Scent-marking and maintenance behaviour of captive red brocket males (Mazama rufa) kept eight hours in a new environment: Marcação de odor e comportamento de manutenção de machos veado-mateiros (Mazama rufa) mantidos oito horas em um novo ambiente

Wild animals in captivity are often transferred to other facilities when cleaning or maintenance of the facilities where they live is carried out. The aim of this study was to assess the behavioural response of five red brocket males (Mazama rufa) after being moved to a new environment. The animals are kept in individual stalls, being eventually moved to an unfamiliar stall, previously occupied by other individuals. The latencies and frequencies of scent-marking and maintenance behaviours were recorded for eight hours after moving each animal to the new stall. Licking behaviour was the behaviour most frequently displayed (20 to 62 times), with latencies ranging from 0,02 to 12,17min. It was followed by urinating/defecating with a frequency of 24 to 56 times (latency 2,13-46 min) and flehmen, with a frequency of 11 to 24 times (latency 0,1-21,08 min). Rubbing was observed in only two deer. The Pearson´s correlation coefficients showed a positive association between flehmen and licking latencies and urinating/defecating and sleeping latencies (P<0,05, for both). It also showed that flehmen and urinating/defecating frequencies are inversely related (P<0,05). The behaviour of M. rufa males after being moved to an unfamiliar stall were characterized by common exploratory and scent-marking behaviours

Assessing the taxonomic status of the Gray Brocket Mazama simplicicornis argentina Lönnberg, 1919 (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)

Mazama simplicicornis argentina is the name that was given to describe a gray brocket collected by Lönberg in 1919 in the central Chaco region of Argentina. Subsequent authors, based on morphological similarities, considered this name to be a synonym for the species Subulo gouazoubira Fischer, 1814 from Paraguay. In the absence of genetic analyses to compare the Argentinian and Paraguayan gray brockets, we aimed to clarify the taxonomy of M. simplicicornis argentina through an integrative assessment using morphological, cytogenetical, and molecular data from its holotype and a current topotype. Qualitative skull features and cranio-morphometric results of M. simplicicornis argentina showed a great similarity with the S. gouazoubira neotype characters. The diploid chromosome number of M. simplicicornis argentinatopotype corresponded with the karyotypical pattern of S. gouazoubira with 2n = 70 and FN = 70, showing a great similarity in all classic and molecular cytogenetic results and revealing the homologies between karyotypes. The phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genes used in this study (concatenated partial ND5 and Cytb gene) allocated the M. simplicicornis argentina specimens in the monophyletic clade of S. gouazoubira with a branch value of 100%. These results show that there is no discontinuity between the Argentinian and Paraguayan gray brockets. Therefore, the individuals originally described as M. simplicicornis argentina should be recognized as S. gouazoubira

Assessing the taxonomic status of the Gray Brocket Mazama simplicicornis argentina Lönnberg, 1919 (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)

Mazama simplicicornis argentina is the name that was given to describe a gray brocket collected by Lönberg in 1919 in the central Chaco region of Argentina. Subsequent authors, based on morphological similarities, considered this name to be a synonym for the species Subulo gouazoubira Fischer, 1814 from Paraguay. In the absence of genetic analyses to compare the Argentinian and Paraguayan gray brockets, we aimed to clarify the taxonomy of M. simplicicornis argentina through an integrative assessment using morphological, cytogenetical, and molecular data from its holotype and a current topotype. Qualitative skull features and cranio-morphometric results of M. simplicicornis argentina showed a great similarity with the S. gouazoubira neotype characters. The diploid chromosome number of M. simplicicornis argentinatopotype corresponded with the karyotypical pattern of S. gouazoubira with 2n = 70 and FN = 70, showing a great similarity in all classic and molecular cytogenetic results and revealing the homologies between karyotypes. The phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genes used in this study (concatenated partial ND5 and Cytb gene) allocated the M. simplicicornis argentina specimens in the monophyletic clade of S. gouazoubira with a branch value of 100%. These results show that there is no discontinuity between the Argentinian and Paraguayan gray brockets. Therefore, the individuals originally described as M. simplicicornis argentina should be recognized as S. gouazoubira