New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
The effect of recording situation on the echolocation calls of the New Zealand
lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata Gray)
STUART PARSONS
Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand*
*Present address: School of Biological Science,
University of Bristol,
Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, United Kingdom.
Abstract Using a broad-band recording system
(150 Hz-100 kHz) the echolocation calls of the lesser short-tailed
bat (Mystacina tuberculata) were recorded under three very different
situations: free-flying, flying within a flight cage, and on release from the
hand. Calls of bats landing and feeding on a platform in Wellington Zoo were
also recorded. Both the lowest frequency and frequency of peak amplitude of
calls were significantly affected by the situation under which calls were
recorded. Although the calls of free-flying bats are different from those
produced by bats foraging on the ground, it is unlikely that M.
tuberculata uses echolocation to locate prey on the ground. No significant
differences could be found between the calls emitted by male and female bats,
and no consistent relationships were obvious between temporal and spectral call
characteristics. There was some evidence to suggest that individual bats could
be identified by their echolocation calls.
Keywords Mystacina tuberculata; lesser short-tailed
bat; echolocation; sex; recording situation;
foraging
Received 5 February 1997; accepted 5 January 1998
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (731K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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