J. Exp. Zool. India Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 785-788, 2017 www.connectjournals.com/jez ISSN 0972-0030 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GUANO OF LESSER MOUSE-TAILED BAT RHINOPOMA HARDWICKII AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN THE CAVE ECOSYSTEM

Manish Kumar Yadav, Partap Singh*, Tribhuvan Sharma1, Sujata Bedwal2 and V. Elangovan3 Wildlife Management Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Dungar College, Bikaner - 334 001, India. 1Department of Animal Nutrition, RAJUVAS, Bikaner (India) 2School Lecturer, Biology, Govt. of Rajasthan, India. 3Department of Applied Animal Sciences, BBA Central University, Lucknow - 226 025, India. *e-mail: [email protected] (Accepted 19 March 2017)

ABSTRACT : Bats are the only flying mammals which have been divided into two unequal suborders – Microchiroptera and Megachiroptera. This second most abundant group of animals is found in every continent, almost in all the habitats. Study on mouse-tailed bat Rhinopoma hardwickii was carried in the arid zone of western Rajasthan, India. Various aspects of its population dynamics, ecology and breeding biology are being carried out in our laboratory. Bat guano is usually considered foul smelling substance which is loaded with many pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Howsoever, it has got some economic importance as well. It was analyzed in the laboratory for its chemical composition and the results indicate that it is rich source of the Crude Protein (CP) 68.25%, which is higher than most of the food sources. The fat contents were megre 1% where as Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P) amount were 0.76% and 1.61%, respectively. It was found to be a good fertilizer for agriculture with pH close to neutral (6.8), it was a better replacement for man-made fertilizers. Guano mixed with bat urine has good nematocidal effect. It is more cost effective than synthesized fertilizers. The treatment of low quality roughage by bat guano is the cheapest method to improve digestibility of the poor quality roughage. Moreover, it is very important in maintaining cave ecosystem as many insect complete their life-cycle on it. Key words : Bat guano, arid zone, cave ecosystem, natural fertilizer, guano composition.

INTRODUCTION adaptation for flying i.e. forelimbs are modified into Bats are the second most speciose group after rodents membranous wings (patagium), supported by long digits. among class mammalia. They play a major role in the They are found in very large numbers and are well ecosystem and many of them are beneficial for humans. distributed throughout the world in tropical and temperate Their body is adapted to flight and they show many habitats. They are relatively common in temperate morphological and physiological adaptations to become regions; they reach their maximum diversity in all the the only successful flying mammal group. Bats are unique rainforest areas. Many of them also play a vital role as a et al in vertebrate fauna. It is the only group that has sustained “key stone species” in ecosystem (Cox , 1992). Most true flight like bird. From 26 mammalian orders, the of the bat species are found in suborder Microchiroptera. Chiroptera order includes 1117 species of bats world over Microchiropterans are mainly insectivorous, although and is divided in rather two unequal suborders – the some species are carnivorous, a few are Piscivorous, Megachiroptera (consisting of 186 species of old world and three are sanguivorous (commonly known as vampire fruit bats in one family) and the Microchiroptera bats) (Purohit and Senacha, 2003). These are the only (consisting of 931 species in 17 families) (Mickleburgh mammals that are adapted for powered flight (Altringham, et al, 1992; Koopman, 1993; Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu, 1996). They play a good role in controls of insect 2001; Hutson et al, 2001; Mickleburgh et al, 2002; population. Insects are very rich in protein and it is a Simmons, 2005). Recent molecular phylogenetic studies good protein diet and they are also rich in minerals and challenged this traditional subdivision and proposed that other components. Bats guano refers to excrements from the bats be subdivided into two new suborders bats (Sedgewick, 1990). This guano or bat fecal pellets Yinpterochiroptera (including the families Pteropodidae, are very rich in different kinds of components that can Rhinolophidae, Megadermatidae and Rhinopomatidae) be used for different purposes. Many of the scientists and Yangochiroptera (includes all the remaining families) worked in this field and found some interesting results. (Teeling et al, 2005). They have several kinds of body Most of the studies on bat guano of Indian species are