Volume 76, Issue 4

No abstract available.

Edouard-Louis Trouessart (1842–1927) is one of the major figures of European mammalogy. He began his career in medical studies and completed his thesis of medicine in 1870 in Poitiers. In conjunction with his medical work, he was a naturalist and regularly frequented the Natural History Museum of Angers, where he eventually served as director from 1882 to 1885. Subsequently, he worked in the Museum of Natural History in Paris and became professor in 1906 upon the death of Emile Oustalet. He served as head of the Mammals and Birds section between 1906 and 1926, following Etienne and Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Henri Milne-Edwards, and Emile Oustalet. During his career, he published 266 scientific and popular articles and named about 30 new species to science. Among his major works were a book on the fauna of France (1884), the fauna of European mammals (1910), the European Birds catalogue (1912), and a book devoted to biogeography. His Catalogue of Modern and Fossil Mammals (1885), reedited three times, was considered one of the first references for mammalian classification and an early precursor of Simpson, McKenna and Bell ( Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level ), and Wilson and Reeder ( Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference ). Trouessart was a systematist, and he made taxonomic classification his main aim. His impressive work at the interface between biology, palaeontology, and biogeography at the beginning of the 20th century is worthy of recognition.

A century after the publication of “Catalogue of the land mammals of western Europe” (1912), Gerrit Smith Miller’s contributions to European mammalogy endure. His work was a landmark treatment of the European fauna and laid the groundwork for subsequent mammalogists. Miller’s impressive body of specimen-based research underscores the fundamental role natural history collections have played in building our understanding of the natural world. Their relevance to basic discovery endures, as collections have evolved since Miller’s time to include new materials (e.g., tissues, cell suspensions, linked host/parasites), and as new tools (e.g., genomic sequencing, stable isotopes, niche envelopes) for extracting information have developed exponentially. While still utilized for systematic and taxonomic questions, museums and associated web-based databases (GBIF, GenBank, GoogleEarth) are now critical to our ability to rigorously address questions related to environmental change (e.g., climate change, habitat conversion, emerging pathogens, pollutants and toxicants, biodiversity loss, introduction of exotics). Specimens are the primary resource that objectively documents diversity and vouchers historic conditions. By representing a particular site and time, georeferenced specimens establish critical baseline conditions against which temporal change can be investigated. As in Miller’s day, museums remain centers for research and training as future generations of scientists are introduced to biodiversity studies.

Sergey I. Ognev (1886–1951), one of Russia’s most famous biologists, was both a theoretical scientist and a great field researcher. Ognev’s “Fauna Mosquensis” (1913) is the most comprehensive study of the mammals of European Russia after Pallas. Throughout his life, Ognev’s work involved two important components: biological observation in nature and study of geographical distribution. His combination of excellent knowledge of natural habitats and morphology created a unique insight. This effort resulted in seven volumes of “Mammals of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia” and “Mammals of the USSR and Adjacent Countries,” published from 1928 to 1950. This work included comprehensive taxonomic accounts, detailed morphological descriptions, geographical ranges and natural history data for 264 mammalian species and 635 forms. 4879 pages were illustrated, including almost 2000 photographs and drawings of skulls and dentition, a huge number of distributional maps made by the author and 56 color figures drawn by famous animal painters. The taxonomic position of a surprisingly large portion of forms classified by Ognev have been confirmed by modern molecular genetic approaches. Ognev also authored significant books on ecology and field photography. It is impossible to overestimate the significance of Ognev’s contribution to mammal studies; his “Mammals of the USSR…” volumes remain one of the most cited works in the field.

In deserts, rainfall is rare and often irregular, and this directly conditions the growth, flowering and fruiting of plants. Consequently, food can become seasonally scarce for plant-eating vertebrates. The relationship between the reproduction of rodents, rainfall, and plant production has been partly studied in some Asian and African desert regions, but not in Saudi Arabia. We therefore sought to define the breeding periods of the most common rodent in that country, Gerbillus cheesmani . More than 540 specimens were collected during 16 consecutive months between November 2001 and February 2003. As expected, the reproduction of mature males and females showed significant monthly variation directly correlated to rainfall. Most young were captured 2 months after the peak in pregnancy. The reproduction of this species was clearly seasonal in Saudi Arabia, unlike other desert regions where many rodents reproduce more or less throughout the year. Furthermore, both sexes reproduced synchronously, whereas in most other countries, males become reproductive 1–2 months before females. Lastly, reproduction coincided with the rainfall during the study period, but not with the average pluviosity of the country. This indicates that all the individuals responded quickly to the local conditions.

