94 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, Supplement I 
of South Carolina based on 1,002 museum specimens and reports of2,002 bats captured during sur¬ 
veys. They were found in the lower Piedmont, Upper and Lower Coastal Plain provinces, and 
ranked third lowest in numbers of specimens (7) and fifth lowest in survey captures (22) among 14 
species documented in the state. In Georgia, they are only known from two of the six physiographic 
provinces, the Upper Coastal Plain and Lower Coastal Plain, but they rank intermediate in relative 
abundance (114 records) among 1,222 combined museum and capture records of bats of 16 species 
compiled for the state (Menzel et al., 2000). 
Tennessee: This was the second most abundant species (91 captures among approximately 
250 individuals of 12 species) captured in mist nets over water in western Tennessee, with most 
captured over streams in bottomland hardwood forest (Graves and Harvey, 1974). In mist-net sur¬ 
veys over water in riparian areas within mixed human-modified landscapes (including managed 
oak-hickory forests, agricultural fields, and pastures) of western Tennessee, these bats were the 
least captured (nine bats) among 220 individuals of four species (Gilley and Kennedy, 2010). 
Texas: In predominantly loblolly pine forests of southeastern Texas, southeastern myotis 
ranked fifth in relative abundance (21 bats) among 382 individuals of eight species captured in mist 
nets over water (Debelica-Lee and Wilkins, 2014). 
Foraging and Dietary Analysis. — Southeastern myotis feed close to the surfaces of 
streams, ponds, and lakes and low over open fields (Rice, 1957). In dry uplands of Florida, these 
bats are reported to feed around live oaks (Humphrey and Gore, 1992). Those radio tracked in 
southern Illinois were inferred to forage over floodplains and in mature forested wetlands, ranging 
about six kilometers from capture sites and nine kilometers from the nearest known roost (Gardner 
et al., 1992; Hofmann et al., 1999). Prey in Florida includes mosquitoes, small beetles, crane flies, 
other aquatic insects, and moths (Zinn and Humphrey, 1981). Fecal pellets from 10 individuals 
sampled in southern Illinois contained about 60% caddisflies (Trichoptera) followed by hemipter- 
ans, lepidopterans, and dipterans, with almost no coleopterans (Feldhamer et al., 2009). These bats 
have been described as late feeders, emerging from cave roosts well after sunset (Rice, 1957). 
Roosting Habits. — In Florida, caves are important roosting sites for this species at critical 
times of the year (Rice, 1957). Movements of up to 43 kilometers between caves have been docu¬ 
mented through banding (Rice, 1957). These bats sometimes roost in association with other species 
of bats, including Brazilian free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis), little brown myotis {Myotis 
lucifugus), gray bats {Myotis grisescens ), tricolored bats {Perimyotis subflavus), and Rafmesque’s 
big-eared bat {Corynorhinus ra/inesquii), as summarized by Jones and Manning (1989) and Jen¬ 
nings and Layne (1957). 
Although caves are typical roosting sites in karst regions, elsewhere southeastern myotis also 
roost in hollow trees, culverts, bridges, abandoned mine shafts, and buildings, and will occupy such 
roosts in parts of the distribution that lack caves (Davis et al., 1955; Rice, 1957; Lowery, 1974; 
Heath et al., 1986; Walker et al., 1986; McDonnell, 2001; Clark, 2003; Felts and Webster, 2003; 
McCartney, 2007). Maternity colonies ranging up to several thousand adults also have been known 
to form in buildings in regions that include caves (Sherman, 1930; Hermanson and Wilkins, 1986; 
McCartney, 2007). 
Colonies of several hundred adults have been observed roosting in concrete bridges in Florida 
(Gore and Studenroth, 2005). Solitary individuals roost under bridges during late summer and 
autumn in Louisiana (Lance et al., 2001), and small numbers are known to use concrete box cul¬ 
verts in eastern Texas throughout the year (Walker et al., 1986). One culvert in Mississippi was 
used as a maternity colony by several hundred southeastern myotis, with other culverts only known 
to house solitary bats; three cisterns in Mississippi each held maternity colonies of about 5,500 to 
6,500 southeastern myotis and also housed from several hundred to over 1,500 bats during winter 
