Volume 79, Issue 1

We sampled the seasonal diversity of rodents and shrews in two neighboring game reserves in the savannah biome and assessed the influence of competition and abiotic processes on species composition patterns at habitat and reserve scales. We used null models and multivariate analyses to test whether the observed patterns differed significantly from those expected by chance. Species richness estimators indicated that rodent and shrew inventories were relatively complete. Rarefaction curves showed that small mammal species richness was higher at the Mkhuze Game Reserve than the Kube Yini Game Reserve, though it was highest in the Acacia woodlands. Rodent diversity was highest during winter. Rodent and shrew species composition was significantly correlated with grass height, tree density, and ground cover. Furthermore, rodent and shrew assemblages were nested at the reserve scale. Only nestedness at the broadest scale (both reserves, both seasons combined) was significantly correlated with landscape and microhabitat variables. Conversely, there was little evidence that competition influenced rodent and shrew species composition. Results showed that species composition patterns of small mammals in the savannah biome are related to abiotic processes operating at local and regional scales, suggesting that microhabitat characteristics and regional processes like immigration and extinction drive assemblage structure.

The phylogenetic position of the Ethiopian striped mouse ( Muriculus imberbis ) has remained obscure since its description. Here, we report, for the first time, the phylogenetic analysis of this species using mitochondrial (cytochrome b ) and nuclear (interphotoreceptor binding protein) gene sequences obtained from a specimen recently caught in the Galama Mountain in the south-central Ethiopian highland region. The recent finding of the species in ericaceous shrub in the Afroalpine habitat is remarkable, as decades of attempts to capture it in this habitat failed, probably because of inappropriate trapping methods. Our analyses strongly suggest that the Ethiopian striped mouse does not belong to a distinct monotypic genus, but to the genus Mus , as the ancient lineage of the African subgenus Nannomys .

The present study looked at the presence and distribution of red pandas in Pangchen Valley, Tawang District, Arunachal Pradesh, including parts of two Community Conserved Areas, based on the field studies carried out between 2009 and 2013. Priority areas were identified by conducting village interviews, followed by field surveys documenting presence-absence of red pandas (based on direct sightings, droppings, and feeding signs) and assessing their habitat status. A total of 183 plots were sampled, of which 74 (40.4%) showed red panda presence. The results show a healthy abundance of red pandas throughout the higher areas of the valley (sign encounter rate, 0.63/h) and their preference for areas above 2800 m elevation with dense bamboo cover of Arundinaria sp. and dominant trees such as Rhododendron sp. and Sorbus sp. with less understory. Their habitat extended till the higher mixed conifer forests dominated by Abies sp. Signs of recent human disturbance were minimal in the sampling areas, which reflected the strong conservation measures implemented by the local communities. Overall, Pangchen Valley was found to be extremely vital for the long-term conservation of the red pandas in the region and continued collaborative measures with the local community are required to safeguard their future.

From 1999 to 2013, a long-term capture-mark-recapture study was carried out in a local population of the forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula , in a mixed forest patch surrounded by unsuitable habitat in Lithuania. Many aspects of this population’s ecology are different from those situated elsewhere. In the population, the activity period of D. nitedula was the shortest in the entire range (about 4.5 months, late April to early September). Breeding season was early and short, most litters were born in early June, and the average litter size (3.2±1.1 young) was very small. The average densities of the local population were 4.5±1 and 6.7±2.1 ind./10 ha after and before hibernation, respectively. The abundance of the local population was stable, and the sex ratio was approaching 1:1 among adult individuals, except in the first years of the study when abundance was higher than usual and the sex ratio was female-biased. One-year-old dormice comprised about 49% of the population, while 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds and older accounted for 24%, 14% and 13%, respectively. Maximum life span was 6 years in one female and maximum body weight recorded before hibernation was 57.5 g in an adult male.

White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) are economically important in the Americas and are also the main prey of predators such as the jaguar ( Panthera onca ) and puma ( Puma concolor ), but human influence has led to the decline of their populations by hunting and increasing agricultural and pastoral land use. On the other hand, there is a lack of ecological knowledge on the species in central Mexico. We investigated the population density and activity pattern of white-tailed deer in the Sierra Nanchititla, Mexico, using 10 camera traps. Sampling was conducted over 18 months between 2004 and 2007. We identified deer in photographs, and the population abundance was estimated using the CAPTURE program and density by dividing the estimated abundance by the effective sampled area. The daily activity pattern was derived by using the recorded time in the photographs for each hour of the day. Population density was from 2.0 to 6.3 in the wet season and 0.8–12 individuals/km 2 in the dry, showing a diurnal pattern. This study was one of the first using camera traps in Mexico, for a sampling period longer than 1 year and provided information for the development of management programs.

