Diet composition and diet choice of Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat Rhinopoma hardwickii (Gray, 1831) (Rhinopomatidae: Chiroptera)

The food composition and food choice of R. hardwickii were assessed through guano analysis at different seasons and geographical locations. Guano samples of R. hardwickii were collected from the roost sites of the Gangetic plains and arid region of Uttar Pradesh. Each intact pellet was dissolved and recognizable insect body parts like legs, antennae, wings, and mouth parts were separated and photographed. Each insect remnant was identified to its lowest rank as much as possible. A total of 10 roost sites of R. hardwickii were observed in the arid region and Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh and all of them were found in historical monuments. A total of 61 pellets of 10 sites yielded 1,035 remnants of insects. The highest percentage of remnants belongs to legs, followed by wings, antennae, abdominal segments, and mouthparts. The remnants belong to eight insect orders such as Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Plecoptera. The remnants of order Hemiptera showed the highest frequency of occurrence followed by orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera, and these four orders of insects constitute the major portion of the diet of R. hardwickii. The orders Dermaptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Plecoptera contributed a small proportion to the diet of R. hardwickii. The remnants of orders Lepidoptera and Plecoptera were occasional. The result of the current study shows that the food choice of R. hardwickii did not differ significantly across roost sites, while differed seasonally. Further, it reveals that the Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat acts as a potential and natural insect balancing agent.