Here we present a commented list of mammals registered in the Serra da Bocaina National Park. Three field trips (February, 2010, and May and July, 2011) were accomplished along the RJ-165 highway in the Municipality of Paraty, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Forty-eight species belonging to nine orders were recorded. The local mammal fauna could be considered diverse and rich, with some species regarded as biological indicators of habitat quality. Endangered and rare rodent species like Blarinomys breviceps, Juliomys rimofrons, and Thaptomys nigrita were captured. Road and hunting impacts on mammals are discussed.

We studied infection by Trypanosomatidae in bats captured in two areas with different degradation levels in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state: Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA) and Estação Fiocruz Mata Atlântica (EFMA). Furthermore, we evaluated whether the diversity of trypanosomatids changes according to bat diversity and the different levels of preservation in the region. The results showed no influence of the level of preservation on bat species richness (15 and 14 species, respectively), with similar chiropterofauna and higher abundance of two common fruit-eating bat species in the tropics: Carollia perspicillata and Artibeus lituratus . Of the 181 bat specimens analyzed by LIT/Schneider hemoculture, we detected 24 infected individuals (13%), including one positive Sturnira lilium individual that was also positive by fresh blood examination. Molecular characterization using nested PCR targeting the 18 SSU rRNA-encoding gene fragment showed similar trypanosomatid infection rates in bats from the two areas: 15% in REGUA and 11% in EFMA ( p = 0.46). Trypanosoma dionisii was the most frequently detected parasite (54%), followed by T . cruzi DTUs TcI and TcIV and Trypanosoma sp., in Neotropical phyllostomid bats (RNMO63 and RNMO56); mixed infections by T . dionisii / T . cruzi TcIII and T . dionisii / T . cruzi TcI were also observed. The T . cruzi DTUs TcI and TcIV are the genotypes currently involved in cases of acute Chagas disease in Brazil, and T . dionisii was recently found in the heart tissue of an infected child. Surprisingly, we also describe for the first time Crithidia mellificae , a putative monoxenous parasite from insects, infecting a vertebrate host in the Americas. Bats from the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state harbor a great diversity of trypanosomatids, maintaining trypanosomatid diversity in this sylvatic environment.

Abstract:Myotis riparius is a vespertilionid bat commonly called the riparian myotis. It is a medium-sized bat, with woolly fur; color of dorsal fur varies geographically from a reddish to blackish tinge. M. riparius is widely distributed in the Neotropics, occurring from Honduras southward into South America to Paraguay, northern Argentina, and Uruguay. It occurs in rainforests, savannas, and open habitats, at elevations from sea level to about 2,000 m. It is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

The Caatinga biome is restricted to Brazil, and its bat fauna is among the least studied in South America, with scarce information on species occurrence, distributions, and structure of assemblages. Moreover, most of the information available on bats from this biome comes from relicts of other ecosystem formations. From 2010 to 2012 we conducted bat surveys in different sites along the Serra da Jitirana, a xerophytic locality in the Caatinga of Piauí state, northeastern Brazil. We recorded 20 species in six families. Representatives of animalivorous guilds predominated in both the number of individuals and species. We speculate that the low numbers of frugivores is a response to the environmental constraints imposed by the drought. Along with an analysis of this assemblage, we also report here new information on roosts, behavior, and feeding items for several species about which little is yet known.

No abstract