Ecological and behavioural studies of the Megachiroptera at Mount Nimba, Liberia, with notes on Microchiroptera

A study of the Megachiroptera of Liberian Mount Nimba was made between July and September 1978. Fruit bats (1007) of 9 spp. (Myonycteris torquata leptodon, Nanonycteris veldkampii, Lissonycteris angolensis smithi, Rousettus aegyptiacus unicolor, Epomops buettikoferi, Scotonycteris zenkeri occidentalis, Scotonycteris ophiodon, Hypsignathus monstrosus and Eidolon helvum) were captured, almost exclusively with mist nets. A wide range of habitats and altitudes was sampled. Information on Megachiroptera is now available for nearly the whole year at Mount Nimba; much of this information is presented and analyzed here. Breeding and habitat information has been assembled and discussed for each species. Attention has been given to bat movements; N. veldkampi is a migrant to Nimba. Many bats were marked and released, but for a variety of possible reasons the recapture rate was very low. Methods by which resources may be partitioned among species are discussed. Six species were kept in the laboratory to allow observations on food handling and settling behavior, nightly food consumption and through-put times, and temporal patterns of activity to be made. Agreement between laboratory and field investigations of activity patterns is good for several species. Particular attention was paid to the behavior of the rare S. ophiodon. In addition, 280 Microchiroptera of 16 spp. were caught. Of these, 6 are new to Liberia (Rhinolophus clivosus, Scotophilus dinganii, Miniopterus inflatus, Pipistrellus nanulus, P. kuhli, and P. rusticus). Short notes have been made for each. Taxonomic notes for species of particular interest are provided by Hill (1982).