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In the biological spectrum, microchiropteran bats play a crucial role in reducing the population of pest insects. The dusky leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros ater (body wt. 3.5±0.2 g) is a well known predator of nocturnal flying insects. This species of bat keeps a check on agricultural pests while it forages during night time. An attempt has been made to study the foraging behaviour and food habit of this bat. The food items of H. ater were examined from culled parts of the prey insects collected from their feeding roosts as well as from faecal pellet analysis. In addition, a sample collection of insect pests from the foraging area is compared with the diet of this foraging bat species. The results reveal that the foraging time of H. ater and the activity period of insect pests coincide in the study area. Moreover, this bat species control major pests of stored grains (Tribolium spp) which constitute 55.83% of coleopteran, and the rest includes lepidopteran pests such as Hippotion celerio (pest of grapevine), Nausinoe geometralis (pest of jasmine), Othreis meterna, Othreis fullonica (pests of citrus and grapevine) and Nelanitis leda ismene (pest of rice) whose larvae and adults are serious pests in South India. During winter seasons, H. ater feeds on the dipteran insects, especially mosquitoes, which constitute 98.33% of the total intake. Comparison of food habit of H. ater roosting at different localities in Tirunelveli district indicates that they are selective but opportunistic in feeding their prey insects. The nocturnal foraging behaviour, echolocation capability, dentition and flight maneuverability of this bat species are the adaptations that enhance their ability to capture nocturnal prey insects in open space during their foraging flight.
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