Volume 80, Issue 6

Faunas of old oceanic islands often have extremely high levels of endemism and are considered highly susceptible to anthropogenic disruption. We surveyed the richly endemic small mammal fauna on Mt. Amuyao in the Central Cordillera of northern Luzon Island, Philippines. We tested hypotheses regarding elevational patterns of species richness and community composition, community response to habitat disturbance, and interactions of native and non-native mammals. Our study revealed greater species richness and faunal heterogeneity within the Central Cordillera than previously suspected. We documented 15 native species (14 rodents and 1 insectivore), and two species of non-native rodents. All of the native species are endemic to the Philippines, eight being restricted to the Cordillera. Twelve of the 14 native rodents belong to two ancient endemic clades, indicating that most of the regional diversity is the product of in situ speciation. Native mammal assemblages are ecologically diverse, and include species with varied trophic habits, activity patterns, and climbing ability. Some native species are restricted to relatively pristine habitat, whereas others are highly tolerant of disturbance. Non-native species are restricted to highly disturbed habitats and apparently are displaced by natives where habitat has regenerated from past disturbance.

As part of a reintroduction project in Senegal, 23 (9.14) captive-born Dorcas gazelles were released into a 440-ha fenced-in area in Katané (North Ferlo Fauna Reserve, Senegal) in March 2009. After 4 years of seasonal monitoring, the gazelles showed progressive adaptation of their behavior to semi-wild living conditions. Breeding gradually became seasonal, and 53.8% of births occurred during the rainy season (July to September). Gazelle group size and composition varied seasonally. Groups were smallest during the dry season (2.29±1.72) and largest at the beginning of the rainy season (4.18±2.73). Social group composition also showed seasonal variation. There were always a larger proportion of solitary males than solitary females and mixed couples were observed throughout the year. All-male groups were found the least. The proportion of adult females with subadults and juveniles decreased during the early rainy season, while mixed adults, subadults and juveniles groups increased during this period. The mortality rate during the first weeks after release was 13%. Four years of monitoring after release, demographic traits of this released population reveal its adaptation from captive to natural-living conditions.

The anatomy of the reproductive organs, sexual maturation, oestrous cycle, mating, gestation and suckling were studied in the water chevrotain, Hyemoschus aquaticus , of Gabon and compared to the known characteristics of other Artiodactyls. A vaginal plug present during the oestrous cycle and throughout gestation appears to be specific to this species. Likewise, the gestation period is relatively long and variable in this species. On the whole, the water chevrotain is similar to other Tragulids, but differs on several points from many Artiodactyl species. In total, among the 24 characteristics present in the water chevrotain and taken into consideration in this study, six could be considered as typical of non-ruminants and five as characteristic of Pecora. Thus, in terms of its reproduction, the water chevrotain (as well as the other Tragulids) is situated between these two taxa, which is in complete accordance with the results obtained in previous studies on its anatomy and behaviour. The proportion of its similarities with non-ruminant species is higher in anatomical than in physiological or ethological characteristics.

This paper provides novel data on the recent incursion and presence of the common genet ( Genetta genetta ) in the Ebro Delta (NE Iberian Peninsula), an atypical habitat for the species, and on its diet in this region, determined by scat analysis. The species was first detected in the delta region in 2005 that colonised through the woodlands on the banks of the Ebro River. The high trophic diversity index points out to a highly-diversified diet, and the results obtained highlight feeding habits towards particular food items. Rodents (mainly Rattus sp. and Mus sp.) were the most frequent food item and made up the largest portion of consumed biomass. Birds, red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii ) and fruits were also consumed. However, although the genet was detected in this region, it cannot be considered to have spread and settle significantly: there are few signs of its presence and there has been no record so far of breeding, probably due the scarce availability of favourable habitat.

The White-nosed coati or tejon, Nasua narica, is relatively common within terrestrial mammal communities though little information on its population ecology has been gathered in certain regions. This study evaluates the band size, activity pattern and occupancy of N. narica at Los Chimalapas, in the eastern region of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, a biodiverse region. It is expected that band size will be greater and activity time will differ from that of predators. Camera traps were used to record the species (2011–2013) in a rainforest at Southeastern Mexico. Band size and activity pattern were calculated based on photographic records. Activity pattern was compared between seasons and with that of predators. The spatial distribution of activity, as well as relationship to the proximity of water, populated areas, crops and the presence of predators, was evaluated with occupancy models. Average band size was 9.03±0.52 individuals. As expected, N. narica presented principally diurnal activity and its activity patterns did not differ seasonally, but differed significantly from those of its predators. The occupancy probability of N. narica was 0.66 and the detection probability was higher in proximity to the nearby village. The population of N. narica at Los Chimalapas may be considered similar to other regions, particularly the band size; predator activity patterns may be an important factor in the activity of N. narica, but not in its occupancy.

