No abstract

The Family Molossidae has a cosmopolitan distribution; it is common in urban areas as well as in agricultural and forested environments. In Brazil, the group comprises seven genera with 25 species. In spite of the representative number of taxa, Molossidae is insufficiently documented in biological inventories. Thus, there is a gap in knowledge about the actual distribution of most species. Here we present new records of tow molossids, Cynomops planirostris and Neoplatymops mattogrossensis, for the state of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil, and review locality records for species throughout the Brazilian territory.

Reports about albinism in rodents are common. In the family Echimyidae

Osteologic collections are used as an aid to scientific and teaching activities, to provide information on specific vertebrate characteristics, such as body support, posture, mode of locomotion, feeding habits and ecological niche. Known techniques for cleaning entire skeletons or mammalian skulls vary according to the destination of the material, the objective of the study, the taxonomic group, and the size of the specimen. The objective of this study was to test three different methods of maceration for cleaning bat skulls (traditional biological maceration, controlled biological maceration using Dermestes maculatus and controlled biological maceration using necrophagous fly larvae). The methods were carried out during five consecutive months, and the minimum and maximum times taken by each method were recorded and documented. Cleaning by fly larvae was the least costly method; the whole process was carried out during the preparation of the osteologic material. The flies ovulated directly on the pieces and the time spent was relatively short. Cleaning by dermestid larvae also resulted in clean parts in a short period, however, its culture needs specific maintenance conditions, since the size of the colony oscillates according to environmental temperature.