The diet of the common blossom bat (Syconycteris australis) in upland tropical rainforest and the importance of riparian areas

Abstract

The diet of the common blossom bat (Syconycteris australis) was investigated in upland rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands. Faeces or fur pollen samples from 62 S. australis and feeding observations on 5 captive and 10 radio-tagged bats were collected. Syconycteris australis fed on blossoms from at least 18 plant species found in rainforests (plus unidentified species of Loranthaceae), 2 species from non-rainforest communities and from flowers of the cultivated banana (Musa sp.) grown on farms. Rainforest plants included 13 species of trees, 1 shrub and 4 climbers. Myrtaceae was the most important family contributing to the diet of S. australis, particularly the genus Syzygium. The chiropterophilus flower syndrome was only partly useful as a predictor of the diet of S. australis in these forests. Fruit was also eaten, being most common in the diet from late summer to autumn (wet season). Twelve months of mist-netting in riparian and non-riparian rainforest found higher capture rates in riparian rainforest in spring and summer, but not during autumn or winter. It is suggested that the availability of food species (both blossom and fruit) is high in riparian rainforest during spring and summer when S. australis is most frequently caught in this habitat. Efforts to rehabilitate rainforest along degraded creeks should offer a significant conservation benefit to this small pollinator.