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The Brazilian squirrel Guerlinguetus brasiliensis is the only sciurid species occurring in the Atlantic Forest. We investigated the geographical distribution of the genetic diversity of this sciurid species across the Central Corridor of the Atlantic Forest, using two mitochondrial markers and one nuclear marker. We also inferred the demographic history and estimated the present and past habitat suitability for the species. We found strong mitochondrial DNA structure, possibly with both the Doce River and the valley of Paraíba do Sul River restricting gene flow between populations. The demography and ecological niche modelling highlighted a shared evolutionary history amongst several forest-dependent species in the Atlantic Forest. A pattern of isolation by distance was also found, revealing the low mobility and/or dispersal capacity of the species. Further data are required to disentangle exactly how past and/or recent habitat changes have affected population-level genetic diversity of G. brasiliensis.

An integrative taxonomy approach is used to study the diversity of the Brazilian aquatic pipid frog Pipa carvalhoi, evaluating whether within this nominal species two or more lineages are evolving ...

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:01:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-01-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris, Gray 1828) are widely distributed in tropical waters around the world. Although they occur in large, pelagic groups in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, elsewhere in the Pacific they are found in small and genetically isolated populations associated with islands. This species is considered to be “Least Concern” (LC) by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). To assess genetic diversity and population structure of an island-associated population in the South Atlantic Ocean we surveyed 162 spinner dolphins throughout the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago of the northeast coast of Brazil using ten microsatellite loci and sequencing a 413-bp section of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Eleven mtDNA haplotypes were identified and haplotype diversity (h) and nucleotide diversity (π) were 0.3747 and 0.0060, respectively. Median-Joining Network revealed the presence of two very divergent haplotypes and F-statistics indicated some heterogeneity between two sampling years. All microsatellite loci were polymorphic (Ho: 0.767; He: 0,764) but, revealed no detectable substructure. We also compared the mtDNA haplotypes from Noronha to 159 haplotypes representing 893 individuals from 14 locations worldwide. We found that the two common haplotypes from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago were absent in all other populations. These comparisons showed that Noronha spinner dolphins are likely more differentiated than other island populations, suggesting that they form societies with strong site fidelity mediated by females. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)

Modern and paleoclimate changes may have altered species dynamics by shifting species' niche suitability over space and time. We analyze whether the current genetic structure and isolation of the two large American felids, jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor), are mediated by changes in climatic suitability and connection routes over modern and paleoclimatic landscapes. We estimate species distribution under 5 climatic landscapes (modern, Holocene, last maximum glaciations [LMG], average suitability, and climatic instability) and correlate them with individuals' genetic isolation through causal modeling on a resemblance matrix. Both species exhibit genetic isolation patterns correlated with LMG climatic suitability, suggesting that these areas may have worked as "allele refuges." However, the jaguar showed higher vulnerability to climate changes, responding to modern climatic suitability and connection routes, whereas the puma showed a continuous and gradual transition of genetic variation. Despite differential responsiveness to climate change, both species are subjected to the climatic effects on genetic configuration, which may make them susceptible to future climatic changes, since these are progressing faster and with higher intensity than changes in the paleoclimate. Thus, the effects of climatic changes should be considered in the design of conservation strategies to ensure evolutionary and demographic processes mediated by gene flow for both species.

Biological collections are the basis of the Earth’s biodiversity knowledge and most of them are regional collections. Here we present two collections from the Federal University of Espírito Santo—Mammal Collection (UFES-MAM) and the associated Animal Tissue Collection (UFES-CTA)—which have been the main repository for mammal specimens collected in Espírito Santo, mostly georeferenced (~ 90%), and available in public databases. Thus, our objective with this essay was to point out the contributions of these collections to the knowledge of the diversity of mammals in the Atlantic Forest. At the same time, we present the contributions they return to society and the scientific community, highlighting the main obstacles and challenges those regional collections face. Despite being regional, UFES-MAM and UFES-CTA stand out nationally for having biological material from a wide variety of species—mainly rodents, marsupials, and bats—also counting on a series of primate tissues collected during the outbreak of wild yellow fever in Southeastern Brazil from 2017 to 2018. These collecting efforts contributed to 42 new mammal species records for Espírito Santo, and 25 species that had already been registered in the state but were listed only in out-of-state collections or reported in literature without voucher specimens. We hope that the information reported here are examples of good practices and increase knowledge and visibility of the rich collection that these regional collections house.

Oecomys tapajinus (Tapajos Oecomys) is currently a junior synonym of Oecomys roberti (Robert’s Oecomys), a widely distributed Amazonian mouse, which probably represents a complex of cryptic species. We investigated the taxonomic status of O. tapajinus by integrating phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences and morphological analyses of museum specimens. We were able to confirm that O. tapajinus is a valid species from eastern Amazonia and the transition to the Brazilian Cerrado, where it is sympatric with O. roberti. Oecomys tapajinus is characterized by a unique combination of morphological traits, high morphological variation, and genetic differentiation and structure related to the complex system of the Amazon River. Potential additional entities within the O. roberti complex emerged from our analyses, and further investigation with larger series may shed light on the taxonomic status of this species complex. Oecomys tapajinus (rato-da-arvore do Tapajos) e atualmente considerado um sinonimo junior de Oecomys roberti (rato-da-arvore de Robert), um roedor amplamente distribuido na Amazonia, e que provavelmente representa um complexo de especies cripticas. Neste trabalho investigamos o status taxonomico de O. tapajinus, integrando analises filogeneticas de sequencias de ADN e analises morfologicas de especimes de museus. Confirmamos o status de O. tapajinus como uma especie valida que ocorre no este da Amazonia e na transicao com o Cerrado Brasileiro, onde e simpatrico com O. roberti. Oecomys tapajinus e caracterizado por uma combinacao unica de caracteres morfologicos, uma alta variacao morfologica, e uma diferenciacao e estrutura genetica associada ao sistema complexo do Rio Amazonas. Este trabalho tambem revelou outras potenciais unidades dentro do complexo O. roberti que merecem investigacao adicional com maiores series amostrais e que irao ajudar a clarificar o status taxonomico deste complexo de especies.

