Description of Scolomys melanops nest (Rodentia, Cricetidae) and its relationship with Lepidocaryum tenue (Arecales, Arecaceae)

Se describe el nido de Scolomys melanops (Rodentia: Cricetidae), encontrado en el Nororiente de Perú en un hábitat de Colinas bajas. Se identificó tres estructuras en el nido: a) Orificio de acceso y salida; b) Túnel y c) Dormidero, en este último se encontraron restos de frutos, fibras del pedúnculo y tallos de Lepidocaryum tenue (Arecales: Arecaceae) “Irapay”. Se sugiere en base al material vegetal encontrado en el nido, la existencia de una relación de depredación entre el roedor Scolomys melanops y la palmera Lepidocaryum tenue.We describe the nest of Scolomys melanops, (Rodentia: Cricetidae) found in low hill habitats in northeastern Peru. We identified three structures in the nest: a) an orifice of access and exit; b) a tunnel and c) roosting area. In the last structure, we found fruit and fiber remains of peduncle and stems of Lepidocaryum tenue (Arecales: Arecaceae) “Irapay”. Based on the vegetal remains found in the nest, we suggest the existence of a predation relationship between the rodent Scolomys melanops and the palm Lepidocaryum tenue

Taxonomic revision of the Andean leaf-eared mouse, Phyllotis andium Thomas 1912 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), with the description of a new species

Rengifo, Edgardo M., Pacheco, Víctor (2015): Taxonomic revision of the Andean leaf-eared mouse, Phyllotis andium Thomas 1912 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 4018 (3): 349-380, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4018.3.

Características de refugios de algunas especies de murciélagos en la cuenca alta del río Itaya, Loreto, Perú

Roost characteristics for 14 bat species of the Itaya river headwaters, Loreto, Peru.This study presents information about bat roosts and their users in the Itaya River headwater, approximately 80km Southwest of Iquitos City (Northeastern Peru). This study was made from May to October of 2008. We established four sampling localities which were evaluated through intensive searches of potential roosts in line transects. The sampling effort covered 98km and we recorded 21 roosts corresponding to six types. The most common roost type was the tree cavity (n=12), followed by bark (n=5), furled leaf (n=1), termite nest (n=1), tent (n=1) and eroded dirt (n=1): this last type is described here for the first time. We identified 14 species representing 12 genera and 4 families (Phyllostomidae, Thyropteridae, Furipteridae and Emballonuridae). Roosts had 1-3 species, but most harbored only one. Phyllostomidae (except Choeroniscus minor), Thyropteridae and Furipteridae used protected sites such as tree cavities, termite nests, furled leaves and tents, while Emballonuridae were often found in exposed sites. KEY WORDSRoosts, Bats, Itaya River, Loreto, Peru El presente estudio proporciona información sobre los refugios de murciélagos de la cuenca alta del río Itaya, localizado aproximadamente a 80km del sureste de la ciudad de Iquitos (Nororiente de Perú). Este estudio fue realizado desde mayo a octubre del 2008, donde evaluamos cuatro localidades, realizando búsquedas intensivas de refugios mediante caminatas diurnas. Recorrimos un total de 98km, registramos 21 refugios; el tipo más común fue la cavidad de árbol (n=12) seguido de corteza de árbol (n=5), hoja enrollada (n=1), termitero (n=1), tienda (n=1) y erosión de tierra (n=1). Registramos 14 especies de murciélagos siendo usuarias de los refugios, las cuales representaron a 12 géneros y 4 familias (Phyllostomidae, Thyropteridae, Furipteridae y Emballonuridae). Los registros variaron de una a tres especies por refugio, siendo en su mayoría aquellas habitadas por una sola especie. Las especies de la familia Phyllostomidae (a excepción de Choeroniscus minor), Thyropteridae y Furipteridae usaron refugios no expuestos como cavidades de árboles, termiteros, hojas tiernas de heliconias y tiendas; mientras las especies de la familia Emballonuridae, fueron encontrados en su mayoría en lugares expuestos.PALABRAS CLAVERefugios, Murciélagos, Rio Itaya, Loreto, Per

