Russell E. Mumford

Food and Ectoparasites of Indiana Shrews

A total of 339 shrews from Indiana was examined during the present study, including 159 Blarina brevicauda , 142 Cryptotis parva , 56 Sorex cinereus , and 16 S. longirostris . Mites of the species Orycteroxenus soricis, Androlaelaps fahrenholzi , and Protomyobia claparedei were important parasites on Blarina, Cryptotis , and S. cinereus. Blarinobia simplex was taken from Blarina , whereas B. cryptotis was taken from Cryptotis and Sorex cinereus . Fleas commonest on Blarina were Ctenopthalmus pseudagyrtes and Doratopsylla blarinae , whereas the major flea of Cryptotis was Corrodopsylla hamiltoni , followed by Ctenopthalmus pseudagyrtes . Five specimens of the beetle, Leptinus americanus , were taken from Blarina . The most important foods of Blarina , listed in order of decreasing abundance were earthworms, slugs and snails, lepidopterous larvae, Gryllidae, and Chilopoda. Corresponding foods for Cryptotis were lepidopterous larvae, earthworms, spiders, internal organs of crickets and grasshoppers, and coleopterous larvae; for Sorex cinereus , they were lepidopterous larvae, coleopterous larvae, slugs and snails, spiders, and Gryllidae.

Ecological Notes on the Bat Pipistrellus subflavus

Ecological notes on Pipistrellus subflavus were obtained during the summers of 1949 through 1957 in West Virginia and Indiana. The center of abundance of this species is the Ohio River valley; Pipistrellus prefers watercourses at forest edges. Daylight hours are probably spent in trees. Myotis lucifugus and Pipistrellus are rarely found together on summer feeding grounds, but other bats, particularly Lasiurus borealis and Eptesicus fuscus, commonly feed with pipistrelles. Although considerable data have been published on the behavior and ecology of bats in their daytime roosts and hibernating quarters, there has been little study of their choice of feeding grounds and their behavior thereon. We present here observations on these aspects of the life history of the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) made during the summers of 1949 through 1957, in West Virginia and Indiana.

Ecological Studies on Reithrodontomys megalotis in Indiana

Since August 1969, 182 Reithrodontomys megalotis have been taken in Newton County, Indiana. Because there were no previous records for the state, the species might have recently invaded Indiana from the west. The largest population known occupies a rye field that was undisturbed from spring 1969 through December 1970. Harvest mice might have been moving from the rye field into surrounding areas. Indiana harvest mice appear to breed from March to November. From two to six embryos (mean, 3.8) were found in 30 pregnant females. Radfordia subuliger was the only external parasite regularly found (1.30 per mouse and present on 27.2 per cent of individuals), with Androlaelaps fahrenholzi being second in abundance. Other external parasites found were three specimens of Dermacarus hypudaei and two species of fleas (six Epitedia wenmanni and four Orchopeas leucopus ). Seeds and green shoots of rye were the most important foods, followed by lepidopterous larvae. Setaria and other grass seeds were important in habitats other than the rye field. Small mammals most commonly trapped with R. megalotis in Indiana were Peromyscus maniculatus, P. leucopus, Mus musculus , and Microtus ochrogaster . Indiana harvest mice are morphologically smaller and more variable than individuals from established populations in Nebraska.