Armando M. Calouro

Sampling Effort in Neotropical Primate Diet Studies: Collective Gains and Underlying Geographic and Taxonomic Biases

Primates are among the most observable and best studied mammalian orders, yet the distribution of sampling effort by primatologists has inevitably concentrated on a few genera and a limited number of study sites. We present the first systematic review of sampling effort and associated biases in wild primate field research, focusing on dietary studies across the Neotropics. Our literature review of all 24 neotropical primate ecospecies spans 42 years (1969–2011) and covers 290 dietary studies at 164 study sites across 17 countries. We use a standardized measure of sampling effort to assimilate data sets derived from multiple methodologies and attempt to understand the distribution of effort (total equivalent to 193,804 h) using geographic variables and primate species traits. Results indicate that there are both geographic and taxonomic biases, with sampling effort generally skewed towards large-bodied species occupying large geographic ranges, and concentrated at a select few primatology research hubs. We also note that full primate assemblages at any given study site are rarely investigated. Our assessment thus reveals severely undersampled primate taxa and geographic regions that must be considered in future research. Current biases could be ameliorated by deliberately targeting poorly studied genera anywhere in their geographic distribution, well-studied genera in poorly studied regions, and striving to study multiple sympatric taxa within a single site. Although continued inequalities in sampling effort are probably inevitable, this study shows that this need not inhibit successful compilations and meta-analyses, provided that adequate data on feeding records and sampling effort can be made available.

Large and medium-sized mammals of the Humaitá Forest Reserve, southwestern Amazonia, state of Acre, Brazil

Large and medium-sized mammals are essential to forest ecosystems as they are responsible for prey population control, seed dispersal and predation. A mammal survey was conducted in the Humaita Forest Reserve (HFR), a 20 km² forest fragment located in the southeastern part of the state. The survey was carried out using census transects, camera traps, and occasional records such as bones and footprints. In all, 27 species of large to medium-sized mammals were recorded for the RFH, representing 48% of those expected for the region. Dasyprocta fuliginosa , Pecari tajacu and Didelphis marsupialis were the species with the highest number of records with camera traps. The occurrence of two species of cats ( Leopardus pardalis and Puma concolor ) and three endangered species ( Callimico goeldii , Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Priodontes maximus ) are important records for the RFH. The results may aid future research on the ecology, biogeography and conservation of mammals in the region.

Diversidade e preferência de habitat de uma comunidade de mamíferos de medio e grande porte num fragmento florestal urbano na Amazônia Sul-Ocidental

Nos avaliamos a composicao e abundância de mamiferos de medio e grande porte em um fragmento florestal urbano na Amazonia brasileira, alem de registrar a preferencia de habitat de algumas especies a determinadas fitofisionomias. Nove transectos com 20 parcelas de areia cada foram dispostas de forma igualitaria em tres fitofisionomias: Floresta Ombrofila Aberta com Bambu Dominante (FAB), Floresta Ombrofila Aberta com Palmeira (FAP) e Floresta Ombrofila Densa (FD). A abundância das especies foi obtida pelo numero de registros da especie/parcelas.dia, totalizando 2700 parcelas.dia. Doze especies de mamiferos foram registradas, sendo Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) e Dasyprocta fuliginosa (Wagler, 1831) as mais abundantes. Nossos resultados apresentaram diferenciacao em termos de especies para as fitofisionomias: a FD apresentou maior diversidade de mamiferos, enquanto a composicao de especies da FAP apresentou maior dissimilaridade com relacao as demais. Os roedores tiveram maior preferencia pela FAP e Sylvilagus brasiliensis apresentou maior abundância na FAB. A area apresentou riqueza de especies relevante, com a ocorrencia de mesopredadores, mas ha o predominio de especies comuns e adaptaveis a ambientes perturbados, refletindo o acentuado grau de isolamento do fragmento florestal e a pressao de caca ainda existente.

Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Lampronycteris brachyotis (Dobson, 1879): first record in Acre, Brazil

Lampronycteris Sanborn, 1949 is a monotypic genus whose single species is Lampronycteris brachyotis (Dobson, 1879). Initially described as Schizostoma brachyote Dobson, 1879, based on a specimen collected in Cayene, French Guyana (Medellín et al. 1985), L. brachyotis has also been cited as Glyphonycteris brachyotis Andersen, 1906, Micronycteris (Lampronycteris) platyceps Sanborn, 1949, and Micronycteris (Glyphonycteris) brachyotis Sanborn, 1949. In reviewing Sanborn’s types, Goodwin and Greenhall (1961) considered M. platyceps as a junior synonym of M. brachyotis. Lampronycteris was until recently recognized as a subgenus of Micronycteris (e.g., Simmons 1996), as proposed by Sanborn (1949). Simmons and Voss (1998), however, considered Lampronycteris and other three subgenera (Glyphonycteris, Neonycteris, and Trinycteris) as valid genera based on data later published in Wetterer et al. (2000).

Predation of army ants by Toppin’s titi monkey, Plecturocebus toppini Thomas 1914 (Primates: Pitheciidae), in an urban forest fragment in eastern Acre, Brazil

The predation of army ants (Eciton rapax) was recorded during an observational study of the feeding behavior of a group of titi monkeys (Plecturocebus toppini) in an urban fragment of forest in Acre, Brazil. During one observed event, the group’s adult female used its tail to retrieve ants, a type of behavior not observed previously in this genus. All incidents of on-forest floor foraging occurred during the dry season, when fruit was least abundant in the forest, while on other occasions, the ants were captured from tree branches and leaves. The observation of predation and ground-level foraging recorded in this study reinforce the adaptive capacity of P. toppini for survival in fragmented forests, and this was also the first record of the predation of army ants by this titi species.

Trypanosoma sp. diversity in Amazonian bats (Chiroptera; Mammalia) from Acre State, Brazil

Bats are ancient hosts of Trypanosoma species and their flying ability, longevity and adaptability to distinct environments indicate that they are efficient dispersers of parasites. Bats from Acre state (Amazon Biome) were collected in four expeditions conducted in an urban forest (Parque Zoobotânico) and one relatively more preserved area (Seringal Cahoeira) in Rio Branco and Xapuri municipalities. Trypanosoma sp. infection was detected by hemoculture and fresh blood examination. Isolated parasite species were identified by the similarity of the obtained DNA sequence from 18S rDNA polymerase chain reaction and reference strains. Overall, 367 bats from 23 genera and 32 species were examined. Chiropterofauna composition was specific to each municipality, although Artibeus sp. and Carollia sp. prevailed throughout. Trypanosoma sp. infection was detected in 85 bats (23·2%). The most widely distributed and prevalent genotypes were (in order) Trypanosoma cruzi TcI, T. cruzi marinkellei, Trypanosoma dionisii, T. cruzi TcIV and Trypanosoma rangeli. At least one still-undescribed Trypanosoma species was also detected in this study. The detection of T. cruzi TcI and TcIV (the ones associated with Chagas disease in Amazon biome) demonstrates the putative importance of these mammal hosts in the epidemiology of the disease in the Acre State.