Nilton Carlos Cáceres

Food Habits and Seed Dispersal by the White-Eared Opossum Didelphis Albiventris in Southern Brazil

The food habits and seed dispersal promoted by the marsupial Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia: Didelphidae) were investigated in two forest fragments of Curitiba, southern Brazil, between February 1995 and February 1997. Forty live traps were set uniformly in the fragments for opossum captures and collection of their scats. Diet was determined by fecal analysis and seed dispersal was tested through seed germination experiments. With a total of 1842 traps set, 71 scats of the white-eared opossum were collected, and 51 contained seeds. The opossum is omnivorous, consuming invertebrates (100% of occurrence in scats), fruits (76%) and vertebrates (58%). Common animal food items were those found in the litter. Diversities of food items were similar among opossums of different age classes. Seeds of several plant species passed undamaged through the guts and remained viable. Fruits from pioneer plants were the main ones consumed. Based on these results, this omnivorous opossum must be an effective seed disperser in southern Brazil.

Food Habits, Home Range and Activity of Didelphis aurita (Mammalia, Marsupialia) in a Forest Fragment of Southern Brazil

Relationships between food habits, home range and activity of the black-eared opossum, Didelphis aurita (Marsupialia, Didelphidae), were studied in an urban forest fragment (5 ha) of southern Brazil from February 1995 to January 1996. Captures were performed weekly using 30 live-traps placed uniformly in the study area. Diet was determined through faecal analysis, home ranges were calculated through the Minimum Convex Polygon method and the activity period was assessed from the time of captures in the night. The opossum proved to be an insectivorous-omnivorous marsupial consuming invertebrates (100%), fruits (78%) and vertebrates (59%). Birds, mammals, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Opiliones and Solanaceous fruits were the main items consumed. Opossums foraged during the first hours of the night in part synchronizing their activity with that of small mammals occasionally preyed upon. Home ranges measured from 0.2 ha for a female to 3.0 ha for a male. Males appeared in the study area only during the wet season, increasing their home range size, whereas females revealed quite exclusive home ranges that could imply the defence of a territory.

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),

Mammal occurrence and roadkill in two adjacent ecoregions (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado) in south-western Brazil

This paper examines the frequencies of mammal roadkill in two adjacent biogeographic ecoregions (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado) of Brazil. Mammals were recorded during a seven-year period and over 3,900 km of roads, in order to obtain data for frequencies of species in habitats (sites) and frequencies of species killed by cars on roads. Sites (n = 80) within ecoregions (Cerrado, n = 57; Atlantic Forest, n = 23) were searched for records of mammals. Species surveyed in the entire region totaled 33, belonging to nine orders and 16 families. In the Cerrado, 31 species were recorded in habitats; of these, 25 were found dead on roads. In the Atlantic Forest ecoregions, however, we found 21 species in habitats, 16 of which were also found dead on roads. There was no overall significant difference between ecoregions for frequencies of occurrence in habitats or for roadkills, but there were differences between individual species. Hence, anteaters were mostly recorded in the Cerrado ecoregion, whereas caviomorph rodents tended to be more frequent in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion (seen mainly by roadkills). The greater number of species (overall and threatened) and the greater abundance of species records in the Cerrado suggest that this ecoregion has a greater biodiversity and is better conserved than the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, south-western Brazil.

Mammals of the Bodoquena Mountains, southwestern Brazil: an ecological and conservation analysis

We carried out a mammalian survey in the neighborhoods of the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, Mato Grosso do Sul state, a region poorly known in southwestern Brazil. During the months of April, May and July 2002 we used wire live trap, direct observation, indirect evidence (e.g. tracks), carcasses, and interviews with local residents to record mammalian species. Fifty six mammal species were recorded, including threatened species (14%). These records were discussed regarding species abundance, distribution, range extension, habitat, and conservation. The geographic distribution and ecology of the poorly known marsupials Thylamys macrurus and Micoureus constantiae in Brazil are emphasized.

Mammals in a fragmented savannah landscape in south-western Brazil

Mammal abundance, richness, and community structure were examined in fragments of savannah and in gallery forests of south-western Brazil in order to assess the influence of fragment size and habitat on the communities. Five savannah fragments and two gallery forests were sampled. Within the savannah fragments, environmental parameters such as tree and shrub densities were measured. Live-traps and pitfalls were used for trapping small mammals; larger mammals were recorded from footprints and sightings. Seventeen species of small mammal and 15 species of large mammal were recorded. Small mammals were affected by fragment size and isolation, whereas larger mammals were not. Communities of small mammals were better structured in the largest fragments, and those in smaller fragments were subsets of the communities in larger fragments. Gallery forests revealed a rather different assemblage of mammals, but also contained species common to both gallery and large savannah remnants. Data are discussed relating mammal community structure to area size and vegetation structure, in an attempt to understand the present conservation status of this fragmented landscape.

