New record of the rare Atlantic Forest rodent Phyllomys lundi (Mammalia: Rodentia)

Abstract

The Brazilian Atlantic rainforest is considered one of the most diverse and threatened biomes on the planet (Galindo-leal & Camara 2005). Its level of endemism is up to 90% for some groups of organisms, and its overall 50% average endemism is surpassed only by the Amazon forest (Costa et al. 2003). Among the endemic Atlantic Forest mammals, there are several species of Echimyidae, the most diverse hystricognath rodent family in South America (Patton et al. 2015). The Atlantic Forest echimyids are grouped into five genera. Three are monoespecific, [Kannabateomys amblyonyx (Wagner, 1845), Callistomys pictus (Pictet, 1843) and Euryzygomatomys spinosus (G. Fisher, 1814)], while the other two are speciose (Phyllomys Lund, 1839 and Trinomys Thomas, 1921) (loss & leite 2011). Phyllomys belongs to an arboreal radiation of echimyid rodents distributed in forested areas in eastern Brazil, from the states of Paraíba and Ceará (ca. 7°S) in the Northeast, to Rio Grande do Sul (ca. 30°S) in the South, reaching the São Francisco and Paraná river basins to the west at approximately 54°W (leite 2003). Throughout this large distribution, Phyllomys dwells predominantly in the broadleaf evergreen forests of the coastal Atlantic Forest and associated habitats such as Araucaria forests and mangroves. Additionally, it inhabits the semi deciduous forests of the Caatinga and Cerrado (leite 2003, CamPos & PerCequillo 2007). There are 13 described species of Phyllomys, four of which, based on records of very few specimens, seem to have restricted distribution: Phyllomys kerri (Moojen, 1950), with three collected specimens in 1941 at Ubatuba, state of São Paulo, Phyllomys lundi Leite, 2003 with two collected specimens, and Phyllomys mantiqueirensis Leite, 2003 and Phyllomys. unicolor (Wagner, 1842), both known only from their respective holotypes (loss & leite 2011). The limited numbers of collected specimens result from the fact that collecting these arboreal and elusive species is difficult. Herein we report on the capture of the third known specimen of P. lundi, and present the results of a phylogenetic analysis of Phyllomys. One adult female specimen (field number MBF 340) of P. lundi was captured in the municipality of Alto Jequitibá, at the protected area "Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Refúgio dos Sauás", in eastern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, near the border with Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, latitude-20.4868 and longitude-42.0399, altitude around 400 m (Fig. 1). The animal was collected using a Sherman live trap placed 1.5 meters high in the forest understory.

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

“…Although we were not able to confirm this record to species-level, Faria et al (2016) recently recorded the rare Phyllomys lundi in a private reserve ca. 20 km from our study sites.…”

“…20 km from our study sites. This endangered species is known from only three locations in the entire Atlantic Forest biome, so confirmation of its presence would expand its range to a new location (Bonvicino, 2018;Faria et al, 2016). The Caparaó National Park has also been indicated to be one of the four priority areas for conservation of the critically endangered northern muriqui (Melo et al, 2018).…”

“…The record of Phyllomys sp. is an example of the potential of arboreal cameras to detect elusive and arboreal species that are usually difficult to collect using small mammal traps (Faria et al, 2016;Bonvicino et al, 2018). However, since most of these records were nocturnal, thus hampering the recognition of some species, the use of camera traps with white flash functionality might increase the potential and effectiveness of this method (Bowler et al, 2017).…”

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

“…The first documentation of the tree-rat also demonstrates the potential of the Park to host rare species. Although we were not able to identify this record to species, the rare Phyllomys lundi has been reported in a private reserve c. 20 km from our study sites (Faria et al, 2016). This threatened species has been reported previously in only three locations in the Atlantic Forest biome (Faria et al, 2016; Bonvicino, 2018b).…”

“…Although we were not able to identify this record to species, the rare Phyllomys lundi has been reported in a private reserve c. 20 km from our study sites (Faria et al, 2016). This threatened species has been reported previously in only three locations in the Atlantic Forest biome (Faria et al, 2016; Bonvicino, 2018b). Caparaó National Park is also one of the four priority areas for the conservation of the Critically Endangered northern muriqui (Melo et al, 2018).…”