%0 Journal Article

%A Alcalde, Juan Tomás 

%A Antón, Inmaculada 

%D 2014

%T Recolección de guano de murciélagos de Cabrera (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) por hormigas rojas (Formica rufa)

%J Barbastella, Journal of Bat Research

%V 7

%N 1

%P 32-34

%! Recolección de guano de murciélagos de Cabrera (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) por hormigas rojas (Formica rufa)

%O Barb

%R http://dx.doi.org/10.14709/BarbJ.7.1.2014.06

%K Guano

Formica rufa

bat boxes

Pipistrellus pygmaeus

%X In June 1999, a colony of soprano pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pygmaeus Leach, 1825) was found in a dead white poplar (Populus alba L., 1753) in Lodosa, Navarre (Northern Spain). More than 717 bats roosted in the same tree. This tree was cut down, and the colony finally disappeared. In 2003, six bat-boxes (Schwegler, 1FF model) were placed in the same area by the regional authorities (Dept. of Environment, Gov. of Navarre) to provide alternative roosts for this species. In July 2008, five bat-boxes were occupied by new breeding colonies of soprano pipistrelles, ranging approximately from 20 to 40 individuals each one. This year, we observed that many red wood ants (Formica rufa L., 1761) collected the bat guano from the ground, below one bat-box, and they took it up the tree trunk, to their nest, located 2 m above the bat-box. Similar behavior has been mentioned by other researchers for some different ant species and other insects, but until now, always in caves. As red wood ants normally feed on other insects, we think that they could collect bat guano as a food resource, in an opportunistic behavior. Thus, soprano pipistrelles have a positive effect on the ant colony.

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