Distribución altitudinal de murciélagos filostómidos (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) en la zona central de Chalatenango, El Salvador

Se presentan los resultados sobre la distribución de murciélagos filostómidos a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal con cuatro estratos, ubicado en la zona central de Chalatenango, El Salvador. Esto se determinó mediante el establecimiento de estratos (E1: 350-800 m.s.n.m; E2: 800-1,200 m.s.n.m; E3: 1200-1800 m.s.n.m. y E4: 1800-2730 m.s.n.m.), con tres estaciones de muestreo cada uno; en total, doce estaciones de muestreo para todo el gradiente. Las estaciones de muestreo fueron visitadas en cuatro ocasiones: la transición lluviosa-seca (noviembre 2015), época seca (febrero 2016), transición seca-lluviosa (abril 2016) y época lluviosa (junio 2016). Se registraron 19 especies, pertenecientes a las 5 subfamilias de la familia Phyllostomidae; las especies más abundantes fueron Glossophaga soricina (19.25%), G. commissarisi (13.10%), Artibeus jamaicensis (9.52%), A. lituratus (9.13%), Sturnira parvidens (8.13%), Carollia subrufa (7.74%), S. hondurensis (7.14%), G. leachii (6.35%) y A. toltecus (5.16%). La estructura de los murciélagos se analizó a través de su sexo, estado reproductivo, edad y nicho trófico. Se registró que el inicio de la época de reproducción fue durante la transición seca-lluviosa, asimismo la mayor abundancia de individuos jóvenes durante la época lluviosa demuestra que se dieron los primeros alumbramientos. Los nichos tróficos, presentaron diferencias sobre los murciélagos hematófagos y omnívoros, donde los primeros se registraron hasta el Estrato 2 y los segundos se registraron hasta el Estrato 3. La mayor diversidad se presentó en el Estrato 3 (H’=2.46, λ=0.89, DMg=3.0) y la menor en el Estrato 4 (H’=0.68, λ= 0.48, DMg=0.32). La similitud entre los estratos fue mayor entre el Estrato 2 y Estrato 3 (IM-H: 0.48) y la mayor disimilitud la tuvo el Estrato 4 con el resto del gradiente. Los datos obtenidos de temperatura (T°) y humedad relativa (HR) se analizaron mediante la prueba paramétrica de Pearson, para comprobar si existía correlación entre dichas variables y la diversidad (H’) de murciélagos. Se analizó si el recambio de las formaciones vegetales presentaban una influencia en la diversidad, mediante un análisis de correspondencia canónica, para los resultados obtenidos mostró que la elevación (por ende, T° y HR) tiene mayor influencia en la distribución de los murciélagos. Sin embargo, la vegetación mostró una fuerte influencia sobre la distribución de los murciélagos del estrato más bajo del gradiente

Is this rock pool suitable habitat? Fish diversity in intertidal rock pools of El Zonte, El Salvador

Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of fishes in intertidal rock pools are influenced by environmental and biological traits that determine habitat quality. Fishes actively inhabit areas that represent the most suitable habitat for their development. For the intertidal fish community of El Zonte, physical and structural traits of rock pool habitat, as well as habitat complexity, were examined in relation to fish occurrence, abundance, species richness, and body length. Fish occurred in only 18 (40%) of 45 rock pools. A total 309 fish representing 9 species were recorded. The most abundant species were Bathygobius ramosus (160 individuals, 52%) and Abudefduf concolor (88 individuals, 28%). Fishes were absent in rock pools of volumes less than 0.29 m3 and with surface roughness lower than 4.7%. Rock pool volume and surface roughness were related to fish abundance and species richness. Surface roughness was more important to fish abundance and species richness in rock pools of small volumes, but its contribution was limited in larger rock pools. Fish length and rock pool volume were also related, with larger fish generally occurring in larger rock pools. This study presents insights into the factors influencing fish occurrence in tropical intertidal rock pool systems of the Tropical Eastern Pacific

The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES): species checklist and new country records

The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES) was established in 1970. Herein, we provide the first quantitative and qualitative description of the collection; and the first public record of the specimens and taxa therein represented. The MUHNES fish collection is the largest and most important of El Salvador, hosting 3791 specimens in 1005 lots representing 26 orders, 75 families, 159 genera and 248 species from both marine and freshwater environments, including larval, juvenile and mainly adult specimens. MUHNES specimens include 39% of the 587 species reported in the official national checklist of fishes of El Salvador, and support the inclusion of 47 additional species for a new total of 634. Furthermore, MUHNES specimens support (1) the occurrence of Cathorops fuerthii along the coast of El Salvador, extending its distribution from northern Costa Rica; (2) the occurrence of Atherinella starksi in El Salvador, reducing a gap for records between Nicaragua and México and (3) the extension in the distribution range of Profundulus kreiseri to Morazán, El Salvador. This study represents an advance on the understanding of diversity and distribution of the national ichthyofauna

