THE DIET OF THE NOCTULE BAT NYCTALUS-NOCTULA IN LATVIA

As indicated by the diet, noctule bats in an agricultural landscape in Latvia feed mostly near or over water; catching predominantly larger non-tympanate insects such as Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera and also Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, and Diptera in smaller numbers. The diet reflects limitations on the echolocation call syste m and night characteristics of this large, fast-flying bat. The smalle st insects in the diet (ca. 9 mm wingspan) conform in size with what i s theoretically predicted, although they are taken in rather small amo unts. Therefore, the minimum prey size is probably set by perceptual c onstraints.