Alex Mauricio Jiménez-Ortega

New records of Galictis vittata (Schreber, 1776) for the western slope of the Andes, Pacific region of Colombia

Galictis vittata (Greater Grison) is distributed from Mexico through Central and South America down to northern Argentina and southern Brazil, from sea level up to 1,500 masl. In Colombia, this species is widely distributed along the Caribbean and Andean regions, and to a lesser extent in the Orinoquia and Pacific regions. Specimens of G. vittata were fortuitously captured in the municipality of Quibdo. This finding, along with an observation in the municipality of Rio Quito and a literature survey in international databases and published records of the species, were used to draw a map of current localities of the species in our country. A new record of G. vittata is reported for Colombia based on two voucher specimens deposited in the Coleccion Teriologica del Choco. These specimens correspond to two females, one adult and one juvenile preserved as skins. This finding is the fourth report of the species from the western Andean zone of Colombia in the Pacific Region and the first for the Department of Choco. It is a significant addition to the geographical and ecological distribution of G. vittata in the Choco, a region currently facing various diversity and conservation issues that threaten its survival, such as loss of habitat and changes of land use.

Diversidad de mariposas diurnas (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) asociadas a tres hábitats en el corregimiento de Pacurita, municipio de Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia

We determined the diversity of butterflies associated with three habitats with different level of conservation in the village of Pacurita, Quibdo, Choco, Colombia. For the capture of butterflies during 38 days of sampling between the months of July and December 2016, an entomological network and six Van Someren-Rydon traps baited with decaying fish and fermented fruits were used. A total of 284 individuals of 44 species were captured, from the families Nymphalidae (S=38), Papilionidae (S=3), Pieridae (S=1), and Riodinidae (S=2). The most abundant species were Pierella luna lesbia and Heliconius erato venus in the preserved forest; Pierella luna lesbia, Heliconius erato venus, and Colobura dirce in the secondary forest, and Anartia jatrophae, Heliconius erato venus, and Anartia amathea in the habitat of permanent intervention. In the preserved and secondary forests, there was a 62% similarity in the composition and structure of butterfly species, but not so in the permanent intervention habitat. Out of the 44 species reported in this study, 25 constitute new species records for Pacurita locality; the Nymphalidae family was the predominant one. The species P. luna lesbia, A. jatrophae, H. erato venus, A. demophon muson, and S. magdalena cleove were the best represented despite experiencing changes in their abundance according to the type of habitat.

Plantas utilizadas como tiendas por murciélagos tenderos en la selva pluvial central del Chocó, Colombia

The selection of leaves in the construction of shelters by some species of frugivorous bats of the Phyllstomidae family is one of the most interesting examples of plant-animal relationship. The species of plants used as refuges are largely determined by the biogeographic region inhabited by the bats. The objective of the present study was to describe the patterns of selection and utilization of plants as shelters by these bats in the central rainforest of Choco, Colombia. We took samples in primary forests in the locality of Pacurita, municipality of Quibdo, Choco. We searched and located refuges during random walks inside the forest along natural trails, roads and streams. We georeferenced each refuge, and we described the species of plant used, the height from the soil, as well as the habitability, occupation and temperature, which was registered using a laser thermometer; we classified the refuges according to their architecture. In inhabited refuges the catches were made manually. We recorded 114 refuges in 12 species of plants. We documented for the first time the use of Vismia laevis, Attalea allenii, Iriarte deltoidea, Aniba puchury minor and Heliconia atratensis as refuges, the palm A. alleni being the most used. We found four types of architecture: bifid (65.8%), apical (20.1%), conical (11.4%) and boat (2.6%). Our results suggest that the type of refuge relates more to the species of plant than to the species of bat, since we found D. rosembergi inhabiting several types of refuges, while in each species of plant we registered only one type of refuge.

Primer registro fotográfico del jaguar (Panthera onca Linnaeus, 1758) en la zona norte del Chocó biogeográfico colombiano (Pacurita, Chocó, Colombia)

We document the first photographic record of the jaguar ( Panthera onca ) for the northern part of the Biogeographic Choco in Colombia. The record was obtained on May 10, 2014 using a camera trap in an area of tropical rainforest (bp-T), corresponding to an old-growth forest in the Pacurita locality, Quibdo (Choco, Colombia).