Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal‐central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation‐related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data.

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer‐reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non‐detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio‐temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large‐scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data.

ABSTRACT. The present study reviews the phylogeny of the genus Marmosops and expands the geographic range of Marmosops pinheiroi to the Brazilian State of Maranhão. Five specimens of M. pinheiroi were collected from the Inhamum Municipal Environmental Protection Area in Caxias, Maranhão. Total DNA was extracted and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced in an ABI PRISM 3500. Additional sequences of

The Lesser Bulldog Bat, Noctilio albiventris, is found in all major Brazilian phytogeographic domains. We extend the known distribution of this species in the Cerrado, where 3 specimens were collected in the municipality of Caxias, which is within the Cerrado domain of the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. Our analysis of the COI gene confirms the morphological identification of the specimens, based on a 99.8-100% similarity with known sequences. This record extends the known distribution of N. albiventris 260 km to the east, in the state of Maranhão, and 986 km to the north, in the Cerrado biome. KeywordsMaranhão; bats; DNA barcode; mitochondrial gene.

In Brazil, 179 bat species have been recorded to date, representing 68 genera and nine families. Few data are available on the bat fauna of the state of Maranhão, so the present study was based on a survey of the bat fauna of the Inhamum Municipal Environmental Protection Area (APA Inhamum) in the Cerrado savanna of the eastern extreme of the state. This inventory provides new records of bat species for the state of Maranhão and the Cerrado biome. A total of 31 species (four families) were collected, representing 39% of the bat species known to occur in Maranhão and 28.71% of the species described for the Cerrado. The family Phyllostomidae was the most diverse, with 23 species (74.20% of the total), and also the most abundant, with 86.09% of the specimens collected. The Molossidae (four species) was the second most diverse, followed by the Vespertilionidae (three species) and the Emballonuridae (one species). Carollia perspicillata was the most abundant species (28%).The records of Artibeus fimbriatus and Platyrrhinus fusciventris are the first for the Cerrado and were also recorded in Maranhão for the first time. The cumulative species curve did not reach an asymptote. The species Dermanura gnoma, Lasiurus blossevillii, Lasiurus ega, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops temminckii, Platyrrhinus cf. recifinus, Phylloderma stenops and Trachops cirrhosus, were also recorded in Maranhão for the first time demonstrating the value of for mammal inventories and emphasizing the need for further surveys in this poorly-known region. Resumo: Atualmente são registrados para o Brasil, nove famílias, 68 gêneros e 179 espécies de morcegos. No Maranhão, poucas são as informações sobre a fauna de morcegos, portanto objetivou-se realizar um levantamento faunístico e reportar os novos registros de morcegos para o Cerrado leste maranhense na Área de Proteção Ambiental Municipal do Inhamum. Foram coletadas 31 espécies, distribuídas em quatro famílias representando 39% das espécies de morcegos registradas no Maranhão e 28,71% das espécies descritas para o Cerrado. A família Phyllostomidae apresentou a maior riqueza (23 espécies -74,20%) e abundância (86,09%). A família Molossidae (quatro espécies) foi a segunda mais representativa, seguida de Vespertilionidae (três espécies) e Emballonuridae (uma espécie). Carollia perspicillata foi a espécie mais abundante (28%). As espécies Artibeus fimbriatus e Platyrrhinus fusciventris constituem novos registros para o Cerrado e o primeiro registro para o Maranhão. A curva de acumulação de espécies mostrou-se não estabilizada. As espécies Dermanura gnoma, Lasiurus blossevillii, Lasiurus ega, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops temminckii, Platyrrhinus cf. recifinus, Phylloderma stenops e Trachops cirrhosus constituem novos registros para o Maranhão. As espécies coletadas na APA do Inhamum correspondem a novos registros para o Cerrado do leste maranhense evidenciando-a como uma área de extrema importância para levantamentos mastozoológicos, mostrando que a região necessita de mais estu...