UN NUEVO CASO DE JAGUAR MELANICO, Panthera onca (CARNIVORA: FELIDAE) DE PERÚ

We report a new case of melanism in jaguars, Panthera onca, using camera traps in the Parque Nacional Ichigkat Muja - Cordillera del Cóndor, Amazonas - Peru. This report increases our knowledge related to polymorphic variations found in jaguars.Reportamos un nuevo caso de melanismo en Jaguar, Panthera onca, usando camaras trampa en el Parque Nacional Ichigkat Muja - Cordillera del Cóndor, Amazonas - Perú. Este reporte aumenta nuestro conocimiento ralacionado con variaciones polimorficas del jagua

Ecological constraints on highly evolvable olfactory receptor genes and morphology in neotropical bats

Although evolvability of genes and traits may promote specialization during species diversification, how ecology subsequently restricts such variation remains unclear. Chemosensation requires animals to decipher a complex chemical background to locate fitness-related resources, and thus the underlying genomic architecture and morphology must cope with constant exposure to a changing odorant landscape; detecting adaptation amidst extensive chemosensory diversity is an open challenge. In phyllostomid bats, an ecologically diverse clade that evolved plant visiting from a presumed insectivorous ancestor, the evolution of novel food detection mechanisms is suggested to be a key innovation, as plant-visiting species rely strongly on olfaction, supplementarily using echolocation. If this is true, exceptional variation in underlying olfactory genes and phenotypes may have preceded dietary diversification. We compared olfactory receptor (OR) genes sequenced from olfactory epithelium transcriptomes and olfactory epithelium surface area of bats with differing diets. Surprisingly, although OR evolution rates were quite variable and generally high, they are largely independent of diet. Olfactory epithelial surface area, however, is relatively larger in plant-visiting bats and there is an inverse relationship between OR evolution rates and surface area. Relatively larger surface areas suggest greater reliance on olfactory detection and stronger constraint on maintaining an already diverse OR repertoire. Instead of the typical case in which specialization and elaboration are coupled with rapid diversification of associated genes, here the relevant genes are already evolving so quickly that increased reliance on smell has led to stabilizing selection, presumably to maintain the ability to consistently discriminate among specific odorants-a potential ecological constraint on sensory evolution

Andean non-volant small mammals: A dataset of community assemblages of non-volant small mammals from the high Andes

Information from diversity inventories was used to study patterns of biodiversity and species distribution, to identify potential priority areas for conservation, and to guide future sampling efforts. In this context, we compiled information on non-volant small mammal communities from the high Andes (>2000 m). Here, we present an open source dataset containing information on diversity (species composition, number of individuals captured), inventory design (type of traps, sampling efforts), and environment (habitat) for both unpublished and published information. This study covers 630 mammalian communities, geographically distributed throughout the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. We compiled a total of 26,412 individual records belonging to 240 species; the order with greatest number of records was Rodentia (n = 25,319, 96.06%), followed by Didelphimorphia (n = 373, 1.42%), Eulipotyphla (n = 358, 1.36%) and Paucituberculata, (n = 307, 1.16%). Andean non-volant small mammal communities harbor a range from 1 to 17 species, with 93.06% of sites being composed of one to five species, 27.78% of sites with species richness varying from 6 to 10 species, and 4.17% sites composed of more than 10 species. Multiple sampling methods were used to survey non-volant small mammals; the most representative methods were snap-traps and Sherman traps, or a combination of both, in more than 81% of the studies. This data paper represents the first large dataset of faunal species inventories for the Andes. There are no copyright restrictions associated with the use of this dataset. Please cite this data paper when its data are used total or partially in research or teaching.Fil: Rengifo, Edgardo M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Centro de Investigación Biodiversidad Sostenible; PerúFil: Brito, Jorge. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad; EcuadorFil: Jayat, Jorge Pablo. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Cairampoma, Raisa. Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann.; PerúFil: Novillo, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical; ArgentinaFil: Hurtado, Natali. Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa; Perú. Centro de Investigación Biodiversidad Sostenible; PerúFil: Ferro, Luis Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Medina, Cesar E.. Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa; PerúFil: Arguero, Alfonso. Escuela Politécnica Nacional; EcuadorFil: Solari, Sergio. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Urquizo, José Humberto. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Villarreal, Ariatna. Jardín Botánico de Quito; EcuadorFil: Vivar, Elena. Museo de Historia Natural; PerúFil: Teta, Pablo Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga-Carmona, Marcial. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: D'elía, Guillermo. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Reis Percequillo, Alexandre. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi