Ana Paula Carmignotto

Mammals from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The aim of this paper is to provide a checklist of flying and non-flying mammal species which occur in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, delimiting species by vegetation domains and vulnerability. Records were based on specimens in museums, literature, and only eventually on photos (by camera traps). There are 151 mammal species reported or collected in the state, comprising 10 orders and 29 families. The richest orders were Chiroptera (61 spp.), Rodentia (35), Carnivora (18), and Didelphimorphia (16). The richest families were Phyllostomidae (33 species), Cricetidae (23), Didelphidae (16), Molossidae (13), Vespertilionidae (9), Felidae (7), and Dasypodidae (6). Cerrado was the richest domain (117 spp.) followed by Pantanal (110). According to the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis (IBAMA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 17 species are threatened; they are species of Felidae (n = 6), but also include Canidae (2), Didelphidae (2), Cervidae (1),

Checklist dos mamíferos do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Sao Paulo harbors 231 mammal species until now. This is an estimate of its real diversity since many regions of the State continue poorly surveyed, and also reflects the lack of taxonomic work for certain mammal taxa. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the Sao Paulo mammals has increased in 20% in the last 12 years, especially in relation to bats and rodents. These new data are based in mammal inventories and also in the analysis of specimens housed in scientific collections associated with taxonomic revisions. We also know better about the mammal distribution in the distinct vegetation units present in the State, permitting us to divide the mammals in three distinct components: the most important one is the generalists, represented by species occurring in every landscape in the State, while the second one concentrates species inhabiting the open formations, and the third component the species associated with the forest formations. Besides, the number of studies dealing with the effect of fragmentation and the permeability of mammals in altered areas also has increased. Occurrence, abundance and vulnerability data were essential to raise strategies in order to choose priority areas and to indicate priority actions to conserve the mammals of the State, as well as to classify the species in the different proposed threaten categories, culminating in the List of the Threaten Species of the Sao Paulo State. However, there are many points yet poorly developed or poorly known, such as the limited number of zoological samples, and the lack of information about the ecology and natural history of many species, respectively. Its extremely important that we increase our samples in the scientific collections, especially in areas of Dense Ombrofilous Forests, in the Cerrado fragments, as well as in central and western areas of the State that continue poorly surveyed. The objective is to produce more taxonomic work in several mammalian groups, and also studies focusing in the phylogeography and in the population genetics in order to effectively diagnose the mammal richness of the State, as well as the evolutionary processes responsible for this diversification. Additionally, ecological data accompanying this information is needed in order to evaluate the conservation status of the Sao Paulo mammals to decide about the better strategies to manage and conserve these mammals. Keywords: mammals, biodiversity of the State of Sao Paulo, BIOTA/FAPESP Program.

Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Vampyrodes caraccioli (Thomas, 1889): range extension and revised distribution map

The present note reports the first record of the bat Vampyrodes caraccioli (Thomas, 1889) for the state of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil, based on the collection of one adult specimen in Nucleo Sao Sebastiao, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, at the Atlantic Forest domain.

Vertebrados da Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins: faunística, biodiversidade e conservação no Cerrado brasileiro

Basic taxonomic and distributional data on vertebrates are one of the most useful and reliable sources of information for conservation planning. Biological data are even more relevant in rich and highly threatened regions such as the Brazilian Cerrado, one of the least studied global biodiversity hotspots. Herein we provide a summary of the results of a vertebrate survey at Estacao Ecologica Serra Geral do Tocantins (~716.000 ha), the second largest protected area in the Cerrado region. We recorded 450 species in EESGT and surroundings, including 17 threatened species, 50 Cerrado endemics and 11 potential restricted-range species. Our results also added 180 new vertebrate records for the Jalapao region. At least 12 species were considered potential undescribed taxa; four of these were recently described based on specimens obtained in the present study. Our results indicate that EESGT is among the most biologically relevant protected areas in the Cerrado. Proper management will favor the persistence of threatened vertebrates dependent on the last remaining large blocks of pristine Cerrado savannas. Moreover, EESGT and its major biological subunits contribute decisively to the representativeness of the reserve system in the Cerrado, conserving presumed narrow endemics with high intrinsic vulnerability and high potential value as indicators of biogeographic processes of diversification in rich and complex Neotropical biotas.

Mammals of the Caatinga: Diversity, Ecology, Biogeography, and Conservation

In this chapter we provide an updated checklist of Caatinga mammals, with a critical review of previous lists, and an overview of our current knowledge on the distribution and endemism patterns, ecology, behavior, evolution, and biogeography of these mammals. The Caatinga mammal fauna is composed of 183 species (including 11 endemics) that occur within its boundaries, mostly represented by rodents and bats. This list includes taxa with broad distributional ranges within the Caatinga only, those distributed in the Caatinga and in other regions, as well as taxa with very restricted distributions in the region, whether at its borders, in enclaves of specific vegetation types, or endemic to a particular region within the Caatinga. Ecology and behavior studies are still scarce for most species, and although there has been progress in assessing the relationship between precipitation and reproductive biology in small mammals and the physiological adaptations in selected taxa, there is a pressing need for more information on ecology, physiology, and behavior for most species. Caatinga mammals include taxa descending from forest ancestors as well as open area endemics that have been shown to be temporally heterogeneous, with divergence estimates ranging from Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene, leading to a complex evolutionary history for the Caatinga mammals. These mammals also show distinctive distributional patterns, posing challenges for conservation efforts, as these need to address the diversity of Caatinga vegetation physiognomies, such as transitional areas along its borders, humid forest enclaves, and dry formations in nearby ‘Serras’ and ‘Chapadas’, in order to preserve most of its richness.