1 6 6 Timothy C. Carter et al. 



reported to be the most important food source. Although we found Coleoptera 

 to be present in 91% of the fecal samples, we found that significantly fewer 

 Coleoptera were fed upon by adult males and juveniles than were available in 

 environment. Zinn (1977) and Ross (1967 in Freeman 1981) also reported 

 Hymenoptera from fecal pellets of the evening bat. We also found Hymenoptera 

 (mostly flying ants - Formicidae) to be a major food source. 



Lasiurus seminolus 



Six orders of prey items were also found in the fecal samples of 24 

 Seminole bats (Table 2). In fecal samples of Seminole bats 94.5% of the diet 

 was from three orders: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. The percent 

 volume of these taxa in fecal samples was not significantly different from their 

 availability in the environment. Smaller proportions of Hemiptera, Homoptera, 

 and Diptera (combined, constituting only 5.5% of the diet) were also found. Per- 

 cent volumes of Homoptera (p < 0.001) and Diptera (p < 0.001) in the fecal sam- 

 ples were significantly lower than the percent available in the environment. 

 There have been two reports of this species gleaning (Sherman 1935, Barbour 

 and Davis 1969). Sherman (1939) found Coleoptera, Homoptera, and Diptera in 

 the contents of a single stomach. Zinn (1977) found Coleoptera, Odonata, and 

 Hymenoptera to be food items. These observations combined with our results 

 confirm the importance of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera in the diet of Seminole 

 bats. 



Pipistrellus subflavus 



The fecal samples obtained from four eastern pipistrelles suggest the 

 most dramatic foraging selectivity of the five species of bats studied. Five taxo- 

 nomic orders were present in fecal samples (Table 2). Lepidoptera were present 

 in 100% of the fecal samples. They constituted only 5% of prey taxa available 

 in the environment, but made up 74% of the volume of prey items in fecal sam- 

 ples. Coleoptera, on the other hand, were present in only 25% of the fecal sam- 

 ples. They constituted 66% of taxa available in environment, but made up only 

 6% of the volume in the fecal samples. Differences for both Lepidoptera (p = 

 0.007) and Coleoptera (p < 0.001) were highly significant. No Homoptera were 

 found in the fecal samples, although they made up 12% of the prey available in 

 the environment (p < 0.001). Hymenoptera were present in 50% of the fecal 

 samples, and Hemiptera and Diptera in 25% of the samples. Differences 

 between the respective percent volume of these taxa in fecal samples and their 

 percent availability in the environment were not significant. 



Whitaker (1972) found that the 23 eastern pipistrelles he examined con- 

 sumed nearly 30% Coleoptera and only 7.3% Lepidoptera. Other researchers 

 have found Coleopterans present in lower proportions or entirely absent (Sher- 

 man 1939, Ross 1967 in Freeman 1981, Zinn 1977, Swift et al. 1985). Sherman 



