Registro altitudinal inusual de Zorro Andino Pseudalopex culpaeus (Carnivora: Canidae) en el sureste de Ecuador

Reportamos un registro altitudinal inusual de Zorro Andino Pseudalopex culpaeus (Carnivora: Canidae) obtenido con cámaras trampa a 1353 m en el piedemonte suroriental andino, Copalinga Ecolodge, provincia de Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Este constituye el registro altitudinal más bajo de esta especie en el país y el primer reporte para una región en la que no existía evidencia previa de su presencia. Como información de referencia asociada, presentamos el listado de los mamíferos de pequeño a mediano tamaño registrados en esta localidad.AbstractWe report an unusual altitudinal record of the Culpeo Pseudalopex culpaeus (Carnivora: Canidae) registered by trap cameras at 1353 m in the southeastern Andean foothills at Copalinga Ecolodge, province of Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. This is the lowest altitudinal record documented for this species in the country and is the first report for a region where its presence was not previously evidenced. As reference associated information, we present the list of mammals from small to medium size registered in this locality.

Advances in ecology and conservation of Hippocamelus species in South America

A symposium was held for the two South American deer of the genus Hippocamelus: the taruka, H. antisensis and the Patagonian huemul, H. bisulcus. The taruka is recognized as vulnerable and the huemul as endangered on the IUCN red list. To reverse the current trend and prevent further imminent declines, 13 recommendations were proposed. For taruka, national recovery plans should be developed and implemented in each country it inhabits, and hunting must be managed. For huemul’s lack of recovery, much still remains unknown about the causal factors and their overall significance: culpeo fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus) appear not to be an important mortality agent of heumul fawns, whereas habitat suitability may be the fundamental cause for the declines. Research should be conducted to better evaluate the interplay of threats and their relative importance.

Sexual dimorphism and sex identification in the South American culpeo fox, Pseudalopex culpaeus (Carnivora : Canidae)

Sexual dimorphism is analysed in skulls of the culpeo fox, Pseudalopex culpaeus, through multivariate and univariate approaches. The species shows a moderate level of sexual dimorphism with most cranial variables being, on average, 5% larger in males. Equations are obtained for inferring the sex of skulls of juvenile, subadult and adult culpeo foxes. The equations are based on a reduced set of variables obtained from stepwise discriminant analyses by age class on skull measurements. The discriminant power of all functions is estimated on the basis of a jackknife reclassification procedure. Correct classification is higher than 85% for both sexes, and is similar to, or higher than, the values reported for other foxes. The use of the discriminant function pooling subadult and adult skulls is rec ommended because it shows a high percentage of correct classification without the necessity of ascribing a collected skull to the subadult or adult age class before sex estimation. The equations provide an easy method to estimate the sex ratio of wild populations of this furbearer species using the abundant carcasses discarded throughout north-western Patagonia as a result of the intense hunting of the species. The information on sex ratios will help in the study of population dynamics and when monitoring the harvest of culpeo foxes.