The family Sciuridae is one of the most widespread and ecologically diverse lineages of rodents and represents an ideal model for investigating the evolution of locomotion modes and the historical biogeography of terrestrial mammals. We used a comprehensive database on locomotion modes, an updated phylogeny and novel biogeographic comparative methods to reassess the evolution of locomotion of squirrels and to investigate whether these locomotion modes evolved convergently in different continents. We found that locomotion changes occurred in different independent lineages of the family, including four reversals to terrestriality and one evolution of gliding. We also found evidence for Eurasia as the centre of origin of Sciuridae, challenging the classification of the oldest squirrel fossil records from the early Oligocene in North America. Additionally, Eurasia is also the possible centre of origin for most of squirrel subfamilies and tribes, and where locomotion changes have occurred. Parallel locomotion shifts could be explained by the adaptation towards different ecological niches followed by colonization of new continents.

NEW SOUTHERNMOST RECORDS OF Callithrix geoffroyi (PRIMATES, CALLITRICHIDAE) EXPAND THE SPECIES KNOWN RANGE, IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Diogo Loretto Oecologia Australis 0 0 2014-02-04T21:20:00Z 2014-02-04T21:20:00Z 1 224 1281 UFES 10 3 1502 14.0 Normal 0 false false false PT-BR JA X-NONE Research on the biology of Neotropical small mammals has increased in recent decades, and many studies have emphasized ecological and population attributes, but information on reproduction is still scarce. Reproduction is one of the most important natural history attributes because it is tied to almost every structural, physiological and behavioural adaptation of an individual or a species. Most research on rodent reproduction concentrates in temperate areas and there is an evident lack of data from the Neotropical region. We compared reproductive patterns of sigmodontine and echimyid rainforest rodents. We obtained necropsy data from 135 specimens collected in the field and belonging to 22 species of sigmodontine and 8 species of echimyid rodents. We estimated embryonic litter size by counting the number of embryos or the number and placement of placental scars in pregnant and parous females. Although smaller in body size, sigmodontines have larger litter sizes (3.6 ± 1.2) than echimyids (2.1 ± 0.7), indicating a tendency toward r and k reproductive strategies, respectively. Embryonic litter size in pregnant females was not statistically different from the number of placental scars, so the latter is a reliable estimate of the former in both sigmodontines and echimyids. Embryo implantation is asymmetric regarding uterine horns in sigmodontines, with predominance in the right horn, but not in echimyids. The relevance and biological implications of such patterns are still unknown.

Owl pellets are a useful tool for inventorying small mammals and a robust complement to traditional trapping methods. Here we assessed if bone samples recovered from Barn owl pellets in the Neotropics represent a viable source of modern DNA. We used the upper incisor of rodents and jaws of marsupials of pellet material for DNA extraction and amplification. Extraction and amplification success depended on the type of bone element used, being much higher from rodent incisors. The amplification success of small (429 bp) and large (801 bp) mitochondrial cytochrome b fragments was relatively similar, suggesting that DNA was not severely degraded, probably because our pellet samples were less than 8 years old. Eleven species of small mammals were identified, from which two are new to the study area: Gracilinanus emiliae and Marmosops pinheiroi. These records represent the southeastern boundary of both species, and extended their geographic distribution 370 km (G. emiliae) and 700 km (M. pinheiroi) to the south....

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We assess whether correlative paleoclimatic models of species ranges accurately predict genetic diversity patterns in species of distinct life histories traits in the Atlantic Forest (AF) of Brazil. To this end, we use sequences of the mitochondrial gene ND2 from Dendropsophus elegans and Chiasmocleis carvalhoi – summarized in the shape of phylogenies and population genetic statistics – and maximum entropy models of species distributions under current, 21 kya BP and 120 kya BP climatic reconstructions. The two target species have distinct ranges, habitat tolerances, rates of reproduction and dispersal abilities, yet are endemic to the AF. Although the more restricted and semi-fossorial C. carvalhoi is associated with forested habitats and thought to be a poor disperser, the widely ranged arboreal D. elegans inhabits open areas such as pastures and human-impacted regions of the AF, and is easily found perched on herbaceous vegetation in inundated areas. We had anticipated that correlative distribution models of the broadly distributed D. elegans would perform better then models of the narrowly ranged C. carvalhoi, thus better predicting current patterns of genetic diversity. The results demonstrate poor predictive ability of climate-based models of C. carvalhoi under current climatic conditions, suggesting that factors such as biotic interactions or dispersal ability may be playing a central role in defining this species distribution – both now and in the recent past. Models under current climate are nonetheless accurate in the broadly ranged D. elegans. As a corollary, paleoclimatic models accurately predicted patterns of diversity of the ND2 mitochondrial gene in D. elegans, but not in C. carvalhoi. We attribute these distinct responses to the poor explanatory power of paleodistributions models when applied to species that violate the basic assumption of the environment as main driver of distribution patterns. This calls for a careful use of distribution models for the purpose of evolutionary biogeographical inference. Like C. carvalhoi, other species whose ranges are not yet at equilibrium, or which are impacted by competitor, parasite or pathogen presence, may not be suitable to the combined use of paleoclimatic-model based phylogeographic inference, as here implemented – despite relatively high area under the curve values.

