Tahar Meftah, Mourad Ahmim, Nacera Boutera, Sabah Tighlit, Abdelmadjid-Yagoub Asloum, Mohamed Hichem Bellili

Seasonal diet of the Maghrebian endemic bat Myotis punicus (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) in the Algerian highlands

Abstract This study investigated the diet of the vespertilionid bat Myotis punicus in the highland region of Bouira, Algeria, between March and November 2023. Arthropod remains recovered from guano samples in caves were microscopically examined. The analysis revealed that the species’ diet comprises three main arthropod classes: Insecta, Chilopoda, and Arachnida. Based on a total of 2,684 identified insect fragments, Hymenoptera constituted the most frequently consumed prey (24.48%), followed by a diverse selection of other insect orders, including Lepidoptera (18.82%), Coleoptera (18.37%), and Diptera (12.15%). Given the proportional representation of these insect groups, M. punicus appears to exhibit a feeding strategy that combines opportunistic foraging with selective predation. Understanding how these bats interact with their environment in the Algerian highlands sheds light on their critical role in controlling insect populations, which helps maintain ecosystem balance and supports public health.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2026.1.5

Keywords Arthropoda; Bouira; feeding behaviour; Maghrebian mouse-eared bat; vespertilionid

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