Assessment of terrestrial small mammals and a record of the critically endangered shrew Crocidura wimmeri in Banco National Park (Côte d'Ivoire)

This study investigated the small mammal community of the periurban Banco National Park (34 km2), Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, using identical numbers of Sherman and Longworth traps. We aimed to determine the diversity and distribution of rodents and shrews in three different habitats: primary forest, secondary forest and swamp. Using 5014 trap-nights, 91 individuals were captured that comprised seven rodent and four shrew species. The trapping success was significantly different for each species, i.e., the Longworth traps captured more soricids (31/36 shrews), whereas the Sherman traps captured more murids (37/55 mice). The most frequent species was Praomys cf. rostratus, followed by Crocidura buettikoferi, Hybomys trivirgatus and Crocidura jouvenetae. Indices of species richness (S) and diversity (H′) were greatest in primary forest, followed by secondary forest and swamp. Several expected species, such as Crocidura obscurior, were not found, whereas we captured four specimens of the critically endangered (IUCN 2012) Wimmer's shrew Crocidura wimmeri, a species that has vanished from its type locality, Adiopodoumé. Therefore, Banco National Park represents an important sanctuary, not only for plants, birds and primates, but also for other small forest vertebrate

Distribution spatio-temporelle de la pression du braconnage sur Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), espèce proche de la menace (Côte d’Ivoire, Afrique de l’Ouest)

Objectifs: Cette étude vise à étudier la répartition dans l’espace et dans le temps de l’activité de braconnage sur les chauves-souris paillées (qui rendent d’importants services écosystémiques), Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), espèce proche de la menace, de la commune du Plateau (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) afin de dégager des implications pour sa conservation.Méthodologie et résultats: Un suivi hebdomadaire de la dynamique de cette activité dans les 16 sites dortoirs des chauves-souris paillées a été réalisé d’août 2005 à juillet 2006 pour déterminer sa distribution spatiale et temporelle. Les résultats indiquent que la pression de braconnage a été forte au site 3, moyenne au site 8 et faible sur les autres sites. La pression du braconnage a varié avec le site et la saison.Conclusion et application: Cette étude contribue à une meilleure connaissance de l’écologie de cette espèce de chauve-souris proche de la menace et fournie des données préliminaires sur la distribution de l’intensité de l’activité du braconnage. Pour assurer l’intégrité de cette population, ces données serviront de base pour la mise en place d’une politique de préservation de cette espèce quasi-menacée.Mots-clés: Milieu urbain, chauves-souris paillées, braconnage, effet de la saison, conservationEnglish Title: Spatiotemporal distribution of poaching pressure on Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792) near-threatened species (Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa)English AbstractObjectives: The study was on repartition (time and space) of poaching activity on straw-colored fruit bats (provide important ecosystem services) Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), a near-threatened species in the District of Plateau in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in order to draw a practical applications in relation to their preservation.Methodology and Results: Weekly monitoring of the dynamic of poaching activities in roosting sites was made from August 2005 to July 2006. Results show that the poaching pressure was high at site 3, moderate at site 8 and weak on other sites. Poaching pressure varied with the site and season.Conclusions and application of findings: The present study is a contribution to a better knowledge of Chiropters and provides preliminary ecological data on poaching intensity distribution. Poaching data should be increase  and incorporated or integrate into biodiversity system preservation strategy in order to ensure a rational and sustainable management of that near-threatened species.Keywords: Urban area, straw-colored fruit bats, poaching, season effect, conservatio

Molecular evolution of Azagny virus, a newfound hantavirus harbored by the West African pygmy shrew (Crocidura obscurior) in Côte d'Ivoire

