Archaeology, biogeography, and mammalogy do not provide evidence for tarukas (Cervidae: Hippocamelus antisensis ) in Ecuador

Abstract

Knowing whether a species has been extirpated, or if it ever inhabited a specific geographic area, has direct importance for planning conservation activities. The taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) is one of the largest Neotropical mammals; it is distributed in the central Andes, and there are published records of this species in Ecuador. Recently, missing museum specimens have cast doubts on the validity of these Ecuadorian records. Here, we examine whether the taruka ever inhabited Ecuador by analyzing multiple sources of information. Our approach consists of 3 components: 1) we surveyed archaeological collections and literature for any biological remains and cultural artifacts that may represent tarukas, 2) we searched mammal collections for specimens reported in publications, and 3) we generated ecological niche models (ENMs) of current and past climates to determine whether Ecuador offers suitable habitats for the taruka. Our results suggest that the taruka never inhabited Ecuador. We did not find any reliable supporting evidence in the form of specimens nor convincing literature reports. Furthermore, ENMs revealed that Ecuador has not supported suitable climates for the taruka. We suggest that published records of taruka in Ecuador may have been due to improper identifications of specimens. The methods used here may also prove useful in determining the presence of species that are either thought to be extinct, or suspected to be recently introduced into a new geographic area. Conocer si una especie ha sido extirpada, o si alguna vez habitó un área geográfica específica, tiene importancia directa para la planificación de actividades de conservación. La Taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) es uno de los mamíferos Neotropicales más grandes; se distribuye en los Andes centrales, y existen registros publicados de esta especie en Ecuador. Recientemente, ha habido dudas sobre la validez de los registros ecuatorianos porque los especímenes testigo se han perdido. Aquí examinamos si la taruka alguna vez habitó Ecuador, analizando múltiples fuentes de información. Nuestro enfoque metodológico consistió de 3 componentes: 1) examen de colecciones y literatura arqueológica para detectar restos biológicos o artefactos culturales que puedan representar tarukas, 2) búsqueda en colecciones mastozoológicas especímenes reportados en publicaciones; y 3) generación de modelos de nicho ecológico con climas pasados y presentes para determinar si Ecuador ofrece ambientes adecuados para la taruka. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la taruka nunca ha habitado Ecuador. No encontramos ninguna evidencia confiable en la forma de especímenes o reportes convincentes en la literatura. Además, los modelos de nicho ecológico revelaron que Ecuador no ha presentado las preferencias climáticas de la taruka. Sugerimos que los registros publicados de la taruka en Ecuador pueden ser el producto de la identificación errónea de especímenes. Las metodologías usadas en este trabajo pueden resultar útiles para investigar la presencia de especies que se creen extintas, o que se sospecha que son introducciones recientes a nuevas áreas geográficas.

Diet During the Late Initial Period (1100–800 BC) in the Chavín Heartland: New Data from Canchas Uckro (North-Central Peru)

“…White-tailed deer inhabit all highland ecological zones (Emmons 1990: 162–163), while taruca is typically found in the puna at elevations ranging from 3500 to 5000 m asl (e.g., Barrio 2010, 2013; Flannery et al 1989: 19–20; Lynch 1980: 12–13; Pinto et al 2015). Based on these distributions, it is likely that the inhabitants of Canchas Uckro hunted within the immediate catchment of the site.…”

“…12-13; Pinto et al 2015). Based on these distributions, it is likely that the inhabitants of Canchas Uckro hunted within the immediate catchment of the site.…”

Niches and radiations: a case study on the Andean sapphire‐vented puffleg Eriocnemis luciani and coppery‐naped puffleg E. sapphiropygia (Aves, Trochilidae)

“…The nomenclature of geological units follows Schenk et al (1999). Geological units hotspot of endemism and biodiversity (Berry 1982, Borchsenius 1997, Ayers 1999, Weigend 2002, perhaps with a more recent geologic origin than the surrounding cordilleras (Mutke et al 2014), causing it to be identified as a possible dispersal barrier/limit for plants (Smith and Baum 2006, Cosacov et al 2009, Struwe et al 2009, Symmank et al 2011, Salariato et al 2016, insects (Acosta and Prat 2018), reptiles (Torres-Carvajal and Mafla-Endara 2013), mammals (Voss 2003, Marino et al 2011, Pinto et al 2015, Prado and Percequillo 2016, Diersing and Wilson 2017 and birds (Hazzi et al 2018 and glowing puffleg E. vestitus (Ecuador to Venezuela). On the other hand, the emerald-bellied puffleg E. alinae (central Peru to eastern Colombia) is at the base of the other subclade, which also includes E. luciani, the black-thighed puffleg E. derbyi (northern Ecuador to central Colombia), and the coppery-bellied puffleg E. cupreoventris (eastern Colombia to Venezuela).…”

Rodents of the eastern and western slopes of the Tropical Andes: phylogenetic and taxonomic insights using DNA barcodes

“…Along the Andes there are three main patterns of allopatric distributions: (1) a latitudinal pattern is evidenced when a pair of sister species are distributed one to the north and the other to the south, e. g., Hippocamelus antisensis (north) vs. H. bisulcus (south), and Nasuella meridensis (north) vs. N. olivacea (south) (Helgen et al 2009;Pinto et al 2016); (2) a cross Andean pattern is evidenced when a pair of sister species are distributed with one in the eastern slopes and another in the western slopes of the Andes, e. g., Bassaricyon alleni (east) vs. B. medius (west) (Helgen et al 2013); and (3) altitudinal pattern is evidenced when one species is in higher elevations and its close relatives are in lower elevations, e. g., Bassaricyon neblina and Dactylomys peruanus vs. the rest of the species in their respective genera (Helgen et al 2013;Upham et al 2013). In this work, we highlight further possible examples of the cross Andean pattern of distributions: of the three species supposedly shared between the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, two (Chilomys instans and Akodon mollis) may represent multiple species.…”