We studied the activity patterns, abundance, diversity, and diets of bats, along with the abundance of nocturnal volant insects, at 30 sites in Miombo woodland in northern Zimbabwe. The woodland at 50% of the sites had been disturbed by high elephant densities to the extent that the tree canopy was greatly reduced. The tree canopy was intact at the other sites. Intact and impacted sites differed significantly in tree ( Ͼ 3 m tall; Ͼ 15 cm basal diameter) and shrub (1-3 m tall; Ͻ 1 m tall) diversity and cover. At each site we used ultraviolet lights to sample insects and mist nets and bat detectors to sample bats. To assess their diets we collected and analyzed feces from captured bats. We caught 343 bats representing the families Pteropodidae (1 species), Vespertilionidae (11 species), and Molossidae (3 species). The molossids and vespertilionids are all aerial feeders taking airborne insects. Bat species richness, abundance, and activity were greater at intact than at impacted sites, but these differences were statistically significant only at adjacent sites ( Ͻ 5 km apart) not at more distant intact and impacted sites ( Ͼ 20 km apart). At the adjacent sites we caught a significantly greater proportion of small ( Ͻ 10 g) bats at intact than at impacted sites. These data and a significantly greater proportion of Scotophilus species ( Ͼ 10 g) caught during the early evening at intact than at impacted sites suggested that the removal of canopy trees affected roost availability for the bats. Although larger species may have commuted between intact and impacted sites, smaller species did not. In contrast, the availability of prey did not appear to have been significantly affected by the removal of the canopy trees, as indicated by the light-trap catches of insects and the bats' diets. Most bats ate mainly beetles and moths, the most abundant insects sampled at the ultraviolet lights. Our findings suggest that aerial-feeding bats such as vespertilionids and molossids do not appear to be useful indicators of disturbance in this habitat, even in the face of significant loss of tree canopy. Muriélagos y la Pérdida del Dosel de Arboles en Bosques AfricanosResumen: Estudiamos los patrones de actividad, abundancia, diversidad y dietas de murciélagos, al igual que la abundancia de insectos voladores nocturnos en 30 sitios en el bosque de Miombo al norte de Zimbabwe. El bosque ha sido impactado en un 50% de los sitios por densidades altas de elefantes, a tal grado que el dosel de los árboles ha sido reducido grandemente. El dosel estuvo intacto en los otros sitios. Sitios intactos e impactados difieren significantivamente en diversidad y cobertura de árboles ( Ͼ 3m de altura; Ͼ 15 cm de diámetro basal) y arbustos (1-3 m de altura; Ͻ 1m de altura). En cada sitio usamos luz ultravioleta para muestrear insectos y redes y detectores de murciélagos para muestrear murciélagos. Para determinar sus dietas, colectamos y analizamos heces de los murciélagos capturados. Capturamos 343 murciélagos repre- ‡ ‡ email bfenton@circus.yorku.ca ...

We studied the activity patterns, abundance, diversity, and diets of bats, along with the abundance of nocturnal volant insects, at 30 sites in Miombo woodland in northern Zimbabwe. The woodland at 50% of the sites had been disturbed by high elephant densities to the extent that the tree canopy was greatly reduced. The tree canopy was intact at the other sites. Intact and impacted sites differed significantly in tree ( Ͼ 3 m tall; Ͼ 15 cm basal diameter) and shrub (1-3 m tall; Ͻ 1 m tall) diversity and cover. At each site we used ultraviolet lights to sample insects and mist nets and bat detectors to sample bats. To assess their diets we collected and analyzed feces from captured bats. We caught 343 bats representing the families Pteropodidae (1 species), Vespertilionidae (11 species), and Molossidae (3 species). The molossids and vespertilionids are all aerial feeders taking airborne insects. Bat species richness, abundance, and activity were greater at intact than at impacted sites, but these differences were statistically significant only at adjacent sites ( Ͻ 5 km apart) not at more distant intact and impacted sites ( Ͼ 20 km apart). At the adjacent sites we caught a significantly greater proportion of small ( Ͻ 10 g) bats at intact than at impacted sites. These data and a significantly greater proportion of Scotophilus species ( Ͼ 10 g) caught during the early evening at intact than at impacted sites suggested that the removal of canopy trees affected roost availability for the bats. Although larger species may have commuted between intact and impacted sites, smaller species did not. In contrast, the availability of prey did not appear to have been significantly affected by the removal of the canopy trees, as indicated by the light-trap catches of insects and the bats' diets. Most bats ate mainly beetles and moths, the most abundant insects sampled at the ultraviolet lights. Our findings suggest that aerial-feeding bats such as vespertilionids and molossids do not appear to be useful indicators of disturbance in this habitat, even in the face of significant loss of tree canopy. Muriélagos y la Pérdida del Dosel de Arboles en Bosques AfricanosResumen: Estudiamos los patrones de actividad, abundancia, diversidad y dietas de murciélagos, al igual que la abundancia de insectos voladores nocturnos en 30 sitios en el bosque de Miombo al norte de Zimbabwe. El bosque ha sido impactado en un 50% de los sitios por densidades altas de elefantes, a tal grado que el dosel de los árboles ha sido reducido grandemente. El dosel estuvo intacto en los otros sitios. Sitios intactos e impactados difieren significantivamente en diversidad y cobertura de árboles ( Ͼ 3m de altura; Ͼ 15 cm de diámetro basal) y arbustos (1-3 m de altura; Ͻ 1m de altura). En cada sitio usamos luz ultravioleta para muestrear insectos y redes y detectores de murciélagos para muestrear murciélagos. Para determinar sus dietas, colectamos y analizamos heces de los murciélagos capturados. Capturamos 343 murciélagos repre- ‡ ‡ email

