Spatio-temporal and demographic variation in the diet of New Zealand lesser short-tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata)

Variation in the diet of generalist insectivores can be affected by site-specific traits including weather, habitat, and season, as well as demographic traits like reproductive status and age. We used molecular methods to compare diets of three distinct New Zealand populations of lesser short-tailed bats, Mystacina tuberculata. Summer diets were compared between a southern cold-temperate (Eglinton) and a northern population (Puroera). Winter diets were compared between Pureora and a subtropical offshore island population (Hauturu). This also permitted seasonal diet comparisons within the Pureora population. Lepidoptera and Diptera accounted for > 80% of amplicons identified from faecal matter at each site/season. The proportion of orders represented within prey and the Simpson diversity index, differed between sites and seasons within the Pureora population. For the Pureora population, the Simpson diversity index was higher in summer than winter and was higher in Pureora compared to ...