Species: Euderma maculatum

Insectivorous. Apparently feeds primarily on noctuid moths, sometimes beetles (Snow 1974; Schmidly 1977, 1991; Barbour and Davis 1969; van Zyll de Jong 1985). In British Columbia, flew 5-15 m above ground when foraging; foraging areas of different individuals overlapped (Wai-Ping and Fenton 1989). In southeastern Utah, fed on small insects within 2 m of the ground; sometimes captured insects on the ground (Poche and Bailie 1974), though this has been disputed. In Colorado, foraged at heights above 10 m (Navo et al. 1992). <br><br>One study stated that the bats hunted a regular beat and searched for prey in clearings in pine forest; the bat was extremely punctual in making its rounds and reached various points along its route at the same time every night. When in the clearings, the bat followed a definite circuit at or above treetop height. The bat spent approximately three to five minutes per clearing during the spring, and much longer during the summer, retracing its circuit in the clearing. The lengthier foraging in the summer is attributed to increased prey availability during the later season (van Zyll de Jong 1985). Another study found that a predictable pattern of foraging was observed in spring to midsummer (May to July), and a less predictable pattern later in the summer. At the beginning of the summer, foraging periods were long, and became shorter later in summer (van Zyll de Jong 1985). The contradiction in foraging strategies between the two studies was attributed to the variability of the bat's behavior in response to changes in one or more factors in the environment such a abundance and distribution of prey (Snow 1974). <br><br>The spotted bat hunts alone, and at least sometimes appears to maintain an exclusive foraging area (Leonard 1983). Neighboring bats show evidence of mutual avoidance and have been observed to turn away when encountering one another near the boundaries of their hunting areas. This mutual avoidance has been interpreted as a mechanism to avoid competition. When the neighbor is absent, an individual may show no hesitation in flying into an area avoided earlier. It is believed that a combination of the bat's echolocation call and conspicuous color pattern are used to maintain the spacing between bats (van Zyll de Jong 1985).