Mammal collections of the Western Hemisphere: A survey and directory of collections

As a periodic assessment of the mammal collection resource, the Systematic Collections Committee (SCC) of the American Society of Mammalogists undertakes decadal surveys of the collections held in the Western Hemisphere. The SCC surveyed 429 collections and compiled a directory of 395 active collections containing 5,275,155 catalogued specimens. Over the past decade, 43 collections have been lost or transferred and 38 new or unsurveyed collections were added. Growth in number of total specimens, expansion of genomic resource collections, and substantial gains in digitization and web accessibility were documented, as well as slight shifts in proportional representation of taxonomic groups owing to increasingly balanced geographic representation of collections relative to previous surveys. While we find the overall health of Western Hemisphere collections to be adequate in some areas, gaps in spatial and temporal coverage and clear threats to long-term growth and vitality of these resources have also been identified. Major expansion of the collective mammal collection resource along with a recommitment to appropriate levels of funding will be required to meet the challenges ahead for mammalogists and other users, and to ensure samples are broad and varied enough that unanticipated future needs can be powerfully addressed. © 2018 The Author(s)

Mammal records from Donley and Briscoe Counties, Texas

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Geographical Range of Rio Mamoré Virus (Family Bunyaviridae, Genus Hantavirus) in Association with the Small-Eared Pygmy Rice Rat (Oligoryzomys microtis)

Hantavirus HTN·007 was originally isolated from a small-eared pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys microtis) captured in northeastern Peru. The results of analyses of nucleotide and amino acid sequence data in this study indicated that HTN·007 is a strain of Rio Mamoré virus (RIOMV) which is enzootic in small-eared pygmy rice rat populations in Bolivia. As such, the results of this study extend our knowledge of the geographical range of RIOMV and support the notion that the small-eared pygmy rice rat is the principal host of RIOMV

The Delicate Pygmy Rice Rat (Oligoryzomys delicatus) Is the Principal Host of Maporal Virus (Family Bunyaviridae, Genus Hantavirus)

Choclo virus (CHOV) and Maporal virus (MAPV) are enzootic in Panama and western Venezuela, respectively. The results of previous studies suggested that the fulvous pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys fulvescens) is the principal host of both viruses. The results of an analysis of nucleotide sequence data in this study indicated that the rodent associated with CHOV is the Costa Rican pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys costaricensis) and that the rodent associated with MAPV is the delicate pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys delicatus). As such, MAPV is ecologically distinct from CHOV and should be considered a species separate from CHOV

Antibodies to Tacaribe Serocomplex Viruses (Family Arenaviridae, Genus Arenavirus) in Cricetid Rodents from New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico

Blood samples from 4893 cricetid rodents were tested for antibody (immunoglobulin G) to Whitewater Arroyo virus and Amaparí virus to extend our knowledge of the natural host range and geographical distribution of Tacaribe serocomplex viruses in North America. Antibodies to arenaviruses were found in northern pygmy mice (Baiomys taylori), woodrats (Neotoma spp.), northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster), oryzomys (Oryzomys spp.), deermice (Megadontomys nelsoni and Peromyscus spp.), harvest mice (Reithrodontomys spp.), and cotton rats (Sigmodon spp.) captured in New Mexico, Texas, or Mexico. Comparison of endpoint antibody titers to Whitewater Arroyo virus and Amaparí virus in individual blood samples indicated that the Tacaribe complex viruses enzootic in Texas and Mexico are antigenically diverse