Fecal analysis of an endemic Malagasy fruit bat (Rousettus madagascariensis, Pteropodidae): evidence of ectoparasite consumption and insectivory

Abstract

The ecology of Malagasy bat ectoparasites has been little studied and to provide new insights we examine fecal contents of Rousettus madagascariensis and the consumption of invertebrates, specifically Diptera of the families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae. Scat samples from individual Rousettus captured in a cave passage either during the early evening or early morning were collected and analyzed to identify and quantify the arthropods they contained. The presence of fragments in the feces confirm that this species consumes their dipteran ectoparasites. Ingestion rates are higher for bats exiting the cave after dusk than those entering the cave at predawn, indicating that consumption rates are greater when bats are in the day roost site as compared to foraging outside the cave. The quantity of ectoparasite remains is related to the age of individual bats. Given that bat ectoparasites are known to be reservoirs of certain pathogens, the question is raised if transmission between bats of these zoonotic diseases can be via an oral route.