Mazama americana (red brocket deer) is the genus-type species (first species described for this genus) and the basis for the identity of other Mazama species. Mazama americana is one of the most abundant and widely distributed deer species in the neotropical forest. However, recent studies suggest that this taxon belongs to a species complex. Our goal was to collect an animal at the type locality (topotype) in French Guiana with the aim of characterizing the morphological (biometric, craniometric), cytogenetic (Giemsa, C-banding, G-banding and NOR) and molecular (mitochondrial DNA) features. The comparisons showed that the collected specimen was very similar morphologically to specimens from other South American populations, but it was cytogenetically and molecularly very different from any of the cytotypes already described for this species, corroborating the existence of a complex of cryptic species. The data suggest that the M. americana topotype is a different species from all the cytotypes already described in the literature and which occupy the southern region of the Amazon River. The characterization and designation of the M. americana neotype is the first step toward a taxonomic reorganization of the genus Mazama, with the potential identification of new species.

Awareness of the natural ecological processes provided by organisms that benefit human well‐being has significantly progressed towards the goal of making conservation a mainstream value. Identifying different services and the species that provide them is a vital first step for the management and maintenance of these so‐called ecosystem services. Herein, we specifically address the armadillos, which play key functional roles in terrestrial ecosystems, including as ecosystem engineers, predators, and vectors of invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Armadillos can control pests, disperse seeds, and be effective sentinels of potential disease outbreaks or bioindicators of environmental contaminants. They also supply important material (meat, medicines) and non‐material (learning, inspiration) contributions all over the Americas. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by armadillos and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in terrestrial ecosystems and the services they supply. Such information will produce powerful arguments for armadillo conservation.

The genus Mazama Rafinesque, 1817 represent a successful adaptive radiation of South American deers, that has a wide distributional range in the Neotropical region, extending from the State of Vera Cruz in Mexico to central Argentina (from sea-level to 4,900 m a.s.l.; see Allen, 1915;Black-Decima et al., 2010;. The taxonomy of the genus is complex and controversial, concerning both the species as well as the subspecies systematics. Until 1850, only two species of Mazama were recognized. In 1878 Sir Victor Brooke performed a detailed review of this genus and recognized six species, but only four of them were well established. In 1898, Lydekker identified seven species, six of them clearly distinguishable. However, when Allen (1915) performed the first systematic review of the genus Mazama, he recognized 16 forms of Rev. Mus.Abstract: The genus Mazama (brocket deer) constitutes successful adaptive radiation, with a wide distribution in the Neotropical region. However, the taxonomy and systematics of its species and subspecies is still controversial. The objective of this contribution was to carry out a comparative craniometric study of specimens deposited in Brazilian museums of M. gouazoubira (Mg) and M. nemorivaga (Mn), in order to characterize these cryptic species. We performed 36 measures on 87 skulls of adult specimens (Mg = 32 females and 27 males; Mn = 14 females and 14 males). The sample was compared by analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of principal components and discriminant. In most cranial measurements, males and females of M. gouazoubira were 5% larger, with the exception of 3 measures: premolar-prosthion, basifacial axis, and least breadth between the orbits, that were larger in males and females of M. nemorivaga. This study showed significant differences between the two taxa that would validate the distinction of both species. To examine in more detail the dynamics of the variation of these two taxa it is necessary to increase the sample size in order to analyse them in a geographical and genetic context. Resumen: Diferenciación craniométrica de las especies de corzuelas pardas de Brasil. El géneroMazama constituye una exitosa radiación adaptativa, con una amplia distribución en la región Neotropical. Sin embargo, la taxonomía y sistemática sus especies y subespecies es todavía motivo de controversias. El objetivo de esta contribución fue realizar un estudio craneométrico comparativo de ejemplares depositados en museos de Brasil de M. gouazoubira (Mg) y M. nemorivaga (Mn), con el fin de caracterizar estas especies cripticas. Se tomaron 36 medidas en 87 cráneos de ejemplares adultos (Mg = 32 hembras y 27 machos; Mn = 14 hembras y 14 machos). La muestra se comparó mediante análisis de la varianza y análisis multivariados de componentes principales y discriminante. En la mayoría de las medidas craneanas los ejemplares machos y hembras de M. gouazoubira fueron un 5% más grandes, con la excepción de 3 medidas: premolar -prosthion, eje basifacial y el ancho menor entre orbitas, que presentaro...

