Among mammals, some of the most common types of cohesive social groupings originate from natal philopatry through the extended mother family. This retention of females within social groups (i.e. the nonrandom dispersion of female relatives in space) should affect population genetic structure. We examined the relationship between genetic relatedness and female spatial organization in a wild population of the North-American raccoon, Procyon lotor, a solitary carnivore in east Tennessee. Multilocus genetic band-sharing data and 3(1/2) years of radiotelemetry observations were used to study the spatial and genetic relationships among 38 adult females. DNA amplification employing primers of arbitrary sequence (random amplified polymorphic DNA; RAPD) indicated that female philopatry in raccoons led to a greater likelihood of neighbours being more related than expected by chance. Genetic distance based on RAPD band frequency was positively correlated with spatial distance among females (P = 0.0001) and genetic similarity was positively correlated with the extent of home-range overlap (P = 0.0028). Philopatry seemed biased towards females; average female-female similarities were greater than average male-male similarities (P = 0.0001), or average male-female similarities (P = 0.0001). High home-range overlap among some females with low or moderate levels of band sharing indicated that maternal inheritance of space was not a prerequisite for establishing or sharing home ranges. Female philopatry was the most probable explanation for the nonrandom spatial and genetic association of raccoons in east Tennessee.

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We studied home ranges and habitat selection of 10 adult sloth bears Melursus ursinus inornatus at Wasgomuwa National Park, Sri Lanka during 2002-2003. Very little is known about the ecology and behaviour of M. u. inornatus, which is a subspecies found in Sri Lanka. Our study was undertaken to assess space and habitat requirements typical of a viable population of M. u. inornatus to facilitate future conservation efforts. We captured and radio-collared 10 adult sloth bears and used the telemetry data to assess home-range size and habitat use. Mean 95% fixed kernel home ranges were 2.2 km 2 (SE 5 0.61) and 3.8 km 2 (SE 5 1.01) for adult females and males, respectively. Although areas outside the national park were accessible to bears, home ranges were almost exclusively situated within the national park boundaries. Within the home ranges, high forests were used more and abandoned agricultural fields (chenas) were used less than expected based on availability. Our estimates of home-range size are among the smallest reported for any species of bear. Thus, despite its relatively small size, Wasgomuwa National Park may support a sizeable population of sloth bears. The restriction of human activity within protected areas may be necessary for long-term viability of sloth bear populations in Sri Lanka as is maintenance of forest or scrub cover in areas with existing sloth bear populations and along potential travel corridors.

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Invasive snails in the genus Pomacea have spread across Southeast Asia including Peninsular Malaysia. Their effects on natural and agricultural wetlands are appreciable, but species-specific effects are less clear because of morphological similarity among the species. Our objective was to establish diagnostic characteristics of Pomacea species in Malaysia using genetic and morphological criteria. The mitochondrial COI gene of 52 adult snails from eight localities in Peninsular Malaysia was amplified, sequenced, and analysed to verify species and phylogenetic relationships. Shells were compared using geometric morphometric and covariance analyses. Two monophyletic taxa, P. canaliculata and P. maculata, occurred in our samples. The mean ratio of shell height: aperture height (P = 0.042) and shell height: shell width (P = 0.007) was smaller in P. maculata. P. maculata co-occurred with P. canaliculata in five localities, but samples from three localities contained only P. canaliculata. This study is the first to confirm the presence of two of the most invasive species of Pomacea in Peninsular Malaysia using a molecular technique. P. canaliculata appears to be the more widespread species. Despite statistical differences, both quantitative and qualitative morphological characteristics demonstrated much interspecific overlap and intraspecific variability; thus, shell morphology alone cannot reliably verify species identity. Molecular techniques for distinguishing between these two highly invasive Pomacea species are needed to understand their specific ecological niches and to develop effective protocols for their management.