The arboreal mouse Oecomys cleberi was described in 1981 based on just one specimen from Distrito Federal in central Brazil, and it has not been recorded ever since. Its taxonomic status as a valid species has been questioned and it is currently listed as Data Deficient in terms of conservation status. Here we used ancient DNA methods to obtain a partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence from the holotype of Oecomys cleberi. Very low levels of genetic divergence (0.6% on average) allowed us to associate sequences from specimens previously identified as O. bicolor to O. cleberi. Comparative analyses of morphological and molecular data confirmed the taxonomic status of O. cleberi as a valid species, and increased our knowledge on its geographic distribution to at least three additional localities in the Cerrado of central Brazil. Cytochrome b sequences of O. cleberi formed a well-supported monophyletic group and diverged 6.8% on average from those of O. bicolor, its sister species from the Amazon. We refined and improved the morphological description of O. cleberi based on the examination of 15 museum specimens, including the holotype, and suggest that other field and museum records of this species may have also been misidentified as O. bicolor. Considering that O. cleberi may be more common and widespread than previously suspected, we suggest the conservation status of Least Concern for this species. However, further studies are needed to understand population trends of O. cleberi, given that it is apparently endemic to the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot. published

One or two diversification models alone cannot explain biodiversity evolution in the Atlantic Forest, or any other megadiverse biome, as we (1, 2) pointed out long before Raposo do Amaral et al. (3). In our recent paper (4), we present the Atlantis Forest hypothesis (AFH), which is an additional perspective to the Atlantic Forest evolution, beyond the forest refuge hypothesis (FRH). The AFH incorporates irrefutable Quaternary sea-level changes, which had been overlooked in the literature, and this is the main point of our paper. Support for the AFH came from small mammal distribution modeling and coalescent simulations based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, which have been successfully used in thousands of biogeographical studies for over 30 y, forming the basis of the booming field of phylogeography (5) and providing support for the FRH (6). We agree that analyses based on a single locus might be subject to stochastic error, and a recent review found mito-nuclear discordance in 18% of biogeographical studies (7). This is not a negligible number, but most mtDNA results can be taken as reliable indicators of geographical population structure and phylogeographical patterns (8).

Most living species of New World marsupials are classified in the family Didelphidae, with 98 species and 18 genera currently recognized. We sequenced fragments of two mitochondrial genes of didelphid marsupials from the At- lantic Forest of eastern South America, a biodiversity hotspot. We evaluated sequence divergences within and among spe- cies and contrasted the efficiency of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) with cytochrome b (CytB) in species-level di- agnosis. The average intraspecific genetic divergence of COI and CytB was 2.0% and 1.9%, respectively; which was about five times lower than the comparison among species of the same genus (11.2 and 10.8%). In both genes, divergence levels among closely related species are usually higher than within species. The barcoding gap is similar in COI and CytB, indicating that either gene can be used in molecular diagnoses of didelphid species. DNA barcodes are a welcome addition to traditional taxonomic methods when viewed as additional diagnostic characters in the context of integrative taxonomy.

Blarinomys breviceps possesses cryptic and burrowing habits with poorly documented genetics and life history traits. Due to its rarity, only a few specimens and DNA sequences have been deposited in collections worldwide. Here, we present the most comprehensive cytogenetic and molecular characterization of this rare genus. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial cytochrome b sequences were performed, attempting to establish the relationships among individuals with distinct karyotypes along the geographic distribution of the genus in the Atlantic Forest. Classical and molecular cytogenetics, using banding patterns and FISH of telomeric and whole chromosome X-specific painting probes (obtained from the Akodontini Akodon cursor) were used to characterize and compare the chromosomal complements. Molecular phylogenetic analyses recovered 2 main geographically structured clades, northeastern and southeastern with pairwise sequence divergences among specimens varying between 4.9 and 8.4%. Eight distinct karyomorphs are described: (A) 2n = 52 (50A, XX), (B) 2n = 52 (48A, XY+2Bs), (C) 2n = 45 (42A, XY+1B), (D) 2n = 43 (37A, XX+4Bs), (E) 2n = 37 (34A, XY+1B), (F) 2n = 34 (32A, XX), (G) 2n = 31 (27A, XX+2Bs), (H) 2n = 28 (26A, XY), all with the same number of autosomal arms (FNA = 50). Variation of 0–4 supernumerary chromosomes (Bs) presenting heterogeneity in morphology and distribution of interstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs) is reported. ITSs are also found in some metacentric autosomes. The phylogeographic separation between 2 major lineages with high levels of genetic divergence, and the wide karyotypic diversity indicate that B. breviceps is a diverse group that warrants taxonomic re-evaluation.

The genus Rhipidomys (sigmodontine rodents in the tribe Thomasomyini) is a poorly known radiation of Neotropical mice with few studies addressing their systematics and geographic distribution. We describe 2 new species of Rhipidomys (climbing mice) from southeastern Brazil. One of these species is known only from the type locality and 2 additional sites in the southeastern part of Minas Gerais, north of the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain complex. The other species occurs to the south of this mountain range in eastern Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo states, including coastal islands. These species can be distinguished from each other and from their congeners by morphological and molecular traits, and the new species from south of the Serra da Mantiqueira has a unique chromosomal complement of 2n = 44 and FN = 48, 49, or 50. Phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome-b sequences also revealed an additional unnamed clade of Rhipidomys from central and eastern Brazil, which is closely related to R. cariri f...

We describe in this paper a new genus and species of cricetid rodent from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, one of the most endangered eco-regions of the world. The new form displays some but not all synapomorphies of the tribe Oryzomyini, but a suite of unique characteristics is also observed. This new forest rat possesses anatomical characteristics of arboreal taxa, such as very developed plantar pads, but was collected almost exclusively in pitfall traps. Phylogenetic analyses of morphological (integument, soft tissue, cranial, and dental characters) and molecular [nuclear – Interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (Irbp) – and mitochondrial – cytochrome b– genes] datasets using maximum likelihood and cladistic parsimony approaches corroborate the inclusion of the new taxon within oryzomyines. The analyses also place the new form as sister species to Eremoryzomys polius, an Andean rat endemic to the Maranon valley. This biogeographical pattern is unusual amongst small terrestrial vertebrates, as a review of the literature points to few other similar examples of Andean–Atlantic Forest pairings, in hylid frogs, Pionus parrots, and other sigmodontine rodents. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 161, 357–390.