Catalog and distribution atlas of the Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) of El Salvador

Menos del 1% de la literatura sobre la biodiversidad de El Salvador es sobre invertebrados terrestres, lo que limita nuestro conocimiento de la diversidad, riqueza y distribución de este grupo en el territorio. Los Scarabaeoidea son megadiversos en múltiples ecosistemas y cumplen muchas funciones. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo catalogar los Scarabaeoidea en El Salvador. Se realizó una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura publicada y se revisaron numerosas colecciones entomológicas con material relevante. Se construyeron mapas para visualizar la distribución conocida de cada especie en el país. Existen 295 especies de escarabajos (incluyendo 19 nuevos registros en el país) representando 106 géneros en 7 familias en El Salvador. Se conocen seis especies precursoras. Veintidós especies se descartan como presentes en El Salvador, ya sea porque no son especies válidas o por identificaciones erróneas o registros dudosos. Este trabajo es la primera aproximación al conocimiento de los Scarabaeoidea en El Salvador, un territorio que usualmente se considera de nula importancia para la conservación de la biodiversidad regional debido a su reducida superficie, alta tasa de deforestación y sobrepoblación. Los resultados de este trabajo refuerzan la necesidad de realizar prospección biológica en el territorio para conocer, conservar y proteger la biodiversidad remanente. 2023 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Todos los derechos reservados.Less than 1% of the literature on El Salvador s biodiversity is about terrestrial invertebrates, which limits our knowledge of this group s diversity, richness, and distribution in the territory. Scarabaeoidea are megadiverse in multiple ecosystems and perform many functions. This work aims to catalog the Scarabaeoidea in El Salvador. We conducted an exhaustive review of published literature and reviewed numerous entomological collections with relevant material. Maps were constructed to visualize the known distribution of each species in the country. There are 295 scarab beetle species (including 19 new country records) representing 106 genera in 7 families in El Salvador. Six precinctive species are known. Twenty-Two species are discarded as occurring in El Salvador, either because they are not valid species or because of misidentifications or dubious records. This work is the first approach to knowing the Scarabaeoidea in El Salvador, a territory that is usually considered of no importance for the conservation of regional biodiversity due to its small area, high rate of deforestation, and overpopulation. The results of this work reinforce the need for biological prospecting in the territory to know, conserve, and protect the remaining biodiversity. © 2023 Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. All rights reserved

A new living species of the genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from central-western Argentina

Abstract The genus Ctenomys Blainville, 1826 includes 68 living species of small to medium-sized (100–1200 g) caviomorph rodents of subterranean habits. During the last decade, this genus has been the subject of numerous taxonomic studies, including the description of new species and the proposal of novel synonyms. Based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences and qualitative and quantitative morphological traits, here we review the species boundaries of the tuco-tucos of the species group of C. mendocinus and describe a new species. The new species is morphologically distinct from other phylogenetically and geographically close species of Ctenomys (e.g., C. fochi, C. mendocinus), showing several differences in their craniodental traits (e.g., proportionally longer nasals and less globose tympanic bullae). The new species occurs in montane grasslands and shrublands of northwestern Mendoza (ca. 2710 m a.s.l.) and in lowlands (ca. 1000 m a.s.l.) of the Monte Desert ecoregion in an area highly impacted by accelerated processes associated with the wine industry

Murciélagos y techos: Cruzando fronteras a través de la ciencia ciudadana

El Neotrópico es una de las regiones más diversas en el mundo, donde se han registrado cientos de especies de murciélagos y este número sigue ascendiendo gracias a los esfuerzos de investigación. A pesar de los distintos y valiosos servicios ecosistémicos que estas especies brindan (Boyles et al. 2011), los murciélagos enfrentan amenazas que ponen en riesgo su supervivencia, entre ellas se destacan la pérdida y fragmentación del hábitat (Frick et al. 2020). Estas amenazas han obligado a los murciélagos a buscar nuevos sitios donde habitar y, para algunas especies, principalmente insectívoras, las zonas urbanas poseen sitios con los recursos necesarios para sobrevivir, tales como alimento y refugio (Ávila-Flores y Fenton 2005; Jung y Kalko 2010; Jung y Threlfall 2016). En el momento que estas especies coexisten con los humanos, surge otra potencial amenaza que es el desconocimiento generado por la percepción errónea que existe sobre los murciélagos...Fil: Zaldaña Orantes, Karla. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Rodríguez, Melissa E.. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Raquel Alvarado-Larios. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: González Linares, Jorge. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Campos Tobar, Zuleyma. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Díaz, Carolina. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Girón, Luis. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de El Salvador ; El SalvadorFil: Nuñez Rodríguez, Alvaro. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Chile; ChileFil: Chang, Clemente Beltrán. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Chile; ChileFil: Damino, María Verónica. Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Di Domenica, Violeta. Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Olmedo, María Luz. Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Programa de Investigación de Biodiversidad Argentina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, Tatiana. Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Arévalo, Ana Lucía. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Nuñez, Lourdes. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Mejía, David. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de Honduras; HondurasFil: Aguirre, Gabriel. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de Nicaragua; NicaraguaFil: Saldaña, Octavio. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de Nicaragua; NicaraguaFil: Serrano, Alejandra. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de Nicaragua; NicaraguaFil: Chitaro, Santiago. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Uruguay; UruguayFil: Martínez, Yaniré. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Santiago, Miguel. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de la República Dominicana; República DominicanaFil: Mateo Jiménez, Amelia L.. Programa de Conservación de Murciélagos de la República Dominicana; República DominicanaFil: Sánchez Calderón, Ricardo. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Costa Rica; Costa RicaFil: Oviedo Cortés, Gabriel. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Costa Rica; Costa RicaFil: Guido Solano, Francinie. Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Costa Rica; Costa Ric

