of bats ( T. H. Kunz , ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 533 pp. Google Scholar
© Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS
José R. Aihartza, Urtzi Goiti, David Almenar, and Inazio Garin "Evidences of Piscivory by Myotis capaccinii (Bonaparte, 1837) in Southern Iberian Peninsula," Acta Chiropterologica 5(2), 193-198, (1 December 2003). https://doi.org/10.3161/001.005.0204
Received: 22 October 2003; Accepted: 24 November 2003; Published: 1 December 2003
KEYWORDS
diet
Iberia
Myotis capaccinii
piscivory
Back to Top