Home range and territoriality in the least blossom bat, Macroglossus minimus, in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Least blossom bats, Macroglossus minimus (Pteropodidae), were monitored by radiotelemetry in lowland rainforest for up to 22 days in Kau Wildlife Area, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Based on 1,502 radiotelemetry positions, mean home range for 18 individuals was 5.8 ha ± 4.6 SD, and mean core-use area was 1.5 ± 1.3 ha. The mean long axis of the home ranges was 495 ± 258 m. Activity hotspots were associated with flowering bananas, the primary food resource of least blossom bats at Kau. During the day, M. minimus roosted singly in subcanopy or canopy foliage and showed fidelity to a day-roost area. Mean day-roost area was 0.5 ± 0.4 ha. Adult males appeared to exclude conspecifics from rich, compact feeding territories in primary forest. Overlap in home range occurred primarily in gardens and between subadults and other bats.