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Mustela felipei Izor and de la Torre, 1978, is a mustelid commonly called the Colombian or Don Felipe's weasel and is South America's smallest weasel. It is also the darkest weasel in South America, with little variation in dorsal coloration; the venter is cream-colored with an oval spot the same color as the dorsum. The species is endemic to the Andes. Known from 6 specimens and 5 localities in Colombia and Ecuador, it may be the rarest carnivore in South America. Globally, it is considered 'Vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, although in Colombia it is considered 'Endangered.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The avian vampire fly Philornis downsi (Dodge & Aitken) (Diptera: Muscidae) is native to continental South America and the Caribbean, but invasive in the Galapagos Archipelago. The larvae of P. downsi feed on the blood and tissues of the nestlings of 75% of the small land bird species that are endemic or native to Galapagos, causing high in-nest mortality and severe population declines in some species. Efficient trapping techniques are vital to safeguarding these birds in the short term as well as for monitoring fly populations, but basic information about the ecology of the fly is still needed to help develop a species-appropriate trapping method. In this study, we used a novel trapping regime with a vertical distribution to make inferences about P. downsi's behavioral and spatial ecology and to optimize trap catch. Our results showed that male and female P. downsi were trapped in greater numbers below the canopy (3.1-7.5 m), lower down than other commonly caught insect species (5.1-11.5 m). Notably, the effect of trap height remained consistent across seasons and different weather conditions. These findings suggest that P. downsi tend to move at heights where their hosts nest (at or below the canopy) and do not spend time above the canopy. This also makes it unlikely that strategies such as hill-topping or aerial swarming are being used to locate mates. As such, trapping and control efforts should be focused below the canopy in forests with similar canopy heights to effectively capture P. downsi and reduce bycatch of other insects., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.)