Autotomy, the strategy of voluntarily releasing a leg during an encounter with a potential predator or in agonistic interactions between conspecifics, is common in animals. The potential costs of this behavior have been scarcely studied. In addition, locomotion and substrate-dependent performance might be affected by autotomy. We did a comparative and observational study to investigate whether losing legs affects the escape speed and trajectory of harvestmen in the genus Prionostemma Pocock, 1903 (Eupnoi: Sclerosomatidae) on different substrates: soil (the least roughened), smooth bark and mossy bark (the most roughened) in a tropical premontane forest in Costa Rica. We observed that 71% of the individuals found were missing at least one leg. Harvestmen, regardless of leg condition, walked faster and made fewer turns in their trajectory in the soil. While climbing, they were faster on smooth bark than in moss. On all substrates, autotomized individuals were slower and had a more erratic trajectory than intact ones. The type of missing legs (sensory or locomotor) had no influence on the speed or trajectory. We experimentally induced autotomy and found that walking speed on soil decreases if individuals lose a leg. Our findings confirm that losing legs affects locomotion, and we provide novel insights on how locomotion in these harvestmen depends on surface roughness. Our data suggest that moss could be a type of substrate that requires more elaborate skills in balance, orientation and texture recognition than smooth bark.

Just before dying, Edessa rufomarginata (Hemiptera, Pentotomidae) individuals that are infected with the fungus Purpureocillium cf. lilacinum (Ascomycota: Ophiocordycipitaceae) move from the leaves onto the stems of their Solanum sp. host and firmly grasp the stems in ways seldom employed by uninfected bugs. These alterations in host behavior probably improve the chances that the subsequently produced fungal spores will be dispersed aerially. Purpureocillium cf. lilacinum is a member of the Ophiocordycipitaceae, a group in which other species also modify the behavior of their hosts. As in the case of newly distinguished relatives of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis associated with "zombie ants" the discovery of P. cf. lilacinum infecting bugs reveals that P. lilacinum may be more diverse than previously appreciated.

Habitat disturbance leads to biodiversity decline and modifications in the landscape structure and composition, affecting both dispersal movements and ecological processes at different temporal and spatial scales. The Ecuadorian Tropical Andes harbour suitable habitats for the distribution of a wide variety of species; however, there is a lack of studies focused on mammal diversity and its association with the habitat attributes in the central-eastern slopes. Here, we reported the diversity of terrestrial mammals recorded between 2019 and 2021 in a camera-trap monitoring study in the Candelaria and Machay reserves in the upper basin of the Pastaza River, Ecuador. We performed site-occupancy probability analysis to assess the influence of spatial variables in the species’ occurrence and also, based on natural marks, we reported preliminary findings in Andean bear individual identification. We detected 22 species of terrestrial mammals. Alpha diversity was similar between reserves with slightly higher species richness in Machay. Evenness indices showed unequal species distribution, with the Andean bear and domestic dogs exhibiting greater dominance. In addition, species composition was dissimilar between reserves, where the species turnover mostly explained the beta diversity. We observed that Andean bear and puma detections increased according to the natural vegetation cover. Conversely, domestic dogs were frequently detected in cells with an increasing proportion of pastures and crops. Additionally, we identified 26 Andean bears and six individuals recaptured during our study. Our results caution about the disturbance derived from human activities since we recorded unprecedented detections of domestic dogs in wild habitats. Nonetheless, it highlights the importance of private conservation areas (e.g. Candelaria, Machay and others) for supporting the occurrence and dispersal of terrestrial mammal species between larger areas in the upper basin of the Pastaza River.