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E.W. Valdez

Publications and source records attributed to E.W. Valdez.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2009

Food habits of the hoary bat (LASIURUS CINEREUS) during spring migration through new mexico

Hoary bats (Lasiums cinernis) exhibit continental patterns of migration that are unique to bats, but details about their behaviors during migration are lacking. We captured 177 hoary bats in spring and early summer 2002 as individuals migrated through the Sandia Mountains of north-central New Mexico. Our results support earlier observations of asynchronous timing of migration between sexes of L. cinernis during spring, with females preceding males by ca. 1 month. We provide the first evidence that hoary bats may travel in dispersed groups, fly below the tree canopy along streams, and feed while migrating during spring. Analysis of guano revealed that diet of L. cinereus consisted mostly of moths, with more than one-half of samples identified as Noctuidae and Geometridae. We observed a late-spring decline in consumption of moths that might be related to seasonal changes in abundance of prey, differential selection of prey by bats, or sampling bias. We suspect that spring migration of L. cinernis through New Mexico temporally coincides with the seasonal abundance of moths.

Southwestern Naturalist↗
USGS2008

Late-seasonal activity and diet of the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) in Nebraska

In North America, Nebraska represents part of the northwestern edge of the distribution for the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis). To date, little information on this bat's natural history has been published from the state or from other parts of the Great Plains. Here we report on aspects of its natural history in Nebraska from 2 localities. In late summer and early autumn of 2006, we documented individuals farther west in Nebraska (Harlan County) than previously reported and determined that individuals fed mainly on Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. In 2006, evening bats appeared to migrate from Nebraska during late September-early October, and individuals were extremely fat, about 15 g, prior to migration. Evening bats likely are more widespread and common in south central Nebraska than previously documented. On 6 October 2005, we reported on an individual from eastern Nebraska (Douglas County), which represents the latest seasonal record of N. humeralis from the state.

Western North American Naturalist↗
USGS2003

Food habits of Nyctinomops macrotis at a maternity roost in New Mexico, as indicated by analysis of guano

We examined 56 fecal pellets from under a maternity colony of big free-tailed bats ( Nyctinomops macrotis ) in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. The most important food items, listed in order of decreasing percent volume, were Cicadellidae, leafhoppers (26.7% volume, 58.9% frequency); Ichneumonidae, Ichneumon wasps (19.3% volume, 35.7% frequency); and Lepidoptera, moths (17.2% volume, 82.1% frequency). Overall, the most important orders as prey consumed, listed by decreasing percent volume, were Homoptera (27.6% volume, 62.5% frequency), Hymenoptera (19.5% volume, 37.5% frequency), Lepidoptera (17.2% volume, 82.1% frequency), Hemiptera (11.7% volume, 37.5% frequency), and Diptera (10.6% volume, 50.0% frequency). Our study documents an unusually varied diet, as previous studies indicated that these bats fed almost exclusively on moths.

New Mexico↗
USGS2002

Systematics of Myotis occultus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) inferred from sequences of two mitochondrial genes

The systematic relationship between Myotis lucifugus carissima and Myotis occultus has been the subject of multiple studies. Although several studies, including a recent allozyme study, concluded that M. occultus is a subspecies of M. lucifugus , this view has not been universally accepted. We reexamined the relationships of these 2 taxa by sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome- b (cyt- b ) and cytochrome oxidase II (COII) genes of specimens from the allozyme study. The results suggest that M. occultus represents an evolutionarily distinct monophyletic lineage and provide support to arguments that M. occultus is a distinct species.

Journal of Mammalogy↗