Guilherme S. T. Garbino

Distribution of Tolypeutes Illiger, 1811 (Xenarthra: Cingulata) with Comments on Its Biogeography and Conservation

This study reviews the data available on the distribution of three-banded armadillos of the genus Tolypeutes, identifying potential geographic barriers and evaluating possible biogeographic processes that may account for the present-day distribution of the species and its conservation status. The database was derived from published records, interviews, and voucher specimens, over a timescale ranging from the fossil record to specimens collected in 2013. A total of 236 localities were recorded, with 68 attributed to Tolypeutes matacus and 168 to Tolypeutes tricinctus. The vegetation within the range of the genus is predominantly a xerophytic mosaic of grassland, savannas, open woodland, and xeric thorn forest. The marine transgressions of the Miocene and the uplifting of the Brazilian Shield may have contributed to the vicariant separation of the ancestral populations of T. matacus, to the west and south, and T. tricinctus, to the north and east. The three-banded armadillo is possibly one of the most threatened of Brazilian mammals, considering the low number of recent records and the fact that it is hunted intensively throughout its range.

New records of Chironectes minimus (Zimmermann, 1870) (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) from central Brazil, with comments on its distribution pattern

Abstract Chironectes minimus is a marsupial with unique morphological and ecological characteristics. Owing mainly to its semi-aquatic habits, it is rarely collected by conventional methods, being consequently underrepresented in scientific collections. Its distribution in South America is currently considered disjunct, with a north-west and a south-east portion, and a large gap of more than one thousand kilometers that comprises central Amazonia and a large portion of the Cerrado. On the basis of four museum specimens and two photographed live animals, we present six new records for the species. These records extend the species’ distribution, showing that its range is continuous from southern Amazonia and through Cerrado gallery forests, to the southern portion of its range in southeastern South America. Most known records of C. minimus are from preserved riparian forests that usually present certain characteristics, such as fast-flowing water, stony substrate, and/or natural holes used as dens. Therefore, we hypothesize that the occurrence of this species is more closely related to well-preserved riparian forests containing these types of habitats than to the biomes themselves. Consequently, this species is probably found through most tropical and subtropical South American biomes that present the aforementioned habitat types. Therefore, the previous distributional gap of the species, now filled on its central-east portion, was probably a sampling artifact.

Mico humeralifer (Primates: Callitrichidae)

Abstract:   Mico humeralifer (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812) is a callitrichid monkey commonly called the Santarém marmoset or black-and-white tassel-eared marmoset. It is a small (280–310 g), sexually monomorphic anthropoid primate with a diet of insects, fruits, and plant exudates (nectar and gum). It is endemic to northern Brazil, occurring in the states of Pará and Amazonas, south of the Rio Amazonas, along the western margin of the Rio Tapajós in dense ombrophilous forests of the Amazon. M. humeralifer is the smallest primate in its distribution range. It lives in small groups and inhabits primarily terra firme forested regions in the Amazon Basin, adapting quickly to second-growth forests. Due to the lack of knowledge about its demographics and its remote habitat, its current conservation status is “Data Deficient.”

Separation of monophyletic groups into distinct genera should consider phenotypic discontinuities: the case of Lasiurini (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Baird et al. (2015) split Lasiurus into three distinct genera (Aeorestes, Dasypterus and Lasiurus) based on tree topology and divergence times for the tribe Lasiurini. This arrangement has not been widely adopted by the scientific community and was criticized by Ziegler et al. (2016). More recently, Baird et al. (2017) reinforced the taxonomic arrangement of Lasiurini comprised by three genera. Baird et al. (2015, 2017) provided the most comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of Lasiurus and offer important insights on the phylogeny and alpha-taxonomy of the group. However, we disagree with the taxonomic arrangement proposed at the genus level and explain our point below.

On the identity of Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus 1758

Abstract Given the confusion ensuing from a recent study suggesting that the name Didelphis marsupialis should be applied to white-eared opossums instead of the traditional view that it represents a black-eared opossum, we reviewed all the sources employed by Linnaeus to describe D. marsupialis and examined photographs of the putative type specimen, comparing them with specimens of black- and white-eared Didelphis. We conclude that the type specimen presents characters that would allow us to diagnose it as a black-eared opossum species. We believe that the proposed nomenclatural changes not only are unjustified but also disrupt the stability advocated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

Roosting ecology of Stenodermatinae bats (Phyllostomidae): evolution of foliage roosting and correlated phenotypes

Guilherme S. T. GARBINO* PPG-Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Email: gstgarbino@hotmail.com Valéria da Cunha TAVARES PPG-Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil and Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Minas Gerais, 32400-000, Ibirité, MG, Brazil. Email: val.c.tavares@gmail.com

Species, subspecies, or color morphs? Reconsidering the taxonomy of Callicebus Thomas, 1903 in the Purus–Madeira interfluvium

