Abstract: We report range extensions for three species of Amazonian erethizontids, Coendou bicolor, C. ichillus, and C. nycthemera. We record C. ichillus for the first time in Brazil, from Rio Japurá, state of Amazonas. We record C. bicolor for the first time in the state of Amazonas, which represents a range extension of approximately 905 km. We also extend the occurrence of C. nycthemera 620 km to the south into Mato Grosso state. All records are based on museum specimens, highlighting the importance of scientific collections as biodiversity databases and emphasizing the lack of research on Amazonian porcupines.
We report range extensions for three species of Amazonian erethizontids, Coendou bicolor, C. ichillus, and C. nycthemera. We record C. ichillus for the first time in Brazil, from Rio Japurá, state of Amazonas. We record C. bicolor for the first time in the state of Amazonas, which represents a range extension of approximately 905 km. We also extend the occurrence of C. nycthemera 620 km to the south into Mato Grosso state. All records are based on museum specimens, highlighting the importance of scientific collections as biodiversity databases and emphasizing the lack of research on Amazonian porcupines.
We document the first record of Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. An adult individual was photographed in October 2015 in the municipality of João Câmara. This is the northernmost report of this species for the Caatinga biome. This article also represents important data for the Rio Grande do Norte, since the mammal diversity of this state is practically unknown.
Coendou comprises the most speciose genus in Erethizontidae, with 15 currently recognized species. Although several taxonomic studies in the last two decades have unveiled part of its diversity, the most widespread Neotropical taxon Coendou prehensilis has received limited attention. Here, we combined morphological and molecular datasets to infer the phylogenetic relationships of the species in the genus and revise the taxonomy of the C. prehensilis complex. We found four morphotypes and three well-supported monophyletic clades within C. prehensilis. These three clades represent valid species: C. prehensilis (restricted to the north of the Atlantic Forest), C. baturitensis (occurring in the eastern Amazonian and montane forests enclaves in the Caatinga), and C. longicaudatus (two subspecies, C. l. longicaudatus from the Amazon and C. l. boliviensis from Cerrado and Chaco). Furthermore, we recovered three morphologically diagnosable clades within Coendou, for which we assigned subgeneric names. Coendou (Coendou) comprises six species (C. baturitensis, C. longicaudatus, C. mexicanus, C. prehensilis, C. quichua, and C. rufescens), Coendou (Sphiggurus) includes five taxa (C. bicolor, C. insidiosus, C. nycthemera, C. speratus, and C. spinosus), and the third subgenus we named Coendou (Caaporamys) subgen. nov, comprising C. melanurus (type species), C. vestitus, C. pruinosus, C. ichillus, and C. roosmalenorum.
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