The fruit diets of two species of frugivorous bats ( Cynopterus brachyotis and Cynopterus horsfieldii ) were investigated over a 12-month period in the tropical hill dipterocarp forest of the Sungai Lalang Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia, a place where ecological studies are lacking. Mist nets were used to capture bats, and seeds were collected from faecal samples and/or fruit remnants found together with netted bats, from seed traps placed beneath feeding and/or day roosts, and at feeding trees. Fruits of 18 identified plant species from 10 families were consumed by one or both species, eight of which are species not previously reported as plants consumed by Cynopterus spp. Seeds collected from faecal collections, seed traps under roosts and feeding trees suggested that Ficus spp., Piper aduncum and Pternandra echinata are important food sources and thus should be considered keystone resources for sustaining populations of Cynopterus spp., especially when other preferred plant species such as Nauclea subdita and Elaeocarpus stipularis were not in flower/fruit. This study is among the very few to document the fruit diet of frugivorous bats in the tropical hill forests of Peninsular Malaysia, results that highlight the conservation importance of these species.

We studied the associations between small mammal assemblages and patterns of land use and landscape structure, and their seasonal variations in temperate agroecosystems. We collected barn owl, Tyto alba , pellets from nest sites located in the Pampean region included in Buenos Aires province (36 sites in winter and 29 in summer). We used Google Earth and SAC-C imagery classification to describe land use and landscape structure around pellet collection sites. In winter, we found a significant relation between the relative abundances of small mammal species and landscape variables. Landscape accounted for 33.2% of variance in species data. Calomys spp. were relatively more abundant in sites with higher winter crops cover, while Akodon azarae and Oligoryzomys flavescens increased their relative abundances in sites with more grassland cover. The commensal rodents Mus musculus and Rattus spp. were relatively more abundant in sites with higher urban cover, or near households and grain storage facilities. We found no significant small mammal-landscape association in summer. Our results are in agreement with previous studies showing that land use patterns may influence small mammal assemblages. Moreover, our results also show that seasonality plays a major role modulating the intensity of these small mammal-landscape associations in temperate agroecosystems.

Wildfire is a major disturbance factor that affects wildlife both directly and indirectly. To better understand its influence, carnivore mammals were monitored using scent stations, inside and outside a burned area of a typical Mediterranean ecosystem of Northern Hellas, in the second and third summers post-fire. The main Carnivora species in the study area were red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), stone marten ( Martes foina ), and free-ranging dogs and cats. Carnivore visitation rate was found higher in the intensely burned area. Unburned and intensely burned areas differ by the absence of stone marten from the burned areas and the high visitation rate of fox in the intensely burned area. At a micro-scale level, no relation was found between carnivore visits and fire influence on vegetation of the moderately burned area. Wildlife managers would be advised to monitor fox populations after forest fires as their increased abundance may influence other species.

Habitat selection by a species during scarcity and varying resource availability can give important insights into the requirements crucial to its survival. We conducted a study in a stretch of the upper Ganges River to assess the status and distribution of endangered Ganges River dolphins ( Platanista gangetica gangetica ) and fishing activities. We also evaluated the resource selection criteria of the species using an occupancy-based approach to determine the influence of different habitat covariates on dolphin detection and occupancy across varying river discharge conditions. Occupancy modeling indicated that water depth, fish relative abundance, and fishing intensity were the best predictors of dolphin occupancy. Increase in fishing activities was identified as the most significant threat to dolphin conservation in this stretch of river. We suggest strengthening awareness and capacity building of fishermen communities and programs for improving their livelihoods. Our study extends the applicability of occupancy-based surveys to elusive aquatic mammal species and recommends its scope throughout the entire distribution range of the species so that it can help to identify priorities for its conservation and management.