There have been recent disagreements as to how many taxa of titi monkeys, genus Callicebus, occur in the region between the Purus and Madeira rivers in western Brazilian Amazonia. Three parapatric taxa were proposed for the area: Callicebus caligatus, Callicebus stephennashi, and Callicebus dubius, but the latter has recently been considered a synonym of C. caligatus, even though both form monophyletic groups and are morphologically distinct. We analyzed the geographic variation in the pelage of Callicebus occurring between the Madeira and Purus rivers and concluded that the phenotypes attributed to C. caligatus and C. dubius are not individual morphs, but rather well-marked and geographically restricted varieties. For this reason, we classify Callicebus caligatus as a polytypic species with two subspecies: Callicebus caligatus caligatus and Callicebus caligatus dubius. This classification is corroborated by molecular evidence as well. The morphological and distributional data indicate that Callicebus stephennashi is a hybrid form of C. c. caligatus and C. c. dubius, due to the presence of intermediate characters. Therefore, until more precise locality records are provided and further evidence is presented, we consider Callicebus stephennashi to be a homonym of the two parental forms.

ATLANTIC BATS: a data set of bat communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America

Bats are the second most diverse mammal order and they provide vital ecosystem functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient flux in caves) and services (e.g., crop pest suppression). Bats are also important vectors of infectious diseases, harboring more than 100 different virus types. In the present study, we compiled information on bat communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America, a species-rich biome that is highly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. The ATLANTIC BATS data set comprises 135 quantitative studies carried out in 205 sites, which cover most vegetation types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest: dense ombrophilous forest, mixed ombrophilous forest, semideciduous forest, deciduous forest, savanna, steppe, and open ombrophilous forest. The data set includes information on more than 90,000 captures of 98 bat species of eight families. Species richness averaged 12.1 per site, with a median value of 10 species (ranging from 1 to 53 species). Six species occurred in more than 50% of the communities: Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Glossophaga soricina, and Platyrrhinus lineatus. The number of captures divided by sampling effort, a proxy for abundance, varied from 0.000001 to 0.77 individuals·h-1 ·m-2 (0.04 ± 0.007 individuals·h-1 ·m-2 ). Our data set reveals a hyper-dominance of eight species that together that comprise 80% of all captures: Platyrrhinus lineatus (2.3%), Molossus molossus (2.8%), Artibeus obscurus (3.4%), Artibeus planirostris (5.2%), Artibeus fimbriatus (7%), Sturnira lilium (14.5%), Carollia perspicillata (15.6%), and Artibeus lituratus (29.2%).

Second record of the pale brown ghost bat Diclidurus isabella (Thomas, 1920) (Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) from Brazil and range extension into southwestern Brazilian Amazonia

Abstract We present a new record of Diclidurus isabella from Brazil and an updated distribution map of the species. The species has not been recorded in Brazil, or in the Southern Hemisphere, since its original description by Oldfield Thomas in 1920. The new record, from Porto Velho, in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, extends the distribution of D. isabella 700 km southwest, near the southwestern limit of the Amazon biome and south of the Amazon River. We stress the importance of using alternative sampling methods to capture species that are rarely sampled using mist-nets.

TENT USE BY Artibeus AND Uroderma (CHIROPTERA,PHYLLOSTOMIDAE) IN NORTHERN COLOMBIA

During day roosts surveys for bats in the Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, northern Colombia, we found occupied tents made of leaves of the palm species Sabal mauritiiformis and Cocos nucifera. We found Artibeus jamaicensis and Uroderma convexum using the tents, with groups of U. convexum ranging from 1 to 23 individuals, and a single occurrence for A. jamaicensis. A tent was simultaneously occupied by U. convexum and Thecadactylus rapicauda (Squamata). Although tent-roosting is known to be a widespread behavior for stenodermatine bats, these are the first observations of tent-roosting bats in northern Colombia and highlight a high potential for finding tent-using bats in the region. RESUMEN. Uso de tiendas de hojas por Artibeus y Uroderma (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) en el norte de Colombia. Durante una búsqueda diurna de refugios de murciélagos en el Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, en el norte de Colombia, encontramos tiendas hechas de hojas de las palmeras Sabal mauritiiformis y Cocos nucifera. Encontramos a Artibeus jamaicensis y Uroderma convexum utilizando las tiendas, con grupos de U. convexum que variaban de 1 a 23 individuos y una sola ocurrencia de A. jamaicensis. Una tienda era ocupada simultáneamente por U. convexum y Thecadactylus rapicauda (Squamata). Aunque se sabe que el acampar en tiendas es un comportamiento generalizado para los murciélagos stenodermatine, estas son las primeras observaciones de murciélagos tienderos en el norte de Colombia y destacan un alto potencial para encontrar murciélagos que usan tiendas en la región.