The good and the better, sampling tropical intertidal rock pool fishes: a comparison between visual census vs. rock pool bailing method

Numerous sampling methods have been applied to study intertidal rock pool fishes. There is limited information comparing the performance and suitability of such methods, which complicates comparisons between studies. We compared the performance of the bailing and visual census methods in 10 rock pools to quantify abundance, species richness, and structure of fish assemblages in rock pool intertidal systems considering fish residency affinities, rock pool volume, and substratum rugosity. Sampling was conducted 13 times across the complete set of 10 rock pools from June to December, 2018. Each of the pools was sampled with a visual census and then the bailing method. A sampling event was defined as the process of conducting both a visual and a bailing survey in a single rock pool. In total, 1,749 individuals of 14 species were detected using the bailing method, whereas 438 individuals of 8 species were recorded via visual census. The bailing method yielded higher abundance and species richness of resident, opportunist, and transient fish than the visual census. The detection of individuals and species showed a positive association with rock pool volume and negative association with substratum rugosity for both methods. In 32 sampling events, the bailing method detected fish correcting reports of fish absence (false negatives) recorded with the visual census. For the bailing method, resident fishes dominated the fish assemblage, whereas, for the visual census, resident and opportunist fishes contributed similarly to the community

An appraisal of the species richness of the Ctenomys mendocinus species group (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), with the description of two new species from the Andean slopes of west-central Argentina

The genus Ctenomys of subterranean rodents is one of the most species-rich genera of Mammalia, with 66 living species currently recognized. However, the taxonomy of the genus is dynamic with several new species and new synonymies proposed during the last decade. One of the species groups that have undergone more changes in contents in the last years is the Ctenomys mendocinus species group. Here, based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences and qualitative and quantitative morphological evidence, we conducted an appraisal of the species richness of tuco-tucos of the C. mendocinus species group, describing two new species from west-central Argentina. The new taxa are morphometrically distinctive when compared with other geographically or phylogenetically close species of the genus, showing qualitative differences in their craniodental anatomy. One of the new species is known from the eastern Andean slopes of La Rioja and San Juan provinces, occurring on montane grasslands and shrublands above 3,500 m a.s.l., while the other is endemic of southwestern Mendoza province, occurring on montane grasslands and shrublands between 2,400–2,700 m a.s.l. In addition, we include for the first time the nominal forms C. fochi and C. validus in a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Ctenomys, showing that both correspond to the C. mendocinus species group, being the second a junior synonym of C. mendocinus. Finally, we made some comments about other candidate species within this species group as well as highlight issues that need to be addressed to gain a robust picture of the specific richness of Ctenomys

FIGURE 2 in The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES): Species checklist and new country records

FIGURE 2. Collection localities represented at the MUHNES Ichthyology collection. Inland aquatic ecosystems, divided by hydrogeographic regions, marine environments, protected areas and the political division of El Salvador are illustrated. A = Ahuachapán, B = Sonsonate, C = Santa Ana, D = La Libertad, E = Chalatenango, F =San Salvador, G = Cuscatlán, H = La Paz, I = Cabañas, J = San Vicente, K = Usulután, L = San Miguel, M = Morazán N = La Unión.Published as part of González-Murcia, Saúl, Álvarez-Calderón, Francisco Samuel, Alvarado-Larios, Raquel, Marín-Martínez, Cindy Marlene & Angulo, Arturo, 2019, The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES): Species checklist and new country records, pp. 281-313 in Zootaxa 4559 (2) on page 285, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4559.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/399342

FIGURE 1 in The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES): Species checklist and new country records

FIGURE 1. Cumulative number of accessioned specimens, lots and species from 1974 to 2017 by 2-year periods, at the MUHNES ichthyology collection.Published as part of González-Murcia, Saúl, Álvarez-Calderón, Francisco Samuel, Alvarado-Larios, Raquel, Marín-Martínez, Cindy Marlene & Angulo, Arturo, 2019, The ichthyology collection at the Natural History Museum of El Salvador (MUHNES): Species checklist and new country records, pp. 281-313 in Zootaxa 4559 (2) on page 284, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4559.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/399342