Altitude can profoundly influence the distribution of mammals, although the majority of studies of altitudinal impacts on distribution and abundance examine large-scale effects in mountainous environments. We investigate the potential for altitudinal effects on within-habitat distribution in common and soprano pipistrelle bats ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus ) over relatively small scales on the Isle of Man, an island with a maximum altitude of 620 m above sea level. While we found no differences in habitat or altitude usage between the two species, both showed a sharp decline in activity with small increases in altitude within all habitats. This decline was steepest in deciduous and conifer woodland, and more gradual in arable land and heathland. Activity also declined more quickly with increasing altitude in the centre of habitats compared with the edge, and where water was present compared with where water was absent. We suggest that altitude may limit distribution independent of habitat, and thus is an important factor to take into account, in combination with habitat, when designing mammalian conservation strategies.

A chromosomal study of Allactaga euphratica from the Şanlıurfa Province in Southeast Anatolia, Turkey, was performed. The diploid number of 48 chromosomes was found in all four specimens examined. The C-band-positive regions were distributed in centromeric areas of all the autosomal pairs and the X chromosome. Extensive C-positive heterochromatin intercalary blocks were observed in the largest pair of autosomes. The small Y chromosome was stained uniformly and C-negatively. The active nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) were localized in two pairs of small bi-armed autosomes. The C-heterochromatin distribution and localization of the secondary constrictions bearing NORs apparently differ between karyotypes of the related jerboa species A. euphratica and Allactaga williamsi . This cytogenetic difference may be implied as a suitable marker in further studies of the relationships in contact zones and possible hybridization between these two taxa.

The family Didelphidae includes most of the New World marsupials, with 97 species distributed in 18 genera. The slender opossums, genus Marmosops , include 15 species, of which 8 can be found in Brazil. Two of these species, Marmosops paulensis and Marmosops incanus , are endemic to eastern Brazil. M. incanus is more widely distributed, being found in coastal Atlantic forests of south-eastern Brazil, but also further north into peripheral areas of the Cerrado savannas and the Caatinga scrublands. Before the present study, the northernmost record of M. incanus was from the municipality of São Gonçalo dos Campos, in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The present study provides the first records of the species from the Brazilian state of Sergipe, and extends its geographic range as far as the right bank of the São Francisco River, 320 km north and east of its previous northernmost locality in the state of Bahia. Specimens were collected from two sites in Sergipe, the Mata do Junco Wildlife, in the Atlantic Forest, and a highland forest enclave in the Caatinga at Serra da Guia, in the eastern extreme of the state.

Although it is conjectured that diurnal capture may reduce the colony size of bats, little evidence is available. We monitored a maternity colony of cave-dwelling bats ( Hipposideros armiger ) both before and after casual diurnal disturbance and capture. Results from more than 40 days of monitoring after disturbance suggested that diurnal capture significantly reduced the colony size from more than 90 individuals to a few. Moreover, the trend for colony size after disturbance indicated that most bats may not return to the roost for the whole season. This study has implications for both bat researchers and wildlife managers.

In the present study, we report the first record of Peropteryx pallidoptera for Brazil, based on a female captured in the municipality of Curuá, northern margin of the Amazonas River, state of Pará, in the Guiana Shield. The studied specimen has all the diagnostic characters that distinguish P. pallidoptera from other species of the genus; its measurements are within the range reported for females collected in Peru, and similar to the measurements of the holotype. Our record increases the number of bat species known for Brazil and extends the geographic distribution of this species to over 2300 km to the east of the type locality in Ecuador.

Reithrodon auritus is a living sigmodontine with one of the broader temporal records, from the lower Pliocene of Argentina. Its populations in northwestern Argentina are today found patchily and restricted to five high-elevation and isolated localities in open areas of highland grasslands vegetation (at >3000 m). During the Pleistocene and early Holocene, R. auritus would have had a broader range, reaching lower altitudes everywhere and being one of the dominant small mammal species in some fossil localities. In this note, we summarize the known Pleistocene and early Holocene fossil record of R. auritus in northwestern Argentina, provide new paleontological sites for the species, and make comments concerning the paleoenvironmental implications of its presence at such lower altitudes. The paleontological evidence indicates that during the Pleistocene and early Holocene, R. auritus inhabited around 1000 m below their current altitudinal distribution in the eastern Andean ranges, with populations clearly more abundant than today. The fossils of R. auritus are indicative of colder and perhaps more xeric paleoenvironmental conditions, characterized by open areas with sparse grassy vegetation as those developed today around 3000 m elevation.

No abstract available.