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The Colombian weasel, Neogale felipei, previously included in the genus Mustela, is considered the rarest carnivore in the Neotropics and is known from only eight localities in Colombia and Ecuador. It is currently classified as Vulnerable, but little is known about the direct threats that the species faces. We present a new locality record for N. felipei in the Andes of southwestern Colombia based on a road-killed specimen. The record is relevant because it provides additional information about morphological variation and describe a new threat to its populations that even affects individuals within protected areas such as the Puracé National Park, where the specimen was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stump-tailed porcupine, Coendou rufescens, is a widely distributed but scarcely documented species inhabiting the Andean region of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and an isolated population in Bolivia. Despite the wide distribution different aspects on its biology and ecology are still unknown. We present an update to the distribution of C. rufescens, and recent observations on the anatomy, natural history, and conservation in Colombia. For this, we described the male genitalia and present data on reproductive periods, plants used and consumed, and threats. The distribution of C. rufescens comprises 12 ecoregions in an area of 376,225 km2 for the northern group (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) and 393 km2 for the southern group (Bolivia). The highest elevational record is in Ecuador (4387 m), being the porcupine inhabiting at highest elevations. The anatomy of the glans is similar to that observed in Coendou quichua and constitutes the second species of Coendou with available information on glans morphology. C. rufescens consumes fruits and leaves of potato cider (Sechium edule: Cucurbitaceae) and woody shrub (Bejaria: Ericacea), and usually perches even in exotic species such as pines. Finally, common treats for the species in Colombia are related to hunting pressures, predation by domestic dogs, and roadkills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Colombia, seven species of small-eared shrews of the genus Cryptotis Pomel, 1848 have been reported, and five of them endemic to the country. Here, we present the first confirmed record from Colombia of Cryptotis niausa Moreno Cárdenas & Albuja, 2014, a species that was previously known from only nine localities in Ecuador. The Colombian record comes from the Departamento de Nariño, in extreme southwestern Colombia, and it is supported by morphology and cytochrome-b gene evidence. This record increases to eight the number of species of Cryptotis from Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colombian weasel, Neogale felipei (Izor & de la Torre, 1978), is one of the most enigmatic and threatened carnivores in South America, with only six confirmed records in the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. During a long-term trail camera survey conducted at Mesenia-Paramillo Natural Reserve, we recorded the northernmost occurrence of the species, which extends its distribution by approximately 120 km to the north from the nearest previously known locality in Colombia. We also provide some comments on its natural history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]