The land planarian Microplana termitophaga is one of three invertebrate predators feeding at the open chimneys of the mound of the termite Odontotermes transvaalensis in Harare. This paper records over 4000 field observations of the mound and reports on the planarians over three rainy seasons from 1990 to 1993. Microplana termitophaga is crepuscular with a large early morning and a smaller evening activity peak. Rainfall appears to be of over‐riding importance; activity is confined to the rainy season, occurring once the cumulative rainfall reaches 150‐250 mm and being suspended during longish dry spells. Activity is also favoured by ambient relative humidity above 70%, light intensity below 50,000 lux (but not total darkness) and ambient temperature between 13 and 23d̀C. Planarians on sun‐exposed, but not on shaded, mounds disappeared after a drought. Dispersal occurs during prolonged wet weather. Microplana termitophaga occurs with two predatory spider species and a commensal phorid fly and they all utilize the same termites. These four species exhibit temporal separation, probably related to their specific micro‐climatic needs.

A 40-species assemblage of jumping spiders inhabiting a small (0.6 ha) tropical suburban study site in Zimbabwe was studied over 4 years. It was hypothesized that marked habitat separation is one of the critical factors permitting the close coexistence of so many species from the same family (Salticidae). The 25 most common salticids (i.e. species with 10 or more records) were found to occupy six primary habitat types: tree trunks (with three salticid species), tree leaves (two species), shrubs (five species), walls (three species), low herbaceous plants and grasses (three species) and ground and litter (six species). The remaining three species, termed habitat generalists, frequented three or more of these habitats. Finer-scale microhabitat separation was also recorded in many species. The remaining 15 less common species (i.e. < 10 records) could not be assigned to particular habitats with certainty. Twenty-one (84%) of the 25 common salticids showed a significant association with a single primary habitat type. Three-quarters of species were present for 3 or 4 years of this 4-year study. It was concluded that the narrow spatial niches occupied by most species, combined with the numerous microhabitats within the site, were conducive to the highly diverse salticid assemblage. Attention is drawn to the problems of long-term sampling of such a small area without undue disturbance to the fauna. The impacts of long-term weather cycles on habitats, ephemeral niches, age-dependent use of habitats, inter-and intraspecific associations of individuals within habitats, and the relationship between suburban and wild habitats are discussed. Suburban environments, by providing a wide range of microhabitats, can support a high diversity of salticid species and thus contribute to their conservation.

Microplana termitophaga has been observed feeding on termites in Harare, Zimbabwe . In small specimens the pharynx is about two-thirds of the way along the body, but in large specimens the pharynx is only one quarter of the way along the body. Details of the subepidermal musculature of specimens from Kenya and Zimbabwe are described which confirm the previously uncertain assignment of the species to the subfamily Microplaninae . Sexually mature specimens are found towards the end of the wet season in Zimbabwe . The anatomy of the reproductive system is described . The gonopore is about two-thirds of the way along the body in mature specimens, but sexual maturity seems not to be related simply to size . There is a genito-intestinal duct which confirms that the species is of the genus Microplana .