23 



showing, by the way, some interesting shifts in diet preference: prior to the rainy season, 

 the animals preferred honey water, durig the rest of the time tliey hked insects most. Cap- 

 tive Glossophaga accepted honey water or fruit juice taking it from a shallow bowl during 

 hovering flight (Novak & Paradiso 1983). Having analyzed the stomach contents of 217 

 individuals from Costa Rica and Panama, Fleming (1972) described Glossophaga as an 

 omnivorous genus. Only 38 stomachs were completely empty, the remaining contained 

 34% plant material and 66% insect renmants. This also corresponds to the results of 

 Alvarez & Gonzalez (1970) from Mexico where 61% of 174 stomachs examined did not 

 contain any pollen at all. It is, nevertheless, wofth mentioning that from all 

 Glossophaginae smdied so far, G. soricina showed the greatest variety of different pollen 

 grains (deriving from at least 34 plant families). 



For G. comrnissarisi from Costa Rica, Howell & Burch (1974) reported renmants of 

 lepidopterans, fruit (Acnistiis) as well as pollen and nectar of Miisa and Miicima. Insects, 

 fruit, pollen and nectar are noted by Gardner (1977). 



G. longirostris: Insects, fmit, pollen, nectar and probably other blossom parts (Gardner 

 1977). Wille (1954) and Valdivieso & Tamsitt (1970) considered G. longirostris a 

 nectarivorous species. Goodwin & Greenliall (1961) reported a diet of nectar and pulp, 

 fruit juice and, occasionally, insects. 



Monophyllus: Up to now no rehable reports. McNab (1971), Phillips (1971) and other 

 authors supposed Monophyllus to feed on soft fruit or nectar, possibly on insects, too. 

 Tamsitt & Valdivieso (1970) failed to sustain captive specimens of M. redmani by means 

 of banana pulp and sugar water, as the bats refused any food. For M. plethodon there is no 

 information available. 



Lichonycteris: Up to now hardly reliable reports. According to Tuttle (1970) and Handley 

 (1976), the development of snout, tongue and molars support to assume that tlie members 

 of tliis genus feed on nectar, pollen and probably fruit. Tamsitt & Valdivieso (1961) 

 classified Lichonycteris as fmit- and nectar feeders. Carter et al. (1966) reported two 

 specimens they captured next to a night-blooming plant in Guatemala carrying pollen on 

 their fur and on the tail membrane. 



Leptonycteris feeds on nectar, pollen, fmit and insects (Novak & Paradiso 1983), the latter 

 comprising only a small proportion and thus may have been eaten accidently along with 

 the nectar and pollen (Hoffmeister 1957). On the otlier hand, Rasweiler (1977) pointed out 

 the significance of insect consimiing for a healthy diet. As Walker (1964) assumed, the 

 long snout reaches the spine-free parts of cactus fruit; the canines are used to rip the 

 pericarp, and the juice is licked up with the tongue. This genus is characterized by 

 accumulations of yellow or red faeces beneath the roosts, pointing to a diet of pollen, 

 nectar and fmit juice. Correspondingly, Dalquest (1953) reported on L. nivalis he captured 

 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, their stomachs filled with viscous, bright red fmit juice .. 

 "almost certainly the juice of the fmit of the organ cactus". Blossoms of Agave scahra, A. 

 chisosensis and A. lechiigilla (East er la 1972), Agave schotti and Carnegia gigantea 

 (Cockrum & Hay ward 1962) are also reported. The stomachs of 13 L. nivalis from 

 Michoacan and Hidalgo, Mexico, contained pollen grains of 22 identified plant species 

 from the genera Agave, Ipomoea, Ceiba and Myrtillcactus (Alvarez & Gonzalez Q. 1970). 

 L. yerbabuenae has been observed on the blossoms of Malvaviscus, on blossoms and fruit 

 of cacms and presumably also on the blossoms of Datura stramonium (jimsonweed) 

 (Novak & Paradiso 1983; Davis 1974; Schober 1984). 



On L. curasoae confimied reports are not given yet, but this species probably feeds 

 similar to other species of its genus (Gardner 1977). 