The food habits of the endangered Italian hare have not received adequate attention from researchers. In this study, the diet composition of this species and its seasonal variation were assessed by analysing faecal pellets in a semi-natural landscape in the south of Italy. The results showed that hares feed on 62 species of plants during the year, with a conspicuous presence of herbaceous ones (e.g., Trifolium pratense , Brachypodium sylvaticum , Festuca arundinacea ) as these occurred at high frequencies in most of the faecal samples. In spring, diet composition was characterised by a high percentage of Graminaceae (>37%). In the other seasons, hares also included fruits (e.g., Prunus spinosa , Pyrus piraster , Malus sylvestris ), which, in autumn, accounted for >27%. There were significant differences among seasons (p<0.001) in terms of Margalef’s richness, Shannon diversity, and Buzas and Gibson’s evenness. The smallest values of richness and diversity were observed in spring. Dietary overlap was low between spring and the other seasons; conversely, there was substantial overlap (>70%) in the diets during the other seasons with a more pronounced similarity between summer and autumn (Sørensen, C s =0.80; Morisita-Horn, C MH =0.73).

Normally, the Phyllostomidae bat community varies in number of individuals depending on food availability, which in turn varies with changes in annual rainfall. The aims of this study were to list species of Phyllostomidae bats in Curió Municipal Natural Park located in the municipality of Paracambi, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, and determine possible differences in species richness, abundance and composition between rainy and dry seasons. Sampling was carried out between September 2011 and August 2012 with the use of mist nets. The total sampling effort was 51,840 m 2 h, and 745 individuals of 18 bat species were caught. Myotis riparius (Vespertilionidae) was the only non-Phyllostomidae species caught. Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata were the most abundant species. The collector curve did not become stabilized, with 21±2 phyllostomid species being estimated for the park. No significant difference in species richness or change in the community composition was found between seasons; however a higher number of individuals was captured in the rainy season. The occurrence of specie indicator of good-quality habitats ( Chrotopterus auritus , Micronycteris microtis and Trachops cirrhosus ) and species threatened with extinction ( Chiroderma doriae and Dermanura cinerea ) indicate that the park is an important forest remnant for the conservation of bats and needs to be monitored.

The pampas deer Ozotoceros bezoarticus is a medium-sized, elegant, and lightly built cervid that was once a characteristic inhabitant of open grasslands across a wide geographical distribution in South America. In Argentina, the subspecies Ozotoceros bezoarticus celer is the most southern and abundant populations and relatively well represented in osteological collections permitting a morphometric study of cranial ontogeny. We measured 17 cranial variables on an ontogenetic series in order to evaluate the multivariate allometry of neurocranial and splanchnocranial components through developmental stages. The cranial ontogenetic pattern in O. b. celer exhibits a conservative plan in which both sexes share most of the allometric trends except in three variables related to the rostrum. Isometry was detected in 9 out of 17 variables, whereas four grows with negative allometry, and only nasal length showed positive allometry. As for most mammals, those variables related to the neurocranial components and sensorial capsules exhibit negative allometry. The growth of the rostrum indicates that both sexes have longer face than younger. However, the lack of allometry in most of the variables seems to be supporting the idea of a younger with the general appearance of an adult but smaller size.

For sustainable oil palm production, barn owl ( Tyto alba ) predation should be enhanced and monitored to better understand its impact on rodent population dynamics, notably for selective predation based on age or size. Our aim was to assess the best combination of osteometric variables that predict eye lens weight and thus the relative age of an individual Rattus tiomanicus based on pellet remains. We captured 161 individuals in an oil palm plantation in Indonesia and measured 15 osteometric variables for the jaw, skull, and femur. We investigated the variables’ correlations with eye lens weight and estimated the measurement errors. In addition, 120 pellets were collected to assess the frequency of different types of bones. Predictive modelling was then used. We suggest that the model using the femur length would be more appropriate, even if it is slightly less precise than the models that consider the skull and jaw variables. The femur was well represented in the pellet sample, its length highly correlated with the eye lens weight, with a low measurement error. Our study demonstrates the utility of femur length for age prediction in prey from macroremains in oil palm plantations, wherein most pellets are headless and R. tiomanicus is the dominant prey.