Measures of traits are the basis of functional biological diversity. Numerous works consider mean species-level measures of traits while ignoring individual variance within species. However, there is a large amount of variation within species and it is increasingly apparent that it is important to consider trait variation not only between species, but also within species. Mammals are an interesting group for investigating trait-based approaches because they play diverse and important ecological functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, predation, grazing) that are correlated with functional traits. Here we compile a data set comprising morphological and life history information of 279 mammal species from 39,850 individuals of 388 populations ranging from −5.83 to −29.75 decimal degrees of latitude and −34.82 to −56.73 decimal degrees of longitude in the Atlantic forest of South America. We present trait information from 16,840 individuals of 181 species of non-volant mammals (Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Carnivora, Primates, Cingulata, Artiodactyla, Pilosa, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla) and from 23,010 individuals of 98 species of volant mammals (Chiroptera). The traits reported include body mass, age, sex, reproductive stage, as well as the geographic coordinates of sampling for all taxa. Moreover, we gathered information on forearm length for bats and body length and tail length for rodents and marsupials. No copyright restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. Fil: Gonçalves, Fernando. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Bovendorp, Ricardo S.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Beca, Gabrielle. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Bello, Carolina. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Costa Pereira, Raul. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Muylaert, Renata L.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Rodarte, Raisa R.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Villar, Nacho. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Souza, Rafael. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Graipel, Maurício E.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Brasil Fil: Cherem, Jorge J.. Caipora Cooperativa, Florianopolis; Brasil Fil: Faria, Deborah. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; Brasil Fil: Baumgarten, Julio. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; Brasil Fil: Alvarez, Martín R.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; Brasil Fil: Vieira, Emerson M.. Universidade do Brasília; Brasil Fil: Cáceres, Nilton. Universidade Federal de Santa María. Santa María; Brasil Fil: Pardini, Renata. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Leite, Yuri L. R.. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; Brasil Fil: Costa, Leonora Pires. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; Brasil Fil: Mello, Marco Aurelio Ribeiro. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil Fil: Fischer, Erich. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; Brasil Fil: Passos, Fernando C.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; Brasil Fil: Varzinczak, Luiz H.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; Brasil Fil: Prevedello, Jayme A.. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Cruz-Neto, Ariovaldo P.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Carvalho, Fernando. Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense; Brasil Fil: Reis Percequillo, Alexandre. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Paviolo, Agustin Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Duarte, José M. B.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Bernard, Enrico. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Brasil Fil: Agostini, Ilaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Lamattina, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina Fil: Vanderhoeven, Ezequiel Andres. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina

The Bahian giant tree rat Phyllomys unicolor (Wagner) was described from a single specimen collected in the early nineteeth century, and it has not been recorded since. It was included on the Brazilian endangered species list, and considered extinct by some. Here we report the rediscovery of P. unicolor around the type locality in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Bahia, eastern Brazil. We trapped only one young individual during seven expeditions to ten localities in the area. The phylogenetic distinctiveness of this taxon based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene is clear, in spite of uncertainties regarding clade support. The evolutionary uniqueness of P. unicolor was confirmed by a high level of sequence divergence from congeneric species. We propose that the Bahian giant tree rat should be globally listed as Critically Endangered by the World Conservation Union. Phyllomys unicolor seems to be restricted to swamp forests and it does not occur in any protected area. Intensive field studies should be carried out in the region to locate populations and to study ecological attributes of this species. The rediscovery of P. unicolor draws attention to the biological importance and the lack of protected areas in this region of the Atlantic forest.

We report the discovery of a new species of Coendou (Rodentia, Erethizontidae), here designated Coendou speratus sp. nov. This small porcupine, locally known as coandumirim, is found in the Pernambuco Endemism Centre in the Atlantic coast of northeastern Brazil north of the São Francisco river, one of the most important known biodiversity hotspots. The geographic range of C. speratus overlaps with that of the larger, widespread C. prehensilis, but not with that of C. insidiosus from the southeastern Atlantic forest, nor with that of C. nycthemera, an eastern Amazonian species. Coendou speratus is a small-bodied, long-tailed species that appears to be completely spiny because it lacks long dorsal fur. The dorsal quills have conspicuously brownish red tips that contrast with the blackish dorsal background color. The new species is overall similar to C. nycthemera, but the dorsal body quills are typically tricolored in the former and bicolored in the latter. The new species is externally very distinct from C. insidiosus, especially because the latter has bicolored dorsal quills that are almost completely hidden beneath longer and homogeneous pale or dark hairs.

Monodelphis is the most diverse genus of the family Didelphidae, whose systematics and taxonomy have not yet been well established. Two of the included species, Monodelphis americana and M. iheringi, are difficult to distinguish because both present three dorsal black stripes. Furthermore, they show intra- and interspecific variation related to body size and pelage coloration. Because this variation is not well understood, there are problems in correctly identifying these species, which remain poorly collected and thus rare in zoological collections. This study evaluated the morphological and genetic variations in a sample of striped opossums from a single location in southeastern Brazil to understand if the morphological variation observed in individuals from the same location was indicative of the existence of more than one taxon. The comparative analyses of a series from this single locality with museum specimens of other locations revealed variations in the skin and skull qualitative characters that were related to age and sex. Morphological comparisons led to the identification of two morphogroups, which were corroborated by molecular data; the analysis of cytochrome b sequences indicated the existence of two clades, with an average divergence of 14%. Thus, the results support the existence of two taxa in the sample, defined as M. americana and M. iheringi. We confirmed the sympatry of these two species in a location in southeastern Brazil, presented morphological diagnostic characters to distinguish the two species, provided novel phylogenetic information on the group, and also demonstrated the existence of important intra- and interspecific morphological variations related to sexual dimorphism and ontogeny in the group. These results significantly contribute to information on the systematics of the genus.

