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...fuscus), little brown myotis (Mayotis lucifugus), 14 hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), 8 Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis), and 3 silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans). Evidence of reproduction was obtained for all but the silver-haired bat. Rates of capture were more similar to those in the Hoosier National Forest, also in southern Indiana, than to northern Indiana. A juvenile Indiana myotis was the first record of the species from Martin County. No winter hibernacula or summer maternity colonies of the Indiana myotis were found. The northern myotis was not found in caves but was the most frequently caught species in summer 1998. Two maternity colonies of little brown myotis and a colony of big brown bats were found. The eastern pipistrelle was the most common species in caves and the second most commonly captured species in summer. The red bat was the most frequently caught species in the summers of 1987 and 1996. All species but the big brown bat, a beetle specialist, fed heavily on moths. Several species are Asiatic oak weevils (Cyrtepistomus castaneus), a forest pest.
Keywords: Bats, food habits, habitat, Indiana myotis, Myotis sodalis, NSWC Crane, radiotelemetry
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To comply with requirements of the Endangered Species Act, studies are conducted on many public properties to determine whether the federally-protected Indiana myotis, Myotis sodalis, is present and to learn about its ecological requirements. In 1987, 1996, and 1998 studies were conducted at the Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), a 25,400 ha tract in the Crawford Upland of southwestern Indiana, in portions of Martin, Greene, Daviess, and Lawrence counties, Indiana. This paper presents information from those studies for all species of bats.
In winter, the Indiana myotis hibernates in caves and sometimes mines; but in summer, it forms maternity colonies under the exfoliating bark of dead and dying trees. Therefore, studies of this species entail winter cave searches and summer netting in wooded habitats. Winter use of Indiana's caves was known long before discovery of the first nursery colony (Cope et al. 1974), where Humphrey et al. (1977), reported that females and young used riparian habitat to the exclusion of other habitats. Aquatic-based prey was a large part of the diet (Belwood 1979). In contrast, males in Missouri foraged predominantly in upland woods (LaVal et al. 1977) and are terrestrial-based prey (Brack & LaVal 1985). In northern Indiana, female Indiana myotis were caught in both upland and riparian habitats (Brack 1983). The Indiana myotis has since been found in a variety of woodland settings across a wide geographic area. Maternity colonies often use several roosts in the same area (Kurta et al. 1993).
At least seven other species of bats are found in southwestern Indiana in habitats they may share with the Indiana myotis. The northern myotis (Myotis septentirionalis), little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), eastern pipistrelle, (Pipistrellus subflavus), and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) are year-round residents in Indiana. Under natural conditions, they roost in woodlands in summer and hibernate in caves in winter. The little brown myotis and big brown bat frequently roost in buildings in summer, while the northern myotis and eastern pipistrelle occasionally roost in buildings. The big brown bat often hibernates in buildings (Whitaker & Gummer 1992, 2000), and all sometimes hibernate in mines.
The red bat, Lasiurus borealis, is the second most abundant bat in Indiana during summer, while the hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus, is uncommon. Both species roost in the foliage of trees and migrate south for winter, although the red bat apparently hibernates in northern portions of the wintering range (as far north as central Indiana), but not in caves or mines. The silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) migrates through Indiana in spring and autumn but is absent in summer. An occasional individual hibernates in caves in the state (Brack et al. 2003).
METHODS
Study area.--NSWC is in southwestern Indiana and includes portions of Martin, Greene, Daviess, and Lawrence counties (Fig. 1). It covers approximately 25,400 ha and lies largely within the Crawford Upland, a part of the Shawnee Hills physiographic region. The Crawford Upland is characterized by generally flat-topped but narrow drainage divides and steep valleys that generally have moderately wide floodplains. NSWC is south of the Wisconsinan glacial limit, and although not covered by the preceding Illinoian glacier, the area to the west was covered by this earlier glacier. The area is 82% wooded, 15% fields, and 3% bottomlands and stream valleys. The area's original vegetation was predominantly upland oak forests in the west, and mixed mesophytic forests in the east. Present-day vegetation is second growth forest and fields of various successional stages. Upland woods vary in species composition depending upon exposure, soil type and moisture, and other edaphic conditions. Bottomland forests generally contain a characteristic complement of riparian species. In all areas, length of time since last disturbance and degree of disturbance contribute significantly to the existing species complement, community character, and woodland structure.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Bat capture.--In 1987, 3 July-1 August, 30 sites were netted. Mist nets were placed over streams and rivers (5.5-18 m long) and stacked above one another (6-13 m) to sample bats from tree crown to stream surface. Most sites were netted for two nights, dusk to dawn, resulting in 59 net nights of effort. In 1996, 10 sites were surveyed one night each with a single net, typically two tiers high (5 m), for 4-5 h, beginning at dusk.
Netting was also conducted in 1998 (BHE 1999), when 59 sites were netted, and those data were re-analyzed and included here. Each site typically consisted of four net nights, or two nets each run for two nights for 5 h from...
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