THE COMMON SHREW (SOREX ARANEUS) AS A PREDATOR OF THE WINTER MOTH (OPEROPHTERA BRUMATA) NEAR OXFORD, ENGLAND

Abstract

AbstractThe diet of the common shrew contained significant proportions of lepidopterous remains, and these were mostly of winter moth. The least shrew also at times preys heavily upon winter moth. Calculations indicate that predation by mammals, especially common shrews, could have important consequences on the population dynamics of the winter moth. It was concluded that there is only slight interaction between winter moth predation by shrews and predacious beetles.