The riverine barrier model suggests that rivers play a significant role in separating widespread organisms into isolated populations. In this study, we used a comparative approach to investigate the phylogeography of 6 didelphid marsupial species in central Brazil. Specifically, we evaluate the role of the mid-Araguaia River in differentiating populations and estimate divergence time among lineages to assess the timing of differentiation of these species, using mitochondrial DNA sequence data. The 6 didelphid marsupials revealed different intraspecific genetic patterns and structure. The 3 larger and more generalist species, Didelphis albiventris, Didelphis marsupialis, and Philander opossum, showed connectivity across the Araguaia River. In contrast the genetic structure of the 3 smaller and specialist species, Gracilinanus agilis, Marmosa (Marmosa) murina, and Marmosa (Micoureus) demerarae was shaped by the mid-Araguaia. Moreover, the split of eastern and western bank populations of the 2 latter species is consistent with the age of Araguaia River sediments formation. We hypothesize that the role of the Araguaia as a riverine barrier is linked to the level of ecological specialization among the 6 didelphid species and differences in their ability to cross rivers or disperse through the associated habitat types. FCT PhD grants: (SFRH/BD/24767/2005, SFRH/BD/23191/2005); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) PhD scholarship; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tenológico (CNPq, Brazil) research grants; European Funds (COMPETE).

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and the first of the megadiversity countries, accounting for roughly 14% of the world's biota. It has the largest mammal diversity (more than 530 described species) with many yet to be discovered and cataloged. Very few sites have been adequately surveyed, and local lists are usually incomplete, which makes for knowledge gaps that hamper conservation and management initiatives and regional analyses. According to the Brazilian Institute for the Environment (IBAMA), 66 species are threatened, and the World Conservation Union lists 74. Primates, mostly Atlantic Forest endemics, are the most endangered group (40% of the threatened taxa). Carnivores and rodents are also notable members of the lists. Twenty-nine percent of listed species are marine, 18% occur in the Atlantic Forest, 13% in the Pampas, 12% in the Cerrado, 11% in the Pantanal, 7% in the Amazon, and 6% in the Caatinga. Human-induced habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to land mammals in Brazil, and large- and medium-sized mammals are hunted. The major threat to small mammals is the scarcity of basic scientific knowledge—taxonomy, systematics, distribution, and natural history. Aquatic mammals are threatened by commercial hunting, accidental netting, long-line fisheries, chemical pollution, habitat degradation, tourism, and boat traffic. Mammal conservation has benefited from a number of recent initiatives by government and nongovernmental organizations, including legislation, nationwide initiatives to define priority areas for conservation, management plans for some threatened species, sustainable landscape planning, and new protected areas. Given the rate of habitat loss, a nationwide program of short- and long-term field surveys and increased support for natural history collections is of particularly urgency. Progress has been made toward conserving Brazilian mammals in recent years, but threats are growing fast, and conservation science must keep growing to provide the wherewithal to minimize and remove these threats. Resumen: Brasil es el quinto pais mas grande del mundo y el primero de los paises megadiversos, con casi 14% de la biota mundial. Tiene la mayor diversidad de mamiferos (mas de 530 especies descritas) con aun mucho por descubrir y catalogar. Pocos sitios han sido muestreados adecuadamente, y las listas locales generalmente estan incompletas, lo que constituye huecos de conocimiento que obstaculizan iniciativas de conservacion y manejo y analisis regionales. De acuerdo con el Instituto Brasileno del Medio Ambiente (IBAMA), sesenta y seis especies estan amenazadas, y la Union de Conservacion Mundial enlista 74. Los Primates, principalmente endemicos del bosque Atlantico, son el grupo en mayor peligro. Veintinueve porciento de las especies enlistadas son marinas, 18% ocurren en el bosque Atlantico, 13% en las Pampas, 12% en el Cerrado, 11% en el Pantanal, 7% en el Amazonas y 6% en la Caatinga. La perdida y fragmentacion de habitat inducida por humanos son las mayores amenazas a mamiferos terrestres en Brasil, y los mamiferos medianos y grandes son cazados. La mayor amenaza a mamiferos pequenos es la escasez de conocimiento cientifico basico – taxonomia, sistematica, distribucion e historia natural. Los mamiferos acuaticos estan amenazados por la caceria comercial, captura accidental en redes, pesquerias, contaminacion quimica, degradacion del habitat, turismo y trafico de barcos. La conservacion de mamiferos se ha beneficiado de un numero de iniciativas recientes del gobierno y de organizaciones no gubernamentales, incluyendo legislacion, iniciativas a nivel pais para definir areas prioritarias para la conservacion, planes de manejo para algunas especies amenazadas, planificacion sustentable del paisaje y nuevas areas protegidas. Dada la tasa de perdida de habitat, es particularmente urgente un programa nacional de muestreos de campo a corto y largo plazo asi como el incremento en el apoyo a colecciones de historia natural. En anos recientes se ha progresado en la conservacion de mamiferos Brasilenos, pero las amenazas estan creciendo rapidamente, y la ciencia de la conservacion debe seguir creciendo para proporcionar los recursos para minimizar y remover esas amenazas.

Furipterus horrens has its distribution restricted to the Neotropics. In the coastal states of Southeastern Brazil covered by Atlantic Forest, few records are known and the Espírito Santo state has never been included as an area of occurrence of the species. Here, we report the collection and identification, using morphological and molecular data, of a single individual from Floresta Nacional do Rio Preto, Conceição da Barra, which is the first record in Espírito Santo and fills in a gap in the known geographical distribution of this bat in the Atlantic Forest.