We examined phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships (cyt b , control region, Rag2) among members of the Chaerephon pumilus species complex from islands in the western Indian Ocean, and eastern and southeastern Africa. The sampling also includes material from the topotype of C. naivashae , holotypes of C. elphicki and C. langi , and syntypes of C. limbatus , all considered junior synonyms of C. pumilus . We found that the nominate C. pumilus sensu stricto (s.s.) from Massawa, Eritrea, is specifically distinct from the following taxa/samples, all of which form part of the C. pumilus species complex defined by Goodman et al. (2010): C. pumilus from southeastern Africa, the syntype of C. limbatus , the holotypes of C. elphicki and C. langi , and the topotype of C. naivashae. The conclusions relating to the type material are based on only 57 informative sites present within the 206 nucleotides of cytochrome b sequence obtainable. Chaerephon pumilus s.s. (Eritrea and Yemen) diverged from the other members of the C. pumilus species complex about 6.24 million years ago (MYA); Chaerephon atsinanana diverged approximately 5.01 MYA from a well-supported but unresolved clade comprising subclades, which appear to have arisen between 0.88 and 2.39 MYA and include: C. pusillus (Comoros and Aldabra); C. leucogaster (western Madagascar, Pemba, Zanzibar, Comoros); C. pumilus s.l. (southeastern Africa); and C . pumilus s.l. (Tanzania). There is evidence of introgression of both C . pusillus and C. pumilus s.l. (southeastern Africa) mitochondrial control region haplotypes into C. leucogaster . Clade B1 (network 7) of the C. pumilus species complex has several attributes of a ring species, but appears to differ from this model in several aspects. We propose that a source population on mainland Africa may have migrated in two directions across the Mozambique Channel, a potential barrier to gene flow, differentiating into C. pusillus on the Comoros and into C. leucogaster on Madagascar. Chaerephon leucogaster may then have migrated to the Comoros, where it occurs in sympatry with C. pusillus , completing the ring. In support of the hypothesis, there is evidence of isolation by distance around the ring, although there is also a relatively high degree of genetic structure and limited gene flow. It appears that the island-based component species may have differentiated in allopatry, with some gene flow by over water dispersal, whereas the African mainland species may have differentiated through isolation by distance.

Surveying and monitoring bat populations by recording their calls with stationary detectors has become increasingly popular. This study tested the hypothesis that placing stationary detectors at water bodies yielded more species than in other habitat types in a temperate landscape (settlement, forest, open land). The number of species was significantly affected by habitat type, and sampling at water bodies yielded approximately 50% more species than in open land, the habitat type which was second in species richness. In contrast, bat calling activity was not significantly related to habitat type. With the exception of the northern bat Eptesicus nilssoni , the incidence of species was higher at the water bodies than in other habitat types. Calling activity and the number of recorded species did not correlate among habitat types, and I did not find evidence that the determinability of bat calls was related to habitat type. This indicated that the higher richness at water bodies was a result of short-term visitors that significantly enhanced species counts but not total activity. For surveys and monitorings, these results imply that sampling at water bodies may be preferred especially if resources for field work are limited.

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) seeds are a primary food of the house mouse ( Mus musculus L.) in agricultural environments. Behavioral aspects of seed selection and consumption have not been fully characterized, especially with regards to seed traits that mice select for or against. The present study used a common strain of mice (C57BL/6J) to evaluate the effect of seed coat pigmentation and hardness (texture) on wheat seed selection and consumption. Wheat grains with contrasting traits were presented to mice in binary mixtures, similar to “two-choice” tests. Mice preferred wheat grain with fewer Red pigmentation genes (~ avoided grain with a greater number of Red genes). The mice were sensitive to small differences in grain texture, with softer texture consistently preferred. In summary, both seed color (pigmentation) and texture influence the selective consumption of wheat grain by C57BL/6J mice. Although the preference for softer texture and less pigmented grain is clear, other aspects of behavioral selection and consumption preference will require further study.

We report two new records for an arboreal rat of the genus Isothrix in Ecuador, where only two previous photographic records of Isothrix bistriata existed. We highlight that geographic and ecological knowledge about these rodents and many other canopy species remain scarce.

We documented the first record of Andalgalomys pearsoni (Myers 1978) in Argentina, based on one individual caught at Cerro Colorado (Metán department, Salta province, Argentina). This new record enlarges the distribution of this species, to date only known from Bolivia and Paraguay, ca. 530 km SW and fills a gap without records for Andalgalomys of approximately 850 km between Paraguay and NW Argentina. The finding of this mouse, caught more than 50 years ago, highlights the importance that biological collections have in our understanding of biological diversity.