Diet of four small mammal species from Atlantic forest patches in South Brazil

In this study we analyse the diet composition of small mammals of western Parana state, southern Brazil. Species studied were mostly unknown on feeding habits. Animals were sampled during the faunal survey carried out in October 1998 when implementing the Salto Caxias dam. The diet composition, based on gut contents, seems to be mostly opportunistic and generalist for the three marsupials, Micoureus paraguayanus , Caluromys lanatus , and Monodelphis sorex , and for the rodent, Akodon paranaensis , studied. Caeca of the four small mammal species had in general a small quantity of insects when compared with other digestive tract portions. However, when volume consumed was evaluated, Arthropoda was the most important item for three species of them. Inversely, fruits were important for C. lanatus . The estimated amount of plant material (seeds and other plant structures) had a higher importance for C. lanatus , mainly for caecum samples, however these items were also found in the other mammal species samples but in lower proportions. The high proportion of intact seeds on both, digestive tract and caecum, when compared with predated seeds, is noticeable, suggesting that the species are seed dispersal. Monodelphis sorex seems to have a more insectivorous diet, as it is a small cursorial mammal, although there was also evidence for frugivory or carnivory. Akodon paranaensis was insectivorous-omnivorous, although fruits and vertebrate prey were also consumed, indicating also and opportunistic diet. Caluromys lanatus is classifi ed as a more frugivorous species, besides the consumption of vertebrate prey. Insectivorous habit seems to be frequent in neotropical small mammals, with consumption of vertebrates or fruits being only opportunistic. The insectivory (except for C. lanatus ) and opportunistic habit appear to dominate among the small mammal species studied. Key words: Micoureus paraguayanus , Caluromys lanatus , Monodelphis sorex , Akodon paranaensis , food habits.

Use of vertical space by small mammals in gallery forest and woodland savannah in south-western Brazil

Abstract We examined the community composition and abundance of small mammals in the vertical strata of gallery forests and woodland savannahs in south-western Brazil. Captures were carried out during the winter and summer months of 2006/2007. Traps were set in three transect lines per habitat, with 10 capture stations on each line. Each station had three traps: on the ground, in the understorey (2–3 m in height), and in the canopy (8–10 m) in each physiognomy. With an effort of 3600 trap-nights, 11 species of small mammals were captured, which were distributed differently regarding the forest physiognomies and utilisation of vertical strata. The species showed a high degree of habitat segregation in the two physiognomies, with only the climbing-rat Rhipidomys macrurus found in both habitats. The correspondence analysis revealed that Caluromys philander occurred mostly in the canopy; Cryptonanus agricolai, Marmosa murina, and Oecomys bicolor in the understorey; and Gracilinanus agilis and Nectomys rattus on the ground. The utilisation of traps in different strata increased species richness in the Cerrado biome, showing that the small-mammal community is distributed along the vertical complexity of the forest and even in different physiognomies, enabling more species to coexist.

Novos registros de moscas ectoparasitas (Diptera, Streblidae e Nycteribiidae) de morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) em áreas de transição cerrado-floresta estacional no Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

As primeiras informacoes sobre moscas ectoparasitas de morcegos e seus hospedeiros no estado do Mato Grosso do Sul sao apresentadas. Os individuos de morcegos e de dipteros ectoparasitos foram coletados em area transicionais de cerrado e floresta estacional semidecidua, e tambem em uma floresta decidua. Foram encontradas sete especies de Streblidae e uma de Basilia Miranda-Ribeiro, 1903 (Nycteribiidae). Todos os registros sao ineditos para o estado do Mato Grosso do Sul e Basilia bequaerti Guimaraes & D´Andretta, 1956 e registrada pela primeira vez no Brasil.

Small mammal community structure and microhabitat use in the austral boundary of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

We investigated the richness, composition, and species relative abundance of a terrestrial small mammal community in a Deciduous Forest area in the austral boundary of the Atlantic Forest. The microhabitat use of the most common species was also investigated. Six rodents - Akodon montensis (Thomas, 1913), Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818), Sooretamys angouya (Thomas, 1913), Thaptomys nigrita (Lichtenstein, 1829), Mus musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Juliomys sp. - and one marsupial - Didelphis albiventris (Lund, 1840) - were captured. Thaptomys nigrita is recorded in the state of Rio Grande do Sul for the first time. Species richness was poor when compared with communities in the central portions of the Atlantic Forest, but equivalent to that found in the Araucaria and Dense Ombrophilous forests of southern Brazil. The species most often captured in our study, A. montensis and O. nigripes, are also the most common in the majority of faunistic studies carried out in the Atlantic Forest. Akodon montensis and S. angouya used places with high abundance of bamboo, possibly to avoid predators. Oligorizomys nigripes used areas with a high density of scrubs, what could facilitate aboveground movements, and was negatively correlated to mature forest indicators, which reinforce the idea that this species has opportunistic habits.