Aim To examine how the genetic diversity of selected taxa of forest-dwelling small mammals is distributed between and within the major rain forest domains of Amazonia and Atlantic Forest and the intervening interior forests of Brazil, as inferred by the relationships between gene genealogies and geography. I also addressed the historical importance of the central Brazilian forests in connecting Amazon and Atlantic Forest populations of rodents and marsupials. Methods I evaluated variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to estimate the levels of sequence divergence between those taxa occurring throughout the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and forests in the Cerrado and Caatinga regions. I inferred the hierarchical relationships between haplotypes, populations and formal taxa using the cladistic approach of maximum parsimony. I compared areas and the clades identified by superimposing cladograms on the geographical distribution of samples. The degree of concordance both in phylogeny and the depth of the nodes in these phylogenies, in addition to patterns of geographical distribution of clades, permitted me to make inferences on how, when and where the taxa differentiated. Results Sequence similarity is often greater between samples from the Atlantic Forest and either Amazon or central Brazilian forests than it is within each of the two rain forest domains. The Atlantic Forest clades are either not reciprocally monophyletic or are the sister group to all the other clades. There is some indication of northern and southern components in the Atlantic Forest. Given the geographical distribution of clades and the relatively deep levels of divergence, the central Brazilian area does not behave as a separate region but is complementary to either Amazon or Atlantic Forest. Patterns of area relationships differ across taxa, suggesting that different processes and ⁄ or historic events affected the diversification within each lineage. Main conclusions The Amazon and the Atlantic forests are not exclusive in terms of their small mammal faunas; both overlap broadly with taxa occurring in gallery forests and dry forests in central Brazil. Central Brazilian forests are an integral part of the evolutionary scenario of lowland small mammals, playing an important role as present and past habitats for rain forest species. Therefore, representatives from this area should always be included in analyses of the evolutionary history of lowland rain forest faunas. The incongruence of branching patterns among areas is in agreement with recent results presented for Neotropical passerine birds and indicates that a single hypothesis of Neotropical area relationships is unlikely. These findings reinforce the idea that speciation in the Neotropics will not be explained by any single model of vicariance or climatic changes.

Background: Seasonally flooded natural forest fragments, so-called ipucas, in the Araguaia alluvial plain of the state of Tocantins, central Brazil, represent a peculiar landscape that is poorly surveyed. This study considers the diversity in the small mammal assemblage and the zoogeographical patterns of this assemblage when compared to 30 other study sites in Brazil. Results: ‘Ipucas’ harbour species adapted to disturbed habitats that are common in fragmented landscapes and endemic species of the Cerrado. However, they also constitute the most central-eastern distribution limit of one typical Amazonian species. These fragments are closely related to the central-western region of Brazil, in the Amazonia-Cerrado ecotone, which lies in the so-called arc of deforestation. Conclusions: Our results reinforce the idea that the habitat mosaic found in the Araguaia alluvial plain has an important role in promoting the high biodiversity of this area and that natural forest fragments may act as a refuge and food resource for several species. These fragments may also constitute essential stepping stones for small mammal species within agricultural landscapes. Further studies are essential to better understand small mammal communities inhabiting natural forest fragments in the Araguaia alluvial plain, and these will support in assessing the future of this fauna and, thereby, help to establish future conservation practices in this area.

Rates of biodiversity loss are clearly associated with a reduction in the extent of original habitat. The most frequently used method to derive such estimates comes from the well-known species–area relationship. We explored the relationship between habitat loss and area for the Brazilian mammal fauna on a biome level (Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and the Brazilian portion of the Amazon basin), as well as on a smaller regional scale (the Rio Doce Valley of the Atlantic Forest). Habitat loss overestimates the number of threatened species when the entire species pool is considered (endemics and wide-ranging species). Restricting the analyses to the endemic species, the predicted extinction as a function of habitat loss in the Atlantic Forest and in the Cerrado is found to be greater than the number of taxa actually listed as threatened. This relation is reversed in the Amazon. When considering only the localized species pool for the Rio Doce Valley region of the Atlantic Forest, the function accurately predicts the number of extinctions resulting from habitat loss. We suggest that there is both theoretical and empirical evidence to suggest that threat analysis will generate more accurate estimates of species loss when conducted on a more local scale, particularly for the fauna of non-insular, continental regions. Furthermore, other phenomena affecting the likelihood of extinction of certain groups of species, such as hunting, need to be taken into account in order to better understand the dynamics of biodiversity loss.

Few studies have investigated the ecological relationships between marsupials or their importance in community composition (Dickman 1984). The small size, nocturnal activity and arboreal habits of many species of didelphid marsupials present some difficulties in studying them. Vertical space use of vertebrates in tropical forests is difficult to examine, especially because of canopy height and great habitat complexity (sensu August 1983). However, this latter factor has a considerable importance in spatial separation of sympatric species, amplifying the possibilities of resource partitioning (Giller 1984). Previous studies on vertical space use of didelphid marsupials showed the importance of vertical stratification for this group (Charles-Dominique et al. 1981, Julien-Laferriere 1991, Malcolm 1991, Stallings 1989). Miles et al. (1981) stated that ecological segregation of Neotropical marsupials is not obviously determined by the species' diets, but is better related to spatial differentiation, which discards competition for food. However, these authors recognize the necessity to study the interactions between diet and space use for the comprehension of resource partitioning strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the food habits and vertical space use in sympatric species of opossums in the Atlantic forest of Brazil. We hypo

This study reports the occurrence of highly conserved d-loop sequences in the mitochondrial genome of the woolly mouse opossum genus Marmosa subgenus Micoureus (Mammalia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae). Sixty-six sequences of Marmosa (Micoureus) demerarae, Marmosa (Micoureus) constantiae, and Marmosa (Micoureus) paraguayanus were amplified using universal d-loop primers and virtually no genetic differences were detected within and among species. These sequences matched the control region of the mitochondrial marsupial genome. Analyses of qualitative aspects of these sequences revealed that their structural composition is very similar to the d-loop region of other didelphid species. However, the total lack of variability has not been reported from other closely related species. The data analyzed here support the occurrence of highly conserved d-loop sequences, and we found no support for the hypothesis that these sequences are d-loop-like nuclear pseudogenes. Furthermore, the control and flanking regions obtained with different primers corroborate the lack of variability of the d-loop sequences in the mitochondrial genome of Marmosa (Micoureus). published

The gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus occurs mainly along the Atlantic forest of eastern and southern Brazil. Earlier studies revealed high levels of genetic divergence among samples across its range. Here, we analyzed the congruence of geographic variation between molecular and morphological characters to evaluate whether the populations that have been segregated by molecular divergence represent more than one species, as previously suggested. We examined 195 specimens of G. microtarsus, 94 of G. agilis, and 12 of Cryptonanus sp., and inferred a phylogeny based on 25 discrete morphological characters. We compared this result with a phylogeny based on partial cytochrome b sequences of 27 specimens. The monophyly of the genus, and of both G. microtarsus and G. agilis were corroborated by morphological and molecular analyses. The molecular phylogeny recovered three clades, and the morphological data indicated three distinct lineages, which also segregated in morphometric space, indicating the possibility of occurrence of three cryptic species within what is currently identified as G. microtarsus. However, morphological and molecular phylogenies were not completely congruent, and the morphological classification of the specimens included in the molecular analysis resulted in a paraphyletic group in the molecular phylogeny. Hence, our results suggest that G. microtarsus represents one species, diagnosable by morphological and molecular characters, showing strong morphological and molecular variation throughout its distributional range.

