The Urucum Massif (UM) is recognized as a region of flora and fauna endemism, and it is one of the few mountain ranges found in the western edge of the Brazilian Pantanal, in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Despite the lack of knowledge on mammalian species occurrence, several mining companies established in this region has rapidly changed its landscape. Therefore, this study aims to carry out an inventory of medium- to large-sized mammals in the UM to estimate their relative abundance and activity patterns using data provided by camera trapping surveys. Two main camera-trapping surveys were carried between October 2014 and July 2015, in addition to a small survey in July 2016. Results showed 25 species from medium- to large-sized mammals. Dicotyles tajacu, Dasyprocta azarae and Dasypus novemcinctus presented the highest relative abundance indices. Overall, D. azarae, Nasua nasua and Euphractus sexcinctus were diurnal, while Tamandua tetradactyla, D. novemcinctus, Tapirus terrestris and Sylvilagus paraguensis were nocturnal, in turn, D. tajacu and Cerdocyon thous were associated with the crepuscular period. Overall, 28 % (N = 7) and 12 % (N = 3) of the recorded species are threatened nationally and globally, respectively. Due to the scarcity of protected areas in the UM, we recommend long term monitoring of mammals and ecological studies to support conservation actions for this group in the region

RESUMO: Os padrões de atividade podem ser um componente importante na partição de nicho entre espécies simpátricas, especialmente quando essas espécies têm hábitos semelhantes. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os padrões de atividade, a influência da sazonalidade na atividade e testar a partição temporal de nicho entre duas espécies simpátricas de cervídeos no Maciço do Urucum, Mato Grosso do Sul: o veado-mateiro (Mazama americana) e o veado-catingueiro (Mazama gouazoubira). Amostragens por armadilhagem fotográfica foram realizadas entre novembro de 2012 e julho de 2016 em diferentes estações do ano. Para testar a influência da sazonalidade na atividade dos dois cervídeos e a partição de nicho temporal, utilizou-se o método de densidade kernel para dados circulares. O teste de homogeneidade de duas amostras de Watson foi usado para verificar diferenças nos padrões de atividade de ambas as espécies. Com um esforço amostral de 2.968 dias-câmera, foram obtidos 153 registros de cervídeos. O veado-mateiro (N = 60) apresentou tendência a ser noturno, enquanto o veado-catingueiro (N = 93) foi catemeral. Não observamos influência significativa da sazonalidade nos padrões de atividade de ambas as espécies de Mazama, que em geral mantiveram os mesmos padrões de atividade durante a estação chuvosa e seca, especialmente M. americana. O coeficiente de sobreposição entre as duas espécies foi Δ 1 = 0,75 (0,60 -0,78), e os padrões de atividade foram considerados significativamente diferentes (U 2 = 0,4308, p <0,001). Além disso, nossos dados sugerem competição entre M. americana (maior porte) e M. gouazoubira (menor porte), que responde ao aumento da atividade da espécie maior. Portanto, concluímos que a dimensão temporal é um elemento importante envolvido na coexistência entre essas duas espécies em nossa área de estudo. Palavras-chave: armadilha fotográfica; particionamento de nicho; Pantanal. Rucco et al. | 441 Oecol. Aust. 23(3): 440-450, 2019 ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF TWO SYMPATRIC CERVIDS (Mazama americana and Mazama gouazoubira)AT MACIÇO DO URUCUM, CORUMBÁ, MS. The activity patterns may be an important component in the resource partitioning among sympatric species, especially when these species have similar habits. The objective of this study was to investigate the activity patterns, the influence of seasonality on activity, and to test temporal niche partitioning between two sympatric species of cervids in the Maciço do Urucum, Mato Grosso do Sul: the red brocket deer (Mazama americana) and the gray brocket deer (M. gouazoubira). Camera trapping surveys were carried out between November 2012 to July 2016 in different seasons. In order to test the influence of seasonality on the activity of deer and temporal niche partition, the kernel density method for circular data was used. Watson's two-sample test of homogeneity was used to verify differences in the activity patterns of both species. With a sample effort of 2,968 camera-days, a total of 153 records of cervids were obtained. The red brocket deer (N = 60) showed a ten...

The coccidian Caryospora bigenetica was first described in the snake Crotalus horridus (Viperidae) from United States of America. This study represents the first record of the occurrence of C. bigenetica in snakes in South America. Feces were sampled between November 2013 and May 2014 from 256 wild snakes maintained in scientific breeding facilities in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS; n = 214) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ; n = 42), Brazil. Caryospora bigenetica was found in 14 (5.6%) snakes, all belonging to the family Viperidae. Ten Bothrops moojeni and two Crotalus durissus from MS were infected. The coccidian was also found in one C. durissus and in one Bothrops jararacussu from the state of RJ. The oocysts were spherical with a double wall, the exterior lightly mammillated, striations apparent in transverse view, 13.0 µm (12 -14); polar granule fixed in the internal wall. Sporocysts oval or pyriform, 10.0 × 8.0 µm (9 -11 × 8 -9); Stieda body discoid; sub-Stieda body present; sporocyst residuum present, formed by a group of spheroid bodies between sporozoites. This study increases the number of viperid hosts of C. bigenetica and expands the geographical distribution to South America.