Seasonal prey availability and diet composition of Lesser Asiatic Yellow House Bat Scotophilus kuhlii Leach, 1821.

Diet is an important factor in understanding bat ecology and conservation. This study assessed seasonal prey availability and diet composition of the Asiatic Lesser Yellow House Bat Scotophilus kuhlii in various districts of Uttar Pradesh between January 2016 to December 2018. Fecal and insect samples were collected seasonally using sweep nets between 1800 and 1900 h. From each location 20 fecal pellets were selected for analysis and searched for taxonomically recognizable remnants. The analysis revealed that S. kuhlii fed on Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, Blattodae, Lepidoptera, and Hemiptera, identified from legs, antennae and wings/elytra in fecal pellets. Seasonal variation in the presence of isolated insect remnants and insect abundance at foraging grounds was observed. Thus S. kuhlii is a voracious feeder and plays an important role as a pest control agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]