First Findings on the Dietary Pattern of the Eastern Water Bat Myotis petax (Hollister, 1812) Feeding near Lake Baikal (Using Coproscopy Data)

• Published in: Contemporary problems of ecology Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 566 - 573
• Main Authors: Botvinkin, A. D., Klopova, A. A., Mekhanikova, I. V., Romanova, E. V., Shilenkov, V. G., Rudakov, D. M., Samusyonok, V. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-08-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biota; Ecology; Endemic species; Exoskeleton; Exoskeletons; Feces; Fragments; Insects; Lakes; Life Sciences; Myotis petax; Taxa; Trophic relationships; trophic relationships; Baikal; insects; amphipods
• ISSN: 1995-4255; 1995-4263
• DOI: 10.1134/S1995425524700367

The trophic relationships between bats (
Chiroptera
) and Lake Baikal biota have been assessed based on microscopic studies of
Myotis petax
feces (
n
= 22). From 82 to 86% of samples had fragments of exoskeletons of caddis flies (
Trichoptera
) and dipterans (
Diptera
). These taxa include mainly aquatic and semiaquatic species. Many species from these taxa are endemic to Lake Baikal. Terrestrial insects are found in studied samples less frequently (
Hymenoptera
41%,
Neuroptera
27%, and
Heteroptera
9%). Morphological analysis has revealed fragments of Baikal amphipods in two fecal samples of
M. pretax
. Further molecular studies will make it possible to detect greater invertebrate taxa diversity in fecal samples of bats feeding near Lake Baikal.