PRIMER REPORTE DE LESIONES PARASITARIAS COMPATIBLES CON Oslerus osleri (COBBOLD, 1876) EN AGUARÁ GUAZÚ, Chrysocyon brachyurus (ILLIGER, 1811) DE LA PROVINCIA DE SANTA FE.

The necropsy of 5 specimens of C. brachyurus which were accidentally run over on different routes in the north-central province of Santa Fe. All of these had multiple whitish nodules with a cystic appearance between the distal third of the trachea and bronchi containing parasites arranged in the shape of a ball inside. Morphological identification of adult’s nematodes and larvae eggs from females was performed, where it was possible to identify typical characters of the species O. osleris. Likewise, the lungs were increased in consistency, with petechial and multifocal ecchymosis and the presence of whitish nodules scattered throughout the parenchyma. Two of the canids had an increase in the size of the bronchial lymph nodes. The inspection of the respiratory system together with the observation of lesions and the nematodes found inside with their corresponding measurements, are compatible with the species O. osleri, which would imply the first report of this parasite in wild canids from Argentina.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in wild animals treated at the Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Ticks have a great diversity of hosts, many of which are still being discovered. These parasites may be responsible for the transmission of several pathogens to animals and humans. For this reason, knowledge on tick species and their hosts is essential for planning actions in public health and fauna conservation. From February 2018 to July 2019, ticks found in animals treated at the Wild Animal Clinic of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) were surveyed. Animals came from nine municipalities at the southern region of Minas Gerais State, all close to the municipality of Lavras. During veterinary procedures the animals were inspected, and tick specimens were removed from the hosts’ skins with the help of tweezers, and posteriorly identified. One hundred and three specimens of ticks were removed from the hosts and allocated in five species of Amblyomma Koch, 1844 (Ixodidae) [A. nodosum (Neumann, 1899), A. sculptum Berlese, 1888, A. aureolatum (Pallas, 1772), A. calcaratum Neumann, 1899, and A. ovale (Koch, 1844)] and one of Rhipicephalus Latreille, 1806 [R. (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini, 1888)]. Ticks were collected from: Cariama cristata (Linnaeus, 1766) (Cariamidae); Cerdocyon thous Linnaeus, 1766 and Chrysocyon brachyurus Illiger,1815 (Canidae); Leopardus pardalis Linnaeus, 1758 (Felidae); Mazama gouazoubira Fischer, 1814 (Cervidae); Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758 (Myrmecophagidae); Sphiggurus villosus (F. Cuvier, 1823) (Erethizontidae). In this study no new parasite-host relationships were found, however, wild animals can be vectors of important diseases, and monitoring the occurrence of ectoparasites in wildlife is a significant step in public health policies.

Medium-sized and large mammals of the Floresta da Cicuta Area of Relevant Ecological Interest, a protected area in southeastern Brazil

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world and has been severely degraded and fragmented, with the extirpation of most medium-sized and large vertebrates from the forest remnants. Here we present the results of a survey of medium-sized and large mammals in an area of protected seasonal semideciduous forest, the Floresta da Cicuta Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (ARIE-FC), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, part the Atlantic Forest biome. We used camera traps (2,257 camera days) and direct observations over a 23-month period. We recorded 19 species (including two domestic species), seven of which are classified as at-risk, such as Leopardus guttulus (Hensel, 1872), Sylvilagus tapetillus Thomas, 1913, Alouatta clamitans Cabrera, 1940, and Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815). A diverse terrestrial mammal assemblage in the ARIE-FC reinforces the importance of small forest fragments for the conservation of biodiversity in human-modified landscapes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Differential expression of urinary volatile organic compounds by sex, male reproductive status, and pairing status in the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is an induced ovulator. Though the mechanism of ovulation induction remains unknown, it is suspected to be urinary chemical signals excreted by males. This study assessed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in weekly urine samples across 5 months from 13 maned wolves (6 intact males, 1 neutered male, 6 females) with the goal of identifying VOCs that are differentially expressed across sex, reproductive status, and pairing status. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to extract and separate VOCs that were identified via spectral matching with authentic standards, with spectral libraries, or with new software that further matches molecular fragment structures with mass spectral peaks. Two VOCs were present across all 317 urine samples: 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine and 2-methyl-6-(1-propenyl)-pyrazine. Fifteen VOCs differed significantly (Adj. P < 0.001 and |log2 fold change| >2.0) between intact males and females. Using partial least squares-discriminant analysis, the compounds with the highest importance to the sex classification were delta-decalactone, delta-dodecalactone, and bis(prenyl) sulfide. Sixty-two VOCs differed between intact males and the neutered male. Important classifier compounds were 3-ethyl 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine, 2-methyl-6-(1-propenyl)-pyrazine, and tetrahydro-2-isopentyl-5-propyl furan. Several VOCs established as important here have been implicated in reproductive communication in other mammals. This study is the most robust examination of differential expression in the maned wolf thus far and provides the most comprehensive analysis of maned wolf urinary VOCs to date, increasing the sample size substantially over previous chemical communication studies in this species. New data analysis software allowed for the identification of compounds in the hormone-producing mevalonate pathway which were previously unreported in maned wolf urine. Several putative semiochemicals were identified as good candidates for behavioral bioassays to determine their role in maned wolf reproduction, and specifically in ovulation induction.

First records of Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815) (Mammalia, Carnivora) in the Gualeguay Department, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus, Illiger 1815) is the largest canid in South America. The objective of this work is to present a new border registry of Chrysocyon brachyurus, in the Department of Gualeguay, Province of Entre Ríos (32°59'51.78''S, 59°30'59.12''W); validate its membership in that taxon through the use of the COI molecular marker and review and comment on recent reports of specimens recorded further south of the known range of the species in a conservation context.

The value of a small urban green area to the medium and large-sized mammals conservation

Brazil presents the biggest mammal diversity in the world, 755 species, of which 110 are classified under some degree of threat. In the São Paulo State is an estimated 350 taxa richness, however, this number can be even higher due to the gap of sampling over large extensions. In addition, many urban green areas are not studied because their value is underestimated for biodiversity conservation. In this way, the present study aimed to survey the medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals in a Municipal Conservation Unit located in the urban area of Franca, SP. Using cameras trap, sand plots, and active search, in the period between May and July 2019, 16 mammals were sampled. The highest number of species was identified through sand plots (12), followed by active search (7) and cameras trap (4). The sampled community is mostly composed of opportunistic and generalist species with few predators. Among species found, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is classified nationally as vulnerable to extinction. Despite the significant number of sampled species, the species accumulation curve obtained did not reach its asymptote. Thus, it is concluded that Zoobotanic Garden, despite suffering strong anthropic pressure, develop an important role in the regional medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals conservation, acting as a refuge area for these species.