Variation in the diet of Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus mehelyi, in three contrasting environments in western Iran

Abstract

The diet of Rhinolophus mehelyi was investigated through analysis of droppings collected from three maternity roosts in northern Zagros, mid-Zagros and the northern Mesopotamian plain. Moths (Lepidoptera) dominated in all areas (34.9–69.5% volume). The second most important food items in the northern Mesopotamian plain and the mid-Zagros are beetles (Coleoptera, 12.6–28.2% volume), while in northern Zagros Homoptera (16% volume) are the next important food items. The diet of R. mehelyi in northern Zagros is characterized by a low proportion of Coleoptera (10%) and the presence of more diverse prey species (12 categories). In the northern Mesopotamian plain and in mid-Zagros, the food items consist mainly of lepidopteran and coleopteran species with fewer additional prey species. Species groups occurring only in the diet of Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat in the northern Zagros are Odonata, Trichoptera, Dictyoptera and Acarina.