Ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Turvo State Park, municipality of Derrubadas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The knowledge of ant assemblages that occurs in Conservation Units in the Atlantic Forest domain is a priority, considering the number of endemic species and the impacts that this biome has been suffering. The aim of this study was to evaluate ant assemblages in the Turvo State Park, which is the largest conservation unit in the State of Rio Grande do Sul and presents an important role on biodiversity protection. Two samplings were conducted in 2019, one in the summer (January) and the other in the spring (November and December), at five sites 2 km apart, with pitfall traps (soil and canopy), sardine baits, glucose, beating net, sweeping net and manual collection. We sampled 121 species in the summer and 120 in the spring, totaling 163 ant species. A total of 78 species (47.8%) occurred in both sampling seasons. The richest genera in the study were Camponotus (S = 30), Pheidole (S = 23) and Linepithema (S = 11). Seventeen species were recorded for the first time for Rio Grande do Sul state. The results indicate that this is one of the most species-rich assemblages of ants ever surveyed in a conservation unit in southern Brazil. The study highlights the importance of Conservation Units as protected environments against habitat loss for ant biodiversity. The results of this study contribute to myrmecofauna knowledge and serve as a basis for environmental impact studies, management plans and conservation of Atlantic Forest remnants.

Bats from the Pedra Branca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Pedra Branca Forest is located in a highly-urbanised region of the central portion of Rio de Janeiro City, comprises the largest urban forest on the continent and is isolated from other Atlantic Forest remnants. The local flora and fauna are protected by three conservation units (Pedra Branca State Park, Prainha Municipal Natural Park and Guaratiba State Biological Reserve) and one biological station (Fiocruz Atlantic Forest Biological Station—EFMA). Here, we provide an updated list of the bat fauna for the remnant. The results are based on samplings at EFMA and literature data from Pedra Branca State Park and Prainha Natural Park. The three sampling sites combined resulted in 31 species, 23 genera and four families. Phyllostomidae was the richest family with 24 species, followed by Vespertilionidae with five species (3%) and Molossidae and Noctilionidae with one species. The local bat fauna was predominantly composed of species with a broad geographic distribution.

Salacia juradoi (Celastraceae), a new species from coastal Ecuador

Salacia juradoi (Celastraceae), a new species of tree from the forest remnants of Guayaquil in coastal Ecuador, is here described and illustrated, and the affinities with closely morphologically related taxa is commented. The conservation status of Salacia juradoi is here assessed as Endangered.

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.

Estoque e Capacidade de Retenção Hídrica da Serrapilheira em remanescentes florestais da Mata Atlântica / Stock and Water Retention Capacity of Litter on Forest remnants of the Atlantic Forest

A serrapilheira tem um papel fundamental na manutenção de processos florestais, pois influenciam diretamente o balanço hídrico, sendo muito importantes também na restauração ecológica. Esse estudo avaliou o acumulo de serrapilheira e sua capacidade de retenção hídrica em três remanescentes florestais de Mata Atlântica, sendo eles: S1 – área de preservação permanente de curso d’água em estágio inicial de sucessão; S2 - área de mata secundária; S3 - área urbana em estágio inicial de sucessão. Ambas, S1 e S3 são áreas que foram restauradas em 2008. O maior volume médio de serrapilheira acumulada observado foi no S2 (18,8 Mg. ha-¹). Os resultados estatísticos mostraram haver diferença marginalmente significativa entre S2 e os demais tratamentos (F = 3,808 e p = 0,076). Em relação à retenção hídrica, o tratamento S1 apresentou a maior média (S1 274,8 %), apesar de também não haver diferente significativa entre os tratamentos.

Occurrence of Euterpe edulis Mart. (Arecaceae) in Atlantic Forest fragments in southern Brazil

We report new occurrence records of Euterpe edulis Mart. and compare them to a database of known occurrences data available in online repositories. The new records are from an Atlantic Forest fragment in São José do Capinzal village, municipality of Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil. We found 1,393 occurrence records in the online database, of which 491 are unique records primarily from within the Atlantic Forest remnants. We also present photographs, distribution maps, and ecological characterizations that may be useful for future studies.

Estimated Density, Population Size and Distribution of the Endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) in Forest Remnants in Bangladesh

Tropical forests are threatened worldwide due to deforestation. In South and Southeast Asia, gibbons (Hylobatidae) are important to seed dispersal and forest regeneration. Most gibbons are threatened due to deforestation. We studied the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) in Bangladesh to determine population size and extent of suitable habitat. We used distance sampling to estimate density across 22 sites in northeastern and southeastern Bangladesh. We used Maxent modeling to determine areas of highly suitable habitat throughout Bangladesh. Density was estimated to be 0.39 ± 0.09groups/km2, and the total estimated population was 468.96 ± 45.56 individuals in 135.31 ± 2.23 groups. The Maxent model accurately predicted gibbon distribution. Vegetation cover, isothermality, annual precipitation, elevation and mean temperature of the warmest quarter influenced distribution. Two areas in the northeast and two areas in the southeast have high potential for gibbon conservation in Bangladesh. We also found significantly more gibbons in areas that had some level of official protection. Thus, we suggest careful evaluation, comprehensive surveys and restoration of habitats identified as suitable for gibbons. We recommend bringing specific sites in the northeastern and southeastern regions under protection to secure habitat for remaining gibbon populations.

Nests of Eufriesea aff. auriceps (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossini) in remnants of Atlantic Forest and reforested areas

In recent decades, the use of the trap-nest technique has helped to increase knowledge on the nest architecture of many orchid bee species. This study describes the nest architecture of Eufriesea aff. auriceps constructed in trap-nests made of dried bamboo internodes (canes). The nests were placed in remnants of Atlantic forest and in reforested areas next to forest remnants and monitored monthly from August 2015 to August 2016 and from August 2018 to August 2019 in southern Brazil. The bamboo internodes occupied by bees varied in internal diameter from 1.0cm to 2.0 cm (`X = 1.7; SD = 0.3; N = 12) and in length from 11.0 cm to 28.0 cm (`X = 19.5; SD = 4.8; N = 12). The total size of the nests inside the bamboo internodes ranged from 9.0 cm to 19.9 cm (`X = 14.3; SD= 3.9; N = 12). The number of brood cells constructed per nest varied from 1 to 10 (`X = 4.0; SD = 2.3; N = 15). The cells were built with small pieces of bark cemented with resin, linearly arranged along the bamboo tube. Internally, the cell wall was lined with resin. The cells measured 1.5-3.0 cm (`X = 2.3 ± 0.5; N = 48) in length and 1.4-1.7 (`X = 1.5 ± 0.1; N = 17) cm in width. The internal contour of the cells was elliptical. Females of Eufriesea aff. auriceps occupied trap-nests in both the forest remnants and in areas undergoing restoration.