Importance of the Cerro de la Tortuga State Park for mammal conservation in the state of Morelos, Mexico The Cerro de la Tortuga State Park (PECT) in Mexico was declared a Protected Natural Area (ANP) in 2012. The technical report for the decree included a potential list of mammals in the area according to a bibliographic review of general distribution maps; their presence was not corroborated with field data. The aim of this study was to update the list of mammals present in the PECT with field work data so as to clarify the value of the natural resources that this ANP protects, and thus contribute to the knowledge, management and conservation of mammals in the region. Field work took place from February to October 2017. We sampled six sites over two different periods, first, during the dry season and second, during the rainy season. Direct and indirect survey methods were used to sample mammal presence. Thirty species of wild mammals were recorded within the PECT, representing 28 % of the mammal species reported for the state of Morelos. The species recorded belong to 27 genera, 16 families and six orders. Chiroptera was the richest order, with 14 species (47 %), followed by Carnivora with 7 species (23 %), Rodentia with five (17 %), Didelphimorphia with two (7 %), and Lagomorpha and Xenartra with one species (3 %) each. Among all the species detected, only Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is classified as threatened in the NOM-059-2010 and as nearly threatened in the IUCN red list. As the PECT could operate as a key landscape corridor between other ANPs in the state for several mammalian species, its conservation and optimal management is important to adequately protect the regional natural resources. Dataset published through GBIF (Doi: 10.15470/6uxnzi)

Tlacuatzoxyuris simpsoni n. gen. n. sp. is described from the cecum of the gray opossum, Tlacuatzin canescens, a species endemic to the deciduous dry forest of Mexico. The digestive tracts of four specimens were examined for parasites; three of these were archived in the American Museum of Natural History and one was a live capture. Relative to the other four monotypic genera of pinworms known to infect opossums, the new genus is diagnosed on the basis of a round cephalic plate with a semicircular stoma surrounded by a rim. In addition, males feature a prominent cephalic vesicle not fully developed in females, accounting for sexual dimorphism. The new species includes small worms that feature a conspicuous, not reticulated cephalic vesicle and semicircular stoma and lateral alae with two crests. In addition, the postcloacal cuticle of males features a small area with ornamentation between cloaca and submedial papillae. Finally, both spicule and gubernaculum are relatively short. Although the eggs of Tlacuatzoxyuris n. gen. are unknown, the conspicuous differences in traits used in the diagnosis of genera prompted us to propose a new genus for the new species. This is the first species of Oxyuridae reported in mouse opossums outside South America, and the fifth species of the family occurring in didelphimorph marsupials. This is an example of the usefulness of documenting the diversity of parasites associated with this unique clade of mammals through the examination of preserved tissues.

Objective. To provide primary evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi landscape genetics in the Mexican Neotropics. Materials and methods. Trypanosoma cruzi and discrete typing units (DTU) prevalence were analyzed in landscape communities of vectors, wildlife, livestock, pets, and sympatric human populations using endpoint PCR and sequencing of all relevant amplicons from mitochondrial (kDNA) and nuclear (ME, 18S, 24Sα) gene markers. Results. Although 98% of the infected sample-set (N=2 963) contained single or mixed infections of DTUI (TcI, 96.2%) and TcVI (22.6%), TcIV and TcII were also identified. Sensitivity of individual markers varied and was dependent on host taxon; kDNA, ME and 18S combined identified 95% of infections. ME genotyped 90% of vector infections, but 60% of mammals (36% wildlife), while neither 18S nor 24Sα typed more than 20% of mammal infections. Conclusion. Available gene fragments to identify or genotype T. cruzi are not universally sensitive for all landscape parasite populations, highlighting important T. cruzi heteroge- neity among mammal reservoir taxa and triatomine species.