ABSTRACT. Transferability of microsatellite loci between closely related species has been reported in several species. This helps reduce costs involved with the development of primers for newly investigated species. Fifteen microsatellite primers developed for Rangifer tarandus, Cervus elaphus, C. axis, and Moschus berezovskii were tested on five species of Brazilian brocket deer of the genus Mazama (M. americana, M. bororo, M. gouazoubira, M. nana, and M. nemorivaga). These primers were tested with DNA extracted from blood samples of two individuals of each species obtained from the Núcleo de Pesquisa e Conservação de Cervídeos (NUPECCE) of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Fourteen of the 15 primers tested amplified microsatellite regions of all five species of Mazama, confirmed by sequencing of the amplified fragments. We conclude that these primers could be used for population studies of brocket deer.

Natural history museum collections constitute an invaluable patrimony of biological diversity for analysing the taxa distribution and evolution. However, it is very common to discover taxonomic misidentification in museum collections based on incorrect data. The aim of this research was to identify brocket deer species (Mazama genus) using molecular markers. We collected 199 samples, performed DNA extraction and species identification using a specific mitochondrial marker based on a fragment of cytochrome b (Cytb) for Neotropical deer. We achieved the amplification and sequencing of 77 specimens and verified that 26% of the skulls were wrongly identified. Moreover, in the museum collections 57% of the specimens were only identified as Mazama sp, and we were able to identify them by molecular methods to the species level. Our findings clearly demonstrate the importance of integrating molecular analyses to identify Mazama species, since using only external morphology can result in a high probability of errors. We recommend the selection of non-convergent morphological characters, which together with the use of DNA collected from museum specimens should contribute to more accurate taxonomic identifications.

The pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is close to being classified as ‘globally threatened’, with the largest population occurring in the Brazilian Pantanal. Since capture is stressful to these animals, non-invasive sampling methods such as the use of feces can provide reliable sources of DNA. The aim of this study was to use fecal samples to evaluate the genetic variability of the Brazilian Pantanal population of pampas deer. Six heterologous microsatellite markers were used to screen 142 stool specimens. Seventy-four deer were identified, of which 50 adults were used to determine the genetic characteristics of the population. The Pantanal population showed high genetic diversity (mean number of alleles per locus = 11.5, expected heterozygosity = 0.75). This is the first investigation to characterize a South American deer species using fecal DNA and demonstrates the usefulness and efficiency of this approach, as well as the feasibility of obtaining information that could not have been easily obtained by traditional DNA sampling. Our findings suggest that management strategies for this species may be much more effective if applied now when the population still shows high genetic variability.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the brown brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira and a set of polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified by 454-pyrosequencing. De novo genome assembly recovered 98% of the mitochondrial genome with a mean coverage of 9-fold. The mitogenome consisted of 16,356 base pairs that included 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal subunit genes, 22 transfer RNAs and the control region, as found in other deer. The genetic divergence between the mitogenome described here and a previously published report was ∼0.5%, with the control region and ND5 gene showing the highest intraspecific variation. Seven polymorphic loci were characterized using 15 unrelated individuals; there was moderate genetic variation across most loci (mean of 5.6 alleles/locus, mean expected heterozygosity = 0.70), with only one locus deviating significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, probably because of null alleles. Marker independence was confirmed with tests for linkage disequilibrium. The genetic variation of the mitogenome and characterization of microsatellite markers will provide useful tools for assessing the phylogeography and population genetic patterns in M. gouazoubira, particularly in the context of habitat fragmentation in South America.

Categoria: Vulnerável (VU) A3cdeData da avaliação: Fev/2018Mazama nana é uma espécie que ocorre na Mata Atlântica da região Sul do Brasil, associada principalmente a florestas de araucárias, ambiente altamente fragmentado. As principais ameaças à esta espécie são o efeito de borda nos pequenos fragmentos, caça, predação por cães domésticos, contaminação por agrotóxicos e enfermidades transmitidas por ungulados domésticos. Espera-se que nos próximos anos muitas das populações existentes nos fragmentos tenham alta probabilidade de extinção. Nesse contexto, projeta-se declínio populacional superior a 30% (A3) nos próximos 15 anos (3 gerações) em M. nana, baseando-se em declínio na qualidade do habitat (c), níveis reais de exploração (d) e efeitos de cães, agrotóxicos e enfermidades (e). Não existem evidências de emigração ou imigração diferencial de indivíduos desta espécie entre o Brasil e os países vizinhos, portanto a categoria da espécie não é alterada quando se aplica a avaliação regional. Portanto, M. nana foi categorizada como Vulnerável (VU) pelo critério A3cde.