We used horn outlines with elliptic Fourier analysis to quantify horn shape as well as horn outline areas to quantify horn size in 26 Alpine chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra ) skulls of known sex from Serbia. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of horn curvature that characterizes each sex and devise a methodology for using horn shape to determine sex. We observed a grouping pattern that exactly corresponded to each sex by analyzing Fourier transformed and normalized outline data with holding sexes unknown by exploratory cluster and discriminant analyses. Curvature was the most important determinant of chamois horn shape, and females were found to have less curved horns than males. Horn size was also a significant factor contributing to sexual dimorphism, whereas allometric scaling was similar in both sexes. We argue that horn growth is characterized by elongation of the horn axis in females and increasing curvature in males, and that these processes are constrained to later years of individual’s life when the overall horn size changes very little. Our conclusions fit well with published data on chamois social structure and behavior suggesting that selective pressure acting on horn shape changed with increasing levels of sexual size dimorphism.

Hybridisation between domestic cats, Felis catus , and wildcats, Felis silvestris , could lead to the genetic extinction of the latter; therefore, checking hybridisation rates in wild populations is of vital conservation importance. However, detecting hybridisation in the field is particularly challenging. Here, we aim to test the success of morphological-based procedures for discriminating wildcats from their hybrids and domestic cats, against genetic methods. We checked 17 putative Spanish wildcats by using two different classification systems based on coat patterns. None of the putative wildcats analysed in this study seemed to have an admixed genotype. Concordance between genetic and pelage approaches was almost total: only one coat classification produced mixed results with detection of one potential hybrid. Assignment was worse when performed in the field after a rapid examination of coat characters. We conclude that classification systems using coat traits could serve as surrogates of genetic approaches, but only after careful examination of those characters with more discriminatory power. Thus, the control of hybrid populations in the field as a management tool to preserve the genetic identity of wild forms is problematic if based on crude approaches or incomplete classification systems.

We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to genetically identify to the species level 23 pilot whales (genus Globicephala ) that stranded on the French coasts between 1996 and 2011. Genetic analysis complemented morphological diagnoses, often hampered by an overlap in morphological characters between the two species or incomplete measurements. Mitochondrial DNA data allowed identification of 21 long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas ) and two unusual stranding events of the more tropical species ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ). In pilot whales as in most cetaceans, shifts in species range are expected to occur due to global climate change. In this context, our study contributes to the long-term monitoring of pilot whale stranding events, providing indirect information on species occurrence.

Silvopastoral cattle ranching is seen as a viable land use management system, which unlike traditional land use systems preserve forested areas and prevent loss of important habitats for carnivores. We evaluated carnivore abundance and habitat use in a 50-year silvopastoral system located in the Cordoba department, Caribbean region of Colombia. Transects and track plots were established both in forest fragments and pastures within the silvopastoral system and were sampled for carnivore signs. Crab-eating raccoon, Crab-eating fox, and Gray fox were the most abundant species and showed higher preference for forest than pastures. Our results reflect the importance of forest cover within livestock systems and highlight the potential of these land use systems for carnivore and tropical dry forest conservation in fragmented landscapes.

In this study we presented two new records of bats for the Atlantic Forest, eastern Brazil. Four individuals of Mesophylla macconnelli were captured in fragments at vicinity of Ilhéus, State of Bahia, and first record for the Atlantic Forest. Second record of Dryadonycteris capixaba for Atlantic Forest was based on the capture of two individuals from Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, located at the eastern part of Minas Gerais.

Although over 50 bat species have been recorded in Pakistan, more are expected to inhabit the country. We recorded two new hitherto unrecorded bat species, i.e., Miniopterus fuliginosus and Myotis formosus in northwestern Pakistan. M. fuliginosus was captured from Barcharai Daim in Malakand district, while M. formosus was captured from Chinai Ghaz in Dir, Wach Khwar in Swat and Barcharai Diam in Malakand districts, respectively. This paper describes external, cranial, and bacular measurements of captured specimens of these two species.