Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data.

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.

No abstract

Protected areas (PA) are widely recognized as conservation cornerstones. However, we still lack information about PA effectiveness in conserving biodiversity. With the accelerating process of urbanization, urban PAs have gained increasing importance. Thus, evaluating their effectiveness is particularly urgent, especially when located in a biodiversity hotspot. The aim of this study was to describe the large and medium-sized mammalian community within Tijuca National Park (TNP)-an urban PA located in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot-and to investigate if it is affected by proximity to the park border and by potential threats that occur inside the park such as roads, hiking trails, tourism infrastructure, domestic dogs and hunting. A camera-trap survey was conducted in a grid with 42 sampling units from April to September 2016. Each sampling unit was categorized as park border or interior and according to the aforementioned potential threats. A model selection framework was employed to evaluate the effects of threats on species richness and abundance. Our findings suggest that TNP harbors an impoverished fauna of large and mediumsized mammals when compared with larger and more well-preserved Atlantic Forest PAs. Furthermore, our results highlight that the mammalian abundance was affected by edge effects, presence of roads and tourism infrastructure and abundance of domestic dogs. We highlight some management actions to properly control and minimize those threats and increase the effectiveness of TNP in conserving biodiversity.

Hunting is a critical issue in wild felid conservation, contributing to the decline of these species worldwide. Here, we present 18 years of a community‐based monitoring program, quantifying and characterizing wild felid hunting in two sustainable development reserves in Central Amazonia. We investigated how felid hunting was affected by the flood pulse and whether local human population size, habitat type, and total hunting events influenced felid hunting. We recorded 71 adult felids being killed, most of them in opportunistic events (88.7%), usually during hunting expeditions aimed at other game species. Four felid species were recorded in the hunts (Panthera onca, Leopardus pardalis, Puma concolor, and Leopardus wiedii) with jaguars accounting for almost half of all hunting events (N = 35). We found that more felid hunting events occurred during the flooded season, in more populated communities, and in várzea habitats. Most felids were hunted opportunistically, demonstrating the complexity of human‐felid interactions. Stories of attacks on humans are widespread in the study area, which may strengthen an instinctive fear of felids, driving their persecution. The increase of hunting events during the flooded season seems to be related to a higher probability of encounters between humans and wild felids. High waters make fishing difficult, therefore, locals hunt more, entering deep into the forest through flooded habitats. Since jaguars have an arboreal lifestyle during the flooded season in várzea forests, they are easily spotted by locals and have less of a chance to escape since they are slower and more exposed when swimming, which increases the probability of being killed. It is generally acknowledged that involving local stakeholders in conservation projects is essential for their success. In our case, collaboration among researchers and community members was fundamental to access hunting information. We show that community‐based monitoring empowers the local communities and facilitates data collection on sensitive topics.