Food habits of Hilgendorf’s tube-nosed bats, Murina hilgendorfi (Vespertilionidae), in the cool temperate coniferous forest of Mount Fuji, central Japan

Abstract We investigated the food habits of Hilgendorf’s tube-nosed bats (Murina hilgendorfi) in a coniferous forest and compared them to the results of a previous study conducted in broad-leaved forests. In coniferous forest, they consumed non-volant prey, indicating that they are typical gleaners relying on beetles with narrower niche breadth, whereas, in broad-leaved forests, they consume grasshoppers as well as beetles with wider niche breadth. This suggests that intraspecific variation in food habits is linked to habitat characteristics. Limited food resources in cool temperate coniferous forest may have led to dependence on specific food category.