The Brazilian porcupine was one of several species described and illustrated by the 17 th -century naturalist Georg Marcgrave, whose text was among the primary references upon which Linnaeus based his Hystrix prehensilis. As currently understood, Coendou prehensilis is a wide-ranging polytypic taxon that has never been revised and may represent a complex of closely related species. Given that no name-bearing type specimen of C. prehensilis is believed to be extant, and in order to avoid ambiguous application of this name, we designate a specimen collected at the type locality in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, as the neotype for Hystrix prehensilis Linnaeus. The geographic distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes suggests that specimens from west-central Brazil previously identified as “Coendou prehensilis” belong to a different species, but only a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus will shed light on species limits and the geographic ranges of C. prehensilis and other congeneric forms.

We collected and analyzed 286 Barn owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), pellets from two nests in different environments along the mid-Araguaia River in central Brazil. Our analyses revealed that these owls feed mainly on small mammals, especially rodents. Owls from the riverbanks at Fazenda Santa Fé had a more diverse diet, preying mainly on rodents that typically inhabit riparian grasslands - Holochilus sciureus Wagner, 1842 - and forests - Hylaeamys megacephalus (Fischer, 1814) and Oecomys spp., which probably also occur in forest borders or clearings. On the other hand, owls from an agroecosystem at Fazenda Lago Verde preyed mostly on rodent species common in these agrarian fields, Calomys tocantinsi Bonvicino, Lima & Almeida, 2003. Additionally, we compared small mammal richness estimates based on the analysis of owl pellets with estimates from live-trapping in the same areas. Owl pellets revealed two rodent species undetected by live traps - Euryoryzomys sp. and Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) - and four rodent species were trapped, but not found in owl pellets - Oecomys roberti Thomas, 1904, Pseudoryzomys simplex (Winge, 1887), Rhipidomys ipukensis Rocha, B.M.A. Costa & L.P. Costa, 2011, and Makalata didelphoides (Desmarest, 1817). Traps yielded higher species richness, but these two methods complement each other for surveying small rodents.

Submitted by Patricia Barros (patricia.barros@ufes.br) on 2011-02-23T12:54:53Z No. of bitstreams: 2 32.pdf: 82505063 bytes, checksum: b05a1c135915024538a7e1ecbdfafb1f (MD5) license_rdf: 21504 bytes, checksum: cfe16b28a928230b24b965de15e8a5ff (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Patricia Barros(patricia.barros@ufes.br) on 2011-10-10T21:03:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 32.pdf: 82505063 bytes, checksum: b05a1c135915024538a7e1ecbdfafb1f (MD5) license_rdf: 21504 bytes, checksum: cfe16b28a928230b24b965de15e8a5ff (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2011-10-10T21:03:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 32.pdf: 82505063 bytes, checksum: b05a1c135915024538a7e1ecbdfafb1f (MD5) license_rdf: 21504 bytes, checksum: cfe16b28a928230b24b965de15e8a5ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-07 A Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas (2.190 ha) é um dos maiores remanescentes de Mata Atlântica do Estado do Espírito Santo, Sudeste do Brasil. Nós amostramos tetrápodes não voadores nessa área entre maio de 2007 e abril de 2008, utilizando armadilhas de queda, armadilhas de isca, armadilhas fotográficas e buscas oportunísticas diurnas e noturnas. Além disso, nós compilamos registros de vertebrados não voadores ocorrentes nesta área disponíveis na literatura e através de espécimes em museus. Nós documentamos 52 espécies de anfíbios, 24 espécies de répteis não voadores e 39 espécies de mamíferos não voadores. Do total de 115 espécies, 47 configuram novos registros para a área e seis outras espécies tiveram sua distribuição geográfica ampliada com os resultados do presente estudo. Além disso, apresentamos o registro de predação da perereca Hypsiboas faber pela serpente Chironius bicarinatus. Cinco das espécies registradas são listadas como ameaçadas no Estado do Espírito Santo e muitas outras possuem estado de conservação incerto. A Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas é um importante refúgio de vida selvagem, principalmente quando consideramos a expansão de áreas urbanas no seu entorno. ABSTRACT Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas (2,910 ha) is one of the largest Atlantic forest remnants in the State of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil. We recorded non-volant tetrapods in this area from May 2007 through April 2008, using pitfalls, live traps, camera traps, and diurnal and nocturnal opportunistic searches. In addition, we compiled available museum and literature records from this area. We documented 52 species of amphibians, 24 species of non-avian reptiles, and 39 species of non-volant mammals. Out of these 115 species, 47 are new records for this area and six other species had their geographic ranges expanded with the present study. Furthermore, we present the record of predation of the tree frog Hypsiboas faber by the snake Chironius bicarinatus. Out of the species listed, five species are listed as threatened with extinction in the State of Espírito Santo, and many others have uncertain conservation status. Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas is an important wildlife refuge, especially considering the expansion of urban areas in its surroundings.

