Primeiro registro de melanismo no criticamente ameaçado gato-pampeano (Leopardus munoai), uma espécie endêmica das áreas abertas do Pampa

We report the first record of a melanistic individual of the critically endangered Pampa cat (Leopardus munoai), from July 8th, 2021, at 10:45 am (coordinates 30.096288° S; 54.941139° W) in the area of the Brazilian army, known as Campo de Instrução Barão de São Borja (CIBSB), popularly known as Saicã.Este trabalho reporta o primeiro registro de melanismo do criticamente ameaçado de extinção gato-pampeano (Leopardus munoai), realizado em 8 de julho de 2021, às 10:45 da manhã. O registro foi obtido nas coordenadas 30.096288° S; 54.941139° W na área do exército brasileiro Campo de Instrução Barão de São Borja (CIBSB), popularmente conhecida como Saicã

Ocorrência de Cabassous tatouay (Cingulata, Dasypodidae) e seu potencial de distribuição para o sul do Brasil

Cabassous tatouay Desmarest, 1804 é considerada espécie rara no sul da América do Sul, apresentando registros escassos e imprecisos para o Rio Grande do Sul. O presente estudo descreve 40 localidades de ocorrência de C. tatouay e apresenta de um mapa de distribuição geográfica potencial, gerado por Modelagem Ecológica de Nicho. A modelagem de nicho sugere uma associação da espécie com áreas de matriz campestre, incluindo o Pampa e os Campos de Cima da Serra, associados à Mata Atlântica. Este estudo contribui para o melhor conhecimento do tatu-de-rabo-mole no Sul do Brasil e fornece dados-chave para sua conservação.Cabossous tatouay Desmarest, 1804 is considered a rare species in southern South America, and Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, records of the species are scarce and inaccurate. This study reports 40 localities for C. tatouay, and provides a map of the species' potential distribution using ecological niche modeling (ENM). The ENM indicated that in this region C. tatouay is associated with open grasslands, including the areas of "Pampas" and the open fields in the highlands of the Atlantic Forest. This study contributes to the information about the greater naked-tailed armadillo in southern Brazil, and provides data key to its future conservation

Density estimates and conservation of Leopardus pardalis southernmost population of the Atlantic Forest

ABSTRACT Using camera traps and capture/recapture analyses we recorded the presence and abundance of cat species at Turvo State Park, in southern Brazil. Ocelot [Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)] population density was estimated for two areas of the park, with differing management profiles. Density estimates varied from 0.14 to 0.26 indiv. km2. Another five cat species were recorded at very low frequencies, precluding more accurate analyses. We estimate 24 to 45 ocelots occur in the reserve, which is probably too small for long-term maintenance of the population, if isolated. However, if habitat integrity and connectivity between the Park and the Green Corridor of Misiones is maintained, an estimated ocelot population of 1,680 individuals should have long-term viability

Composition and relative abundance of the medium-large sized mammals of Turvo State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Entre janeiro de 2005 e dezembro de 2006 foram realizados estudos sobre a composição e abundância relativa dos mamíferos de médio e grande porte do Parque Estadual do Turvo. Para tanto, foram utilizados registros de armadilhas fotográficas além de visualizações e dados sobre presença e ausência de pegadas ao longo de transectos pré-determinados. No total foram registradas 29 espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte, das quais Dasyprocta azarae Lichtenstein, 1823 e Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) foram as espécies com maior número de registros. No que se refere a Carnivora, Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766) e Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) tiveram os maiores índices de registro, enquanto Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775), Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1782) e Galictis cuja (Molina 1782) os menores. Entre os ungulados apenas Pecari tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758) mostrou-se freqüente, sendo a quarta espécie em número de registros. Algumas espécies comuns em outros ambientes apresentaram baixos índices de registro no Parque Estadual do Turvo, tais como Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 e Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840. Finalmente, constata-se a provável extinção local de Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795), uma vez que não foram obtidos registros de sua presença ao longo do estudo. A conservação dos mamíferos de médio e grande porte do Parque está fortemente associada à preservação do “Corredor Verde de Misiones”, que provavelmente representa uma área fonte para diversas espécies.Between January of 2005 and December of 2006, studies on the composition and relative abundance of medium and large sized mammals were carried out in Turvo State Park. Records came from camera-trapping, in addition to visualization and presence and absence data from track surveys along pre determined transects. At total, 29 species of medium-large sized mammals were listed. Of these, Dasyprocta azarae Lichtenstein, 1823 and Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) were the most frequently found. For carnivores, the majority of records were for Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766) and Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758), whereas Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775), Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1782) and Galictis cuja (Molina 1782), had the least. Among the ungulates, only Pecari tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758) showed frequent records, ranking fourth overall. Some species, common to other environments, showed few records at Turvo State Park, such as Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 and Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840. Data was suggestive of the probable local extinction of Tayassu pecari(Link, 1795) in the Park. The conservation of the medium and large sized mammals of this conservation area is strongly associated with the conservation of the “Misiones Green Corridor”, which probably represents a source area for many species