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tanganya virus (TGNV), the only shrew-associated hantavirus reported to date from sub-Saharan Africa, is harbored by the Therese's shrew (<it>Crocidura theresae</it>), and is phylogenetically distinct from Thottapalayam virus (TPMV) in the Asian house shrew (<it>Suncus murinus</it>) and Imjin virus (MJNV) in the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (<it>Crocidura lasiura</it>). The existence of myriad soricid-borne hantaviruses in Eurasia and North America would predict the presence of additional hantaviruses in sub-Saharan Africa, where multiple shrew lineages have evolved and diversified.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Lung tissues, collected in RNAlater^®, from 39 Buettikofer's shrews (<it>Crocidura buettikoferi</it>), 5 Jouvenet's shrews (<it>Crocidura jouvenetae</it>), 9 West African pygmy shrews (<it>Crocidura obscurior</it>) and 21 African giant shrews (<it>Crocidura olivieri</it>) captured in Côte d'Ivoire during 2009, were systematically examined for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A genetically distinct hantavirus, designated Azagny virus (AZGV), was detected in the West African pygmy shrew. Phylogenetic analysis of the S, M and L segments, using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods, under the GTR+I+Γ model of evolution, showed that AZGV shared a common ancestry with TGNV and was more closely related to hantaviruses harbored by soricine shrews than to TPMV and MJNV. That is, AZGV in the West African pygmy shrew, like TGNV in the Therese's shrew, did not form a monophyletic group with TPMV and MJNV, which were deeply divergent and basal to other rodent- and soricomorph-borne hantaviruses. Ancestral distributions of each hantavirus lineage, reconstructed using Mesquite 2.74, suggested that the common ancestor of all hantaviruses was most likely of Eurasian, not African, origin.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Genome-wide analysis of many more hantaviruses from sub-Saharan Africa are required to better understand how the biogeographic origin and radiation of African shrews might have contributed to, or have resulted from, the evolution of hantaviruses.</p

Terrestrial small mammal diversity and abundance in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

A terrestrial small mammal species survey was carried out in the Taï National Park from March to June 2010, using Sherman's live traps and pitfall traps. The aim of the study was to determine the diversity and distribution of rodents and shrews in three different habitats: primary, secondary and swamp forests. During the study period, 263 terrestrial small mammals belonging to 17 species (six Soricidae species and eleven Muridae species) were captured out of 8,610 trap-nights. For Rodents, the most frequent species were Malacomys edwardsi (n = 76) followed by Hylomyscus simus (n = 53), Praomys rostratus (n = 51) and Hybomys planifrons (n = 27). For shrews, the most frequent species was Crocidura buettikoferi (n = 12) followed by Crocidura eburnea (n = 7). The species richness (S) and diversity index (H') were higher in the secondary forest (S = 15; H' = 2.12) than the ones of the primary forest (S = 10; H' = 1.79) and swamp forest (S = 8, H' = 1.74) respectively. In the primary forest, the population of terrestrial small mammals was dominated by four species: Malacomys edwardsi (n = 32), Praomys rostratus (n = 21), Hylomyscus simus (n = 15) and Hybomys planifrons (n = 13). In the secondary forest, Hylomyscus simus (n = 29), Malacomys edwardsi (n = 23) and Praomys rostratus (n = 18) were the most abundant. In swamp forest, the most abundant species were: Malacomys edwardsi (n = 21), Praomys rostratus (n = 12) and Hybomys planifrons (n = 11). Of the listed species, two species are worthy for conservation, C. buettikoferi (NT) and G. buntingi (DD), and ten were endemic to the Upper Guinea forests. These results confirm once again the important animal diversity of the Taï National Park, which harbours numerous species endemic to the Upper Guinea forests

Ressources Alimentaires De Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), Espece Proche De La Menace (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire)

Food resources of the straw-colored fruit bats Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), a near-threaned species in Abidjan-Plateau were studied from August 2007 to July 2008. Faeces collection under sleeping trees and direct observations were made in order to access qualitative composition and temporal distribution of food resources of Eidolon helvum. Results show that 16 species of plants grouped into eight families and classified in three categories of plant organs were exploited by these bats. Among them, three species of plants appeared for the first time in the diet of the frugivorous bats in Côte d’Ivoire. Fruit food resources were most abundant (83%) and fruits of Ficus genus were dominant (45%). The distribution of food resources varied with the season

Divergent lineage of a novel hantavirus in the banana pipistrelle (Neoromicia nanus) in Côte d'Ivoire

Recently identified hantaviruses harbored by shrews and moles (order Soricomorpha) suggest that other mammals having shared ancestry may serve as reservoirs. To investigate this possibility, archival tissues from 213 insectivorous bats (order Chiroptera) were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR. Following numerous failed attempts, hantavirus RNA was detected in ethanol-fixed liver tissue from two banana pipistrelles (Neoromicia nanus), captured near Mouyassué village in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, in June 2011. Phylogenetic analysis of partial L-segment sequences using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods revealed that the newfound hantavirus, designated Mouyassué virus (MOUV), was highly divergent and basal to all other rodent- and soricomorph-borne hantaviruses, except for Nova virus in the European common mole (Talpa europaea). Full genome sequencing of MOUV and further surveys of other bat species for hantaviruses, now underway, will provide critical insights into the evolution and diversification of hantaviruses

Diversité Et Abondance Des Micromammifères Terrestres: Indicateurs De L’anthropisation De La Forêt Classée De Monogaga, Sud-Ouest De La Côte d’Ivoire

Anthropization of Classified Forests (CF) is a recurrent phenomenon in Côte d'Ivoire. It particularly affects coastal forests including Monogaga classified forest. Currently, flora composition and vegetation structure are the only biological tools available to better appreciate impacts of anthropic pressures on Monogaga classified forest. Yet, fauna and more particularly terrestrial small mammals constitute an essential component of this forest. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of the effects of anthropization of Monogaga classified forest based on "terrestrial small mammal" model. We used conventional Sherman traps to fairly investigate terrestrial small mammal communities in four plots (A, B, C and D) subjected to different anthropogenic pressures through Monogaga classified forest. Plots A and B were more disturbed than plots C and D. We collected 66 specimens in 1920 trap nights. These specimens are distributed among seven rodent species Dephomys defua, Hybomys trivirgatus, Hylomyscus simus, Lophuromys sikapusi, Malacomys edwardsi, Mastomys erythroleucus and Praomys rostratus and one soricomorph Crocidura olivieri. Abundances of terrestrial small mammals are higher in plots C and D. In the same way, diversity indices decrease from the most conserved to the least conserved plots. However, differences in species richness are weak between plots. Hierarchical classification of the four plots based on small mammal’s assemblages allows a good segregation. This study confirms that "terrestrial small mammal" model can contribute to the assessment of anthropization of forest habitats in lower Côte d'Ivoire

Shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla) from a biodiversity hotspot, Mount Nimba (West Africa), with a field identification key to species

In this study, we collected 226 shrew specimens originating from 16 localities on the Guinean and Liberian sides of Mount Nimba. We surveyed all major vegetation zones from 400 to 1600 m above sea level (asl), including forest and savannah habitats. We recorded 11 species, whose identifications were confirmed by genetic analyses and classical morphometrics. Furthermore, we provide cytogenetic data for five of these species. The shrew community at Mount Nimba is composed of a mix of both savannah- and forest-dependent species, which is related to the peculiar position of Mount Nimba situated at the transition between lowland rainforest to the south and Guinean woodlands to the north. We recorded 11 species of shrews in syntopy in lowland rainforest, seven in edaphic savannah and mountain forest, and five in high-altitude savannah at 1600 m asl. Based on morphometric analyses, we show that these syntopic species separate along a size axis, allowing species to occupy different ecological niches, which we speculate allows them to access different food resources. We also highlight that Crocidura theresae Heim de Balsac, 1968 from Mount Nimba has a different karyotype from that described in Côte d’Ivoire. Finally, we develop a novel identification key for shrews from Mount Nimba using external characters and standard body measurements, allowing it to be used in the field on live specimens. In total 12 shrew species are now known from Mount Nimba, which highlights its exceptional position as a tropical African biodiversity hotspot.https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/en/periodiques/zoosystemadm2022Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa’s major land uses

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species’ population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate ‘intactness scores’: the remaining proportion of an ‘intact’ reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region’s major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.) and intensities (e.g., large-scale vs smallholder cropland). This dataset was co-produced as part of the Biodiversity Intactness Index for Africa Project. Additional uses include assessing ecosystem condition; rectifying geographic/ taxonomic biases in global biodiversity indicators and maps; and informing the Red List of Ecosystems