Folivory in Fruit-Eating Bats, with New Evidence from Artibeus jamaicensis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) Author(s)

Reviews leaf-eating by bats and presents new evidence for folivory by leaf fractionation for the neotropical bat Artibeus jamaicensis. Leaf-eating has been reported for at least 17 species of Old-World Megachiroptera and four species of New World Microchiroptera. Leaves eaten by bats include at least 44 species of plants represented by 23 different families. Plant families which account for the greatest species richness (numbers of species given in parentheses) include Leguminosae (12), Moraceae (4), and Solanaceae (4). Evidence for folivory by A. hamaicensis is based on captures of bats carrying leaves, and collections of whole and partially chewed leaves and discarded pellets recovered from beneath feeding roosts. Whole leaves carried into caves by A. jamaicensis and partially chewed, but discarded leaves included Erythrina poeppigiana, Ficus sp., and Calophyllum calaba, in decreasing order of frequency. Erythrina poeppigiana leaves are relatively high in protein (>19% dry-matter content) and low in fat (c1%). Observations that A. jamaicensis selects and chews leaves high in protein and rejects protein-poor, fibrous pellets, support the hypothesis that these bats extract liquid fractions which contain a reliable source of dietary protein. Liquid fractions derived from leaves may provide females with an important source of protein, especially during periods of pregnancy and lactation. -from Authors