Notable altitudinal range expansion of Lontra longicaudis (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Colombian Paramos

Abstract

The neotropical otter Lontra longicaudis is a carnivore that ranges from Mexico to northern of Argentina, from 0 to 3,885 m above the sea level. In Colombia, this mammal is considered a research priority due the poor information about its distribution and basic ecology. The aim of this note is to contribute to the knowledge of the altitudinal distribution of L. longicaudis in the Mamapacha Paramos, Boyacá, Colombia. Camera trap fieldwork was carried out from November 18 th to December 7 th of 2015 in the department of Boyacá on the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia. Additionally, we reviewed preserved specimens and historical records of sightings above 2000 m in several scientific publications on L. longicaudis. Of the 275 images of wildlife, four images corresponded to L. longicaudis at the Mundo Nuevo lagoon, municipality of Chinavita (3,110 m above sea level). After the literature and museum specimens review, we found that there were no records of L. longicaudis in Colombia that exceeded 3,000 m above sea level. Therefore, our record represents a notable altitudinal range expansion of L. longicaudis and a new altitudinal level record for the species in Colombia. This record can be a consequence of the abundant food supply provided by the Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Due to the competition between otters and local people by the trout, it is necessary to implement management plans of fish resources in order to mitigate human-otter conflict and to ensure the population viability at Mundo Nuevo Lagoon.La nutria neotropical Lontra longicaudis es un carnívoro, que se distribuye desde México hasta el norte del Argentina, entre 0 y 3,885 m sobre el nivel del mar. En Colombia la especie es considerada como prioridad de investigación debido al escaso conocimiento sobre ecología y distribución. Con el fin de contribuir al conocimiento sobre L. longicaudis en Colombia, esta nota presenta un nuevo registro altitudinal de la especie para el Páramo de Mamapacha en Boyacá, Colombia. Se realizó un estudio de fototrampeo entre el 18 de Noviembre al 7 de Diciembre del 2015 en el departamento de Boyacá en la Cordillera Oriental en Colombia. Adicionalmente, se realizó una búsqueda de especímenes preservados y registros en publicaciones científicas de L. longicaudis, considerando registros por encima de los 2,000 m sobre el nivel del mar. De un total de 275 imágenes de fauna obtenidas, se registraron cuatro de L. longicaudis para la Laguna de Mundo nuevo en el municipio de Chinvita a 3,110 m sobre el nivel del mar. Los registros encontrados en la revisión de literatura y ejemplares de museos, no superan los 3,000 m de altitud y en su mayoría proceden de la cordillera occidental, lo que confirma que nuestro registro representa una expansión en la distribución altitudinal y el registro más alto para la especie en Colombia. Este registro puede deberse a la abundante fuente de alimento que representa la Trucha Arcoiris (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Debido a que la trucha es un recurso que genera competencia directa entre la nutria y la p...

Physical clutter affects the use of artificial ponds by the Lesser Bulldog Bat Noctilio albiventris (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

“…In Colombia, fish farming has been a traditional and widely spread practice to obtain fish for subsistence, as well as for commercial purposes and at different scales, for both ornamental fish and fish used as food (Merino et al, 2013). Fish farmers and wildlife may enter in conflict when animals such as birds or otters remove fish from tanks, ponds or natural water bodies used to extract fish by humans (López-Arévalo et al, 2003;Andrade-Ponce & Angarita-Sierra, 2017). In the Colombian Orinoco local fish farmers have reported problems with young fish killed during the night by bats, very probably N. leporinus.…”

New records of Lontra longicaudis (Olfers, 1818) (Carnivora, Mustelidae) in El Salvador

“…Most studies on L. longicaudis have been carried out in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico (e.g., Parera 1993;Reynoso 1997;Sánchez and Aranda 1999;Quadros and Monteiro-Filho 2001;Andrade-Ponce and Angarita-Sierra 2017;Pocasangre-Orellana and Spínola-Parallada 2018). In the Central American region, only a few studies report on the distribution (e.g., Chehébar 1990;Aceituno et al 2015;Rheingantz and Trinca 2015), diet, and habitat selection (Spínola-Parallada and Vaughan-Dickhaut 1995;Platt and Rainwater 2011;Navarro-Picado et al 2017) of this species.…”

Distribution and habitat use intensity of the Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) in a Colombian hydroelectric dam

“…This species inhabits a large variety of climates and ecosystems including fast-flowing rivers, lakes, marshes, rocky seacoasts, mangroves, and wetlands (Kruuk, 2006;Almeida & Ramos Pereira, 2017;Rheingantz, Santiago-Plata, & Trinca, 2017;Gomez, Túnez, Fracassi, & Cassini, 2014;Andrade, Arcoverde, & Albernaz, 2019). However, despite its wide distribution, L. longicaudis has been poorly studied and a vast majority of information regarding its biology and natural history is still unknown (Larivière, 1999;Kruuk, 2006;Andrade-Ponce & Angarita-Sierra, 2017;Rheingantz et al, 2018). This is also the case for Colombia, where despite the L. longicaudis widespread distribution [river networks in the Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Amazonian, and Orinoco regions up to 3 110 m.a.s.l.…”

“…This is also the case for Colombia, where despite the L. longicaudis widespread distribution [river networks in the Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Amazonian, and Orinoco regions up to 3 110 m.a.s.l. (Alberico, Cadena, Hernández-Camacho, & Muñoz-Saba, 2000, Trujillo et al, 2016, Andrade-Ponce & Angarita-Sierra, 2017, the species still lack of some basic ecological information and it is considered of special interest for research and conservation assessments (González-Maya et al, 2011;Trujillo et al, 2016;Botero-Botero, Delgado, & Gamboa, 2017;Camp, 2018;Pinillosa, Pérez-Torres, & Botero-Botero, 2018).…”