Composition and relative abundance of the medium-large sized mammals of Turvo State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Entre janeiro de 2005 e dezembro de 2006 foram realizados estudos sobre a composição e abundância relativa dos mamíferos de médio e grande porte do Parque Estadual do Turvo. Para tanto, foram utilizados registros de armadilhas fotográficas além de visualizações e dados sobre presença e ausência de pegadas ao longo de transectos pré-determinados. No total foram registradas 29 espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte, das quais Dasyprocta azarae Lichtenstein, 1823 e Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) foram as espécies com maior número de registros. No que se refere a Carnivora, Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766) e Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) tiveram os maiores índices de registro, enquanto Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775), Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1782) e Galictis cuja (Molina 1782) os menores. Entre os ungulados apenas Pecari tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758) mostrou-se freqüente, sendo a quarta espécie em número de registros. Algumas espécies comuns em outros ambientes apresentaram baixos índices de registro no Parque Estadual do Turvo, tais como Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 e Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840. Finalmente, constata-se a provável extinção local de Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795), uma vez que não foram obtidos registros de sua presença ao longo do estudo. A conservação dos mamíferos de médio e grande porte do Parque está fortemente associada à preservação do “Corredor Verde de Misiones”, que provavelmente representa uma área fonte para diversas espécies.Between January of 2005 and December of 2006, studies on the composition and relative abundance of medium and large sized mammals were carried out in Turvo State Park. Records came from camera-trapping, in addition to visualization and presence and absence data from track surveys along pre determined transects. At total, 29 species of medium-large sized mammals were listed. Of these, Dasyprocta azarae Lichtenstein, 1823 and Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) were the most frequently found. For carnivores, the majority of records were for Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766) and Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758), whereas Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775), Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1782) and Galictis cuja (Molina 1782), had the least. Among the ungulates, only Pecari tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758) showed frequent records, ranking fourth overall. Some species, common to other environments, showed few records at Turvo State Park, such as Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 and Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840. Data was suggestive of the probable local extinction of Tayassu pecari(Link, 1795) in the Park. The conservation of the medium and large sized mammals of this conservation area is strongly associated with the conservation of the “Misiones Green Corridor”, which probably represents a source area for many species

Density and spatio-temporal behaviour of Geoffroy's cats in a human-dominated landscape of southern Brazil

Geoffroy’s cat is a small Neotropical felid, seemingly abundant throughout most of its range and exhibiting considerable ecological plasticity. In Brazil, the species is restricted to the Pampas, one of the most threatened biomes in the country, where information on its ecology is scarce. Here we report the first assessments of its density, habitat selection, and activity patterns in Brazil. The study was conducted in human-dominated landscape at the extreme south of the country. Using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) analyses, the estimated population density ranged from 34.54 (±13.51 SE), based on camera trap and radio-telemetry data, to 41.78 (±16.12 SE) individuals/100 km², based only on camera trap data. A Resource Selection Function (RSF) analysis showed that our study population selected sites with native forest and rivers, and avoided areas close to roads, which probably implies avoidance of human contact. Although we observed a slight increase in its nocturnal activity during spring-summer with respect to fall-winter, this population was predominantly nocturnal throughout the year. The use of grasslands and croplands (non-protected areas) was non-uniformly distributed through the hours of the day, whereas native forest was used more uniformly.Fil: Tirelli, Flávia P.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; Brasil. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Mazim, Fábio D.. Ka’aguy Consultoria Ambiental; Brasil. Instituto Pró-carnívoros; BrasilFil: Crawshaw Jr., Peter G.. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Albano, Ana Paula. Universidade Federal de Pelotas; BrasilFil: Espinosa, Caroline. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Queirolo, Diego. Universidad de la Republica; UruguayFil: Lopes Rocha, Fabiana. Universidade Federal da Paraíba; BrasilFil: Bonifácio Soares, José. Ka’aguy Consultoria Ambiental; BrasilFil: Trigo, Tatiane C.. Fundação Zoobotânica Do Rio Grande Do Sul; BrasilFil: Macdonald, David W.. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Lucherini, Mauro. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Eizirik, Eduardo. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; Brasil. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasi

Spatial organization and social dynamics of geoffroy's cat in the Brazilian pampas

Geoffroy´s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is a small Neotropical felid whose social behavior remains poorly understood. We used simultaneous radiotelemetry (4 males and 3 females) and camera trapping to examine the spatial structure and dynamics of a population of this species in the Brazilian pampas (part of the Uruguayan Savannah ecoregion), including assessment of interindividual genetic relatedness. Home ranges (HRs) and core areas of males were larger than those of females. Males were significantly heavier than females, and linear regression analyses indicated that body mass of males significantly influenced HR size, whereas the relationship was not significant for females. When we performed a joint analysis comparing our data to those reported previously for other study sites, we observed the same patterns. We detected extensive HR and core area overlap among most of our monitored individuals, with no clear sex-based pattern. Moreover, our molecular data indicated that most of the sampled individuals were unrelated, and that the levels of HR and core area overlap were not significantly influenced by genetic relatedness. These results suggest that some interindividual tolerance and relaxation in territoriality may occur in Geoffroy´s cat. We detected only minor changes in HR and core area size and overlap between seasons, indicating that the spatial structure we observed was temporally stable. On a broader perspective, our cross-site comparisons illustrate the usefulness of performing multiple ecological studies employing comparable methods at different locations to better understand the ecology of wild felid populations.Fil: Tirelli, Flávia P.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Trigo, Tatiane C.. Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Trinca, Cristine S.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Albano, Ana Paula N.. Universidade Federal de Pelotas; BrasilFil: Mazim, Fábio D.. Ka’aguy Consultoria Ambiental; BrasilFil: Queirolo, Diego. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Espinosa, Caroline da C.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Soares, José Bonifácio. Ka’aguy Consultoria Ambiental; BrasilFil: Pereira, Javier Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia; ArgentinaFil: Crawshaw, Peter G.. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Macdonald, David .W. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Lucherini, Mauro. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Eizirik, Eduardo. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasi

High extinction risk and limited habitat connectivity of Muñoa's pampas cat, an endemic felid of the Uruguayan Savanna ecoregion

Muñoa´s pampas cat (recently proposed to be a distinct species, Leopardus munoai) is a small felid that is endemic to the Uruguayan Savanna ecoregion (encompassing southern Brazil, north-eastern Argentina and Uruguay). Previous studies have suggested that it is threatened, but its conservation assessment has been hampered by the scarcity of data on its ecology, including spatial distribution, population size, and connectivity. To address these issues, we developed current spatial distribution models and used them to: (i) identify the environmental variables affecting L. munoai habitat suitability; (ii) generate estimates of population size to assess its conservation status based on IUCN criteria; (iii) estimate habitat suitability in protected areas; (iv) identify potential paths of connectivity among protected areas and sites of confirmed occurrence; and (v) assess the proportion of the estimated connectivity paths that overlap with threatened areas (based on future threat projections). Our results indicated higher habitat suitability in the central area of the species? distribution. All estimates (based on different demographic assumptions) indicated that L. munoai should be categorized in one of the IUCN threatened categories. Worryingly, several estimates indicated that it may be Critically Endangered. Only 0.73 % of its high-suitability landscape is presently protected, and connectivity among most protected areas and occurrence records was low. Additionally, areas with estimated connectivity among occurrence records mostly overlapped with regions with a high level of future habitat loss threat (92.46 %), highlighting the urgent need for an international approach to ensure the long-term survival of this elusive felid.Fil: Tirelli, Flávia P.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil. University of Oxford; Reino Unido. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Trigo, Tatiane C.. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; Brasil. Secretariat of Environment and Infrastructure, Department of Biodiversity, Mammalogy Sector, Museum of Natural Sciences; BrasilFil: Queirolo, Diego. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Kasper, Carlos Benhur. Universidade Federal do Pampa; BrasilFil: Bou, Nadia. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; UruguayFil: Peters, Felipe. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Mazim, Fábio D.. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Martínez Lanfranco, Juan Andrés. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: González, Enrique M.. National Museum of Natural History, Mammalogy Section; UruguayFil: Espinosa, Caroline. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande; BrasilFil: Favarini, Mariana. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; BrasilFil: Gonçalves da Silva, Lucas. University of Brasília; BrasilFil: Macdonald, David W.. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Lucherini, Mauro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Eizirik, Eduardo. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros; Brasi