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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.

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.

The Colombian weasel Mustela felipei is considered the rarest Neotropical carnivore only known from four localities in Colombia and one in Ecuador. It is considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List along its distributional range. We present an unexpected photographic record of a living specimen from Colombia that shed lights on its distribution on the Western Cordillera of Colombia, where it was previously known from single a record obtained on 1986. This is the first confirmed record of the Colombian weasel during the 21st century. Finally, we discuss the species’ occurrence in protected areas of Colombia, to provide tools for the conservation of this rare species.

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.”

La Comadreja Colombiana (Mustela felipei) es quizás la especie de carnívoro más rara de Sudamérica (Schreiber et al. 1989), debido al escaso número de registros conocidos y validados (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012, Ramírez-Chaves & Patterson 2014). La especie puede incluirse en la categoría C de rareza, de acuerdo a Arita et al. (1990), debido a que presenta distribución restringida y bajas densidades poblacionales. Aunque se ha mencionado que existen al menos 10 localidades de registros (Emmons & Helgen 2008, Burneo et al. 2009), también se ha demostrado que muchas de ellas carecen de soporte (RamírezChaves & Mantilla-Meluk 2009, Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012), debido a estas circunstancias se ha hecho un llamado a la prudencia cuando se trata de presentar registros sobre la especie (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012).

43. Colombian Weasel Mustela felipei French: Belette de Colombie / German: Kolumbien-Wiesel / Spanish: Comadreja de Don Felipe Taxonomy. Mustela felipei 1zor & de la Torre, 1978, Colombia. Monotypic. Distribution. Colombia and Ecuador. Descriptive notes. Head-body 21.7-22.5 cm, tail 11.1-12.2 cm; weight c. 138 g. The Columbian Weasel has a long body and short limbs. The pelage is long and soft, almost entirely dark brown on the back, with pale orange undersides. All the feet have extensive webbing, with naked plantar surfaces. Habitat. Most specimens were collected near riparian areas, at elevations between 1700-2700 m. Food and Feeding. Nothing known. Activity patterns. Nothing known. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nothing known. Breeding. Nothing known. Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable in The IUCN Red List. A very poorly known species, only recently described. Possibly the rarest carnivore in South America, it occurs in a limited area ofless than 10,000 km? where deforestation is rampant. Since its discovery, only five specimens have been obtained from western Colombia (provinces of Huila and Cauca) and northern Ecuador. The Columbian Weasel is a high priority for field research to learn more aboutits natural history, ecology, and conservation status. Bibliography. Alberico (1994), Fawcett et al. (1996), IUCN (2008), Izor & de la Torre (1978), Wozencraft (2005)., Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Mustelidae, pp. 564-656 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 650, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5714044

Mustela felipei Izor and de la Torre, 1978. J. Mammal., 59:92. TYPE LOCALITY: "Santa Marta, elevation 2,700 m, near San Agustin, Huila, Colombia ". DISTRIBUTION: The type locality and Cauca, Colombia (two localities separated by 70 km, on opposite sides of Cordillera Central. COMMENTS: Izor and de la Torre (1978) suggested that africana and felipei form a monophyletic group. Youngman (1982) placed felipei in subgenus Grammogale., Published as part of W. Christopher Wozencraft, 1993, Order Carnivora, pp. 279-348 in Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London :Smithsonian Institution Press on page 322, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7359191, {"references":["Izor, R. J., and L. de la Torre. 1978. A new species of weasel (Mustela) from the highlands of Colombia, with comments on the evolution and distribution of South American weasels. Journal of Mammalogy, 59: 92 - 102.","Youngman, P. M. 1982. Distribution and systematics of the European mink, Mustela lutreola Linnaeus, 1761. Acta Zoologica Fennica, 166: 1 - 48."]}

Mustela felipei Izor and de la Torre, 1978. J. Mammal., 59:92. TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, Huila, Santa Marta near San Augustin. DISTRIBUTION: Santa Marta (Huila, Colombia); Cauca (Colombia); (two localities separated by 70 km, on opposite sides of Cordillera Central)., Published as part of James H. Honacki, Kenneth E. Kinman & James W. Koeppl, 1982, Order Carnivora, pp. 244-289 in Mammal Species of the World (1 st Edition), Lawrence, Kansas, USA :Alien Press, Inc. & The Association of Systematics Collections on page 262, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7352980