Geographic variation in skull shape and size of the Pampas fox Lycalopex gymnocercus (Carnivora: Canidae) in Argentina
Publication date: Available online 26 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Mauro Ignacio Schiaffini, Valentina Segura, Francisco Juan PrevostiAbstractSouth American foxes are included in the monophyletic genus Lycalopex, with several recent species. Here, the influence of environment about cranial size and shape variations of Lycalopex gymnocercus was explicitly addressed. 3D landmark-based methodology was used to acquire morphometric data. Each record locality was georeferenced and assigned both environmental variables and ecoregion membership. Size and shape changes were analyzed with regression and redundancy a...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 27, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
How integrative taxonomy can save a species from extinction: The supposedly extinct mouse opossum Cryptonanus ignitus (Diaz, Flores and Barquez, 2000) is a synonym of the living C. chacoensis (Tate, 1931)
Publication date: Available online 25 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Pablo Teta, Juan F. Díaz-NietoAbstractWe reviewed the taxonomic status of the “extinct” mouse opossum Cryptonanus ignitus (Diaz, Flores and Barquez, 2000). This species is only known from the type, an adult male collected in the province of Jujuy, northwestern Argentina, in 1962. Based on both qualitative and quantitative external and cranial traits and the analysis of DNA sequences extracted from the 57-year-old type skin, we confirm the suggestion of previous researchers that C. ignitus is an elderly example of the living species C. ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 25, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
The price of being bold? Relationship between personality and endoparasitic infection in a tree squirrel
We examined two parameters of parasite infection: infection status and intensity of infection. Individual personality of 207 grey squirrels was assessed by capture-mark-recapture (CMR), calculating the trappability and trap diversity indices as estimates of boldness and exploration, respectively. Since both indices were strongly correlated, we used PCA to derive a single score (first component) which had a high value for bold, exploring animals. At the end of the study, 77 individuals were euthanized and gastro-intestinal helminths were identified and counted. Overall 73% of grey squirrels were infected by Strongyloides ro...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 25, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Characteristics of banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) den sites across the human-wildlife interface in Northern Botswana
Publication date: Available online 23 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): C.A. Nichols, K.A. AlexanderAbstractDenning behavior is a critical life history attribute for many mammalian species and can be impacted by urbanization, affecting species’ reproductive success and survival in these landscapes. One significant factor that is influenced by this behavior is the spread of disease. Banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in Northern Botswana are often infected with a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, M. mungi, that is transmitted through olfactory communication networks that allow the pathogen to mov...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 25, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Impact of wild boars on the feeding behaviors of smaller frugivorous mammals
We examined the interspecific relationships among wild boars, raccoon dogs, and badgers with regard to the consumption of fallen fruits to assess how the presence of the largest mammal, the boar, affects the frugivory behavior of the two smaller species. In our 2-year survey, automatic cameras were set under the crown of wild cherry trees to observe frugivory; all mammals had access to the trees in the first year, but only wild boars were blocked access with a fence in the second year. The survey was conducted in a temperate broad-leaved forest in central Japan. All three species frequently visited those trees with abundan...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 25, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Past experiences drive citizen perception of wild boar in urban areas
Publication date: Available online 15 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Carles Conejero, Raquel Castillo-Contreras, Carlos González-Crespo, Emmanuel Serrano, Gregorio Mentaberre, Santiago Lavín, Jorge Ramón López-OlveraAbstractWild boar (Sus scrofa) populations in urban environments have increased during the last decades. This has led to a new scenario where humans share the space with this recent colonising species inside urban areas. Citizen perception on wild boar presence must be taken into account to assure the most suitable design, application and acceptance of management measures. In order to advance...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 16, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Deep changes in masticatory patterns and masseteric musculature configurations accompanied the eco-morphological evolution of cavioid rodents (Hystricognathi, Caviomorpha)
Publication date: Available online 1 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Alicia Álvarez, María E. PérezABSTRACTCavioids are one of the most eco-morphologically divergent clades among South American caviomorph rodents. In an unique way, they display three mandibular morpho-types which are linked to the relative positions and relations among masseteric muscles. The derived configuration present in Caviidae would be linked to a preponderance of grinding function during mastication. Oppositely, a greater vertical component in the plesiomorphic condition, observed in Dasyprocta and Cuniculus, could be linked to a l...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 2, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Primate and ungulate responses to teak agroforestry in a southern Amazonian landscape