A search for angiostrongylid worms was performed in histological sections of viscera from 129 specimens of wild non-flying small mammals captured in the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve, municipality of Cariacica, Espirito Santo, southeastern Brazil. No intra-arterial worm was detected but probable filarid worms were found inside the bronchial tree of two animals, one specimen each of Metachirus nudicaudatus and Didelphis aurita. Cases of human infection both with Angiostrongylus costaricensis and Angiostrongylus cantonensis have already been reported from Cariacica in Espirito Santo, but there is no data on natural infection of non-human mammals. This report deals with a first attempt to identify angiostrongylid worms in animals from a Biological Reserve in the State of Espirito Santo.

In the present paper, we describe Juliomys ossitenuis, a new species of sigmodontine rodent from the Altantic forest biodiversity hotspot in South America. This new species can be distinguished from the two congeners by clear morphological, molecular, and karyological characters. Juliomys ossitenuis is known from rain and semi-deciduous forests above 800 meters of altitude in southeastern Brazil, ranging from the state of Espírito Santo to São Paulo. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene confirmed that members of this new species form a well-supported monophyletic group, highly divergent from the other two species in the genus.

In Description, section Skull, on page 426, line 27: "fossa ?-shaped" should read "fossa V-shaped".

We report the discovery of a new species of Coendou (Rodentia, Erethizontidae), here designated Coendou speratus sp. nov. This small porcupine, locally known as coandumirim, is found in the Pernambuco Endemism Centre in the Atlantic coast of northeastern Brazil north of the Sao Francisco river, one of the most important known biodiversity hotspots. The geographic range of C. speratus overlaps with that of the larger, widespread C. prehensilis, but not with that of C. insidiosus from the southeastern Atlantic forest, nor with that of C. nycthemera, an eastern Amazonian species. Coendou speratus is a small-bodied, long-tailed species that appears to be completely spiny because it lacks long dorsal fur. The dorsal quills have conspicuously brownish red tips that contrast with the blackish dorsal background color. The new species is overall similar to C. nycthemera, but the dorsal body quills are typically tricolored in the former and bicolored in the latter. The new species is externally very distinct from C. insidiosus, especially because the latter has bicolored dorsal quills that are almost completely hidden beneath longer and homogeneous pale or dark hairs.

The mid-Araguaia River basin in central Brazil is considered a priority area for biodiversity conservation, and Parque Estadual do Cantão (PEC) is one of the most important protected areas in this ecotone between Cerrado and Amazonia. This area suffers an intensive human pressure with high rates of deforestation, and still remains poorly studied in terms of biodiversity. From June 2007 to November 2008 we sampled small mammals from both banks of the mid-Araguaia River, in the states of Tocantins and Pará. Data are given about morphological traits, geographic distribution and natural history of 22 species of small non-volant mammals (eight marsupials and 14 rodents) surveyed at PEC and its surroundings. We also present mitochondrial phylogenetic analyses that allow species identification within the genera: Oecomys, Oligoryzomys and Rhipidomys, and delineate an undescribed species of Thrichomys. Based on morphologic and molecular data, we describe a new species of Rhipidomys previously assigned to R. nitela, which is apparently endemic to the AraguaiaTocantins basin in the Cerrado. Additionally, our phylogenetic analyses provide support for the role played by the Araguaia River as an important geographic barrier for two sister species of Rhipidomys. A bacia do Médio Araguaia no Brasil Central é considerada uma área prioritária para a conservação da biodiversidade e o Parque Estadual do Cantão (PEC) é uma das mais importantes áreas protegidas neste ecótono entre o Cerrado e a Amazônia. Esta área encontra-se sob uma forte pressão humana, com altas taxas de desmatamento, e continua muito pouco estudada em termos de biodiversidade. De Junho de 2007 a Novembro de 2008, amostrámos pequenos mamíferos das duas margens do Rio Araguaia, nos estados do Tocantins e Pará. Neste trabalho, apresentamos dados sobre características morfológicas, distribuição geográfica e história natural de 22 espécies de pequenos mamíferos não-voadores (oito marsupiais e 14 roedores) amostrados no PEC e seu entorno. Apresentamos, também, análises filogenéticas que permitem a identificação de espécies dentro dos gêneros: Oecomys, Oligoryzomys e Rhipidomys, e a delimitação de uma espécie não descrita de Thrichomys. Com base em dados morfológicos e moleculares, descrevemos uma espécie nova de Rhipidomys, previamente alocada a R. nitela, e aparentemente endêmica da bacia do Araguaia-Tocantins no Cerrado. Adicionalmente, as nossas análises filogenéticas suportam o papel desempenhado pelo Rio Araguaia como uma importante barreira geográfica para duas espécies irmãs de Rhipidomys. published

We used parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) to investigate the distribution patterns of South American lowland forest mammals, focusing on centers of endemism and diversity. We utilized distribution data available for species of marsupials, rodents, and primates that occur in South America. Two grids were superimposed on the distribution maps: a larger one encompassing tropical and subtropical South America, and a smaller and more precise grid covering the Atlantic Forest only. Also, the number of species per quadrat was estimated. The results support the idea that the distribution of this fauna is structured in the form of centers of endemism. In addition, there is good congruence between the areas identified here and those proposed by other authors, reinforcing the value of PAE in this kind of analysis. The hierarchical relationships among areas, however, are not clear and sometimes discordant with other biogeographic analyses.

To clarify the taxonomy and serve as a foundation for future systematic studies, we searched for the type material associated with all named forms of Brazilian Atlantic tree rats of the genus Phyllomys. For the following ten taxa we found either the originally designated holotypes, syntype series, or contemporary specimens likely to have been seen by the authors: P. blainvilii, P. brasiliensis, P. fossilis, P. nigrispinus, P. unicolor, P. dasythrix, P. lamarum, P. medius, P. thomasi, and P. kerri. For five species the holotype was unambiguously identified. For five other named forms no holotype was originally designated but we found several candidate specimens and for all of these we designate lectotypes. We identify the type localities for all named Phyllomys species and amend those which are ambiguous. We review the taxonomy, diagnosing and redescribing all the named forms of the genus. After examining the type material, we concluded that the rusty-sided tree rat from coastal Brazil, usually id...