Copy proof Article inAuthor's press - uncorrected Mammalia 74 (2010): 213–217
2010 by Walter de Gruyter • Berlin • New York. DOI 10.1515/MAMM.2010.004

Short Note

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Diego Astu´a1,*, Paulo H. Asfora2, Filipe M. Ale´ssio3 and Alfredo Langguth4 1 Laborato´rio de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n, Cidade Universita´ria, 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil, e-mail: [email protected] 2 Laborato´rio de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Sa˜o Francisco Xavier 524, Maracana˜, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 3 Laboratoire Population Environnement De´veloppement, UMR-151 Universite´ de Provence – IRD, Universite´ de Provence, Case 10.3, Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France 4 Departamento de Sistema´tica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraı´ba, Cidade Universita´ria, 58059-900 – Joa˜o Pessoa, PB, Brazil

*Corresponding author

Keywords: Carnivora; distribution; range extension.

The genus Lontra Gray, 1843 is composed of four presently recognized species: Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777), L. felina (Molina, 1782), L. longicaudis (Olfers, 1818), and L. provocax (Thomas, 1908) (Wozencraft 2005). Of these, L. longicaudis presents the wider distribution, ranging from Mexico to northern Argentina (Lariviere 1999, Wozencraft 2005). One of the earliest citations on the possible presence of otters in Northeastern Brazil (NEB) comes from Thomas (1908), who stated that Lutra mitis (sLontra longicaudis) occurred in ‘‘Guyana and Eastern Brazil’’ (p. 394). Subsequently, Pohle (1919) stated that ‘‘In Trinidad we finally find L. e. insularis F. Cuv., that diverges little from enudris. To the south L. e. mitis extends beyond the Amazonas region, inhabits also the Sa˜o Francisco and occurs in the Rio de Janeiