FEEDING HABITS OF THE EGYPTIAN FRUIT BAT ROUSETTUS AEGYPTIACUS ON CYPRUS ISLAND: A FIRST ASSESSMENT

Rousettus aegyptiacus is the only fruit bat occurring in Europe. A dramatic, poorly understood decline was recently reported for the important population occurring on the island of Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean). Assessing diet in this population is important to tailor appropriate conservation measures and help mitigate conflicts with farming. In this study, we present a first assessment of diet for the Cyprus population, mainly based on the occurrence of fruit remains in droppings. We analyzed 222 droppings (corresponding to 281 food items) collected at two cave roosts over three seasons. We identified 11 plant species from 8 families. Melia azedarach, Morus spp. and Ceratonia siliqua had a frequency of occurrence in diet \u3e 0.1; Eryobotria japonica, Ficus and Arbutus andrachne were of intermediate importance, and the remaining food types were less common. Considerable differences in the occurrence frequencies of food types were detected between sites. Five out of 11 plant species found in the diet are commercially grown on Cyprus for fruit crop, but most were of secondary importance for bats. The occurrence of economically important plants in the diet was quite limited. M. azedarach, important for one of the colonies, is an alien species on Cyprus cultivated as an ornamental plant. Our data may help manage food resources to improve the population’s conservation status, but countering other threats including pesticide use and direct persecution would also be of chief importance

Reproductive seasonality of the Egyptian fruit bat ( Rousettus aegyptiacus ) at the northern limits of its distribution

We collected and analyzed data on the annual course of reproduction of the Egyptian fruit bat ( Rousettus aegyptiacus ) in 2 climatically distinct areas, the Mediterranean and the Egyptian desert, located at the northern limits of the species\u27 distribution. In both regions, reproductive seasonality was characterized by distinct bimodality in birth timing regardless of climatic differences. A low incidence of simultaneous pregnancy and lactation indicated that both seasonal bimodal polyestry with and without postpartum estrus may occur in both regions, with a possibly lower incidence of postpartum estrus in females from the Mediterranean population. Observed shifts in birth timing between the Mediterranean and the desert study area corresponded to regional differences in fruiting phenology of major dietary plants. The male reproductive cycle was synchronized with that of females. The period of testicular recrudescence occurred during the peak pregnancy period. Because testis size was related to body mass irrespective of body size, we hypothesize that food abundance is an important trigger of male sexual activity. R. aegyptiacus is the sole species with seasonal bimodal polyestry among Palearctic bats

Circum-Mediterranean phylogeography of a bat coupled with past environmental niche modeling: A new paradigm for the recolonization of Europe?

Bilgin R, Gürün K, Rebelo H, et al. Circum-Mediterranean phylogeography of a bat coupled with past environmental niche modeling: A new paradigm for the recolonization of Europe? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 2016;99:323-336