Agave flower visitation by pallid bats, Antrozous pallidus, in the Chihuahuan Desert

Abstract

Abstract Pallid bats, Antrozous pallidus, despite being primarily insectivorous gleaning predators, consume nectar of the cardón cactus, Pachycereus pringlei, in the Sonoran Desert. It is unknown whether nectar feeding occurs in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas, where pallid bats covered in pollen have been captured. We collected pollen samples from 67 pallid bats in Brewster County, Texas, United States, between April and August 2018. Pollen-covered pallid bats were captured in every month sampled. Pollen densities were three times higher on wings than on the head or ventral body. In all samples collected, the pollen was homogeneous and identified as Agave pollen. Although two species of Agave, A. havardiana and A. lechuguilla, occur in this region of Texas, linear discriminant analysis classified 701 of 723 (97%) of pollen grains analyzed as A. lechuguilla. Additional evidence from infrared video footage collected in August 2018 indicated that pallid bats became covered in A. lechuguilla pollen while consuming nectar. Pallid bats might be engaging in facultative nectarivory across their range and could be important nocturnal pollinators.