Publication date: Available online 1 April 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Angele Tatiane Martins Oliveira, Christine Steiner São Bernardo, Fabiano Rodrigues de Melo, Manoel dos Santos-Filho, Carlos Augusto Peres, Gustavo Rodrigues CanaleAbstractAgroforestry systems are widely extolled as a biodiversity-friendly alternative to food and wood production. However, few studies on large-vertebrates in the tropics consistently support this assumption. In the Amazonian ‘arch of deforestation’, commodity cropland and pastures for beef production have relentlessly replaced native forests. Agroforestry should therefore ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 2, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
New phylogeographic insights support the distinctiveness and conservation value of the little-known Greek roe deer populations
Publication date: May 2019Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 96Author(s): Dimitris Tsaparis, Konstantinos Sotiropoulos, Anastasios Legakis, Georgios Kotoulas, Panagiotis KasapidisAbstractDespite their conservation status as Vulnerable and the need for targeted management actions, very little is actually known about the genetic diversity and phylogeography of the remnant populations of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Greece. In order to investigate these aspects we collected samples from nine locations in Greece and retrieved 80 sequences (834–836bp) for a fragment of the mtDNA control region. Analysis revealed high ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - April 2, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
δ13C and δ15N values in pup whiskers as a proxy for the trophic behavior of Galapagos sea lion females
Publication date: Available online 28 March 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Diego O. Urquía, Diego Páez-RosasAbstractThe Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) is one of the few pinnipeds adapted to tropical ecosystems. This adaptation exposes this species to productivity fluctuations associated with oceanographic events, such as ENSO, which has generated a significant population decline during recent decades. This decline represents a considerable challenge for the species, especially for females who invest a large part of their energy in the maintenance of their pups. A comparative analysis of the isotopic si...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 30, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
The Balkan long-eared bat (Plecotus kolombatovici) occurs in Italy – first confirmed record and potential distribution
In this study we report on the first confirmed record of the Balkan’s long-eared bat Plecotus kolombatovici for peninsular Italy, review previous unconfirmed records and analyse the species’ potential distribution in the country using a modelling approach. The species’ potential distribution is strongly associated with warm summer temperatures and relatively high winter precipitations, typical of Mediterranean climate. The modelling exercise we did highlights that P. kolombatovici may occur in much of the Italian territory, including the Tyrrhenian coast and on many islands that border it. We therefore argue that P. ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 30, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Seasons influence acarine infestation in bats from tropical dry forests of Western Mexico
In this study, we test the hypothesis that parasite fluctuations across the year will peak in the wet season in a tropical dry forest area, when food resources for bats are more abundant and parasites would be favoured accordingly. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the presence and abundance of mites and ticks in one nectarivorous – Leptonycteris yerbabuenae (Martínez and Villa-R) – and three insectivorous – Pteronotus davyi (Gray), P. parnellii (Gray) and P. personatus (Wagner) – bat species. We collected 3,005 acarine specimens belonging to 18 species and 12 genera from 412 bats. We did not find significant s...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 29, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
New phylogeographic insights support the distinctiveness and conservation value of the little known roe deer Greek populations
Publication date: Available online 26 March 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Dimitris Tsaparis, Konstantinos Sotiropoulos, Anastasios Legakis, Georgios Kotoulas, Panagiotis KasapidisAbstractDespite their conservation status as Vulnerable and the need for targeted management actions, very little is actually known about the genetic diversity and phylogeography of the remnant populations of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Greece. In order to investigate these aspects we collected samples from nine locations in Greece and retrieved 80 sequences (834-836bp) for a fragment of the mtDNA control region. Analysis revea...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 27, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Population genetics of the capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, in the Chaco-pampean region
Publication date: Available online 23 March 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Soledad Byrne, Rubén D. Quintana, María L. Bolkovic, Juan I. TúnezAbstractHydrochoerus hydrochaeris is an herbivorous rodent that inhabits most wetlands of South America. It is a well-known species, but studies about their population genetics are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity, population genetic structure and historical population dynamics of the species in the Chaco-pampean region, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and a non-invasive sampling design. Our results showed the existence of...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 24, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Livestock depredation by leopards around Chitwan National Park, Nepal
We examined spatiotemporal patterns, correlates, as well as economic losses and compensation paid for livestock depredation by leopards in buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, Nepal during 2007-2016. Records of compensation applications filed by livestock owners with the park and buffer zone authorities were collected and then triangulated through a questionnaire survey (n = 123). Of the 424 livestock that were reportedly killed by leopards, goats were disproportionately represented (87.3%), 20% more than expected from their relative livestock population, followed by pigs (8.7%) and cattle (4%). A conflict map prepare...
Source: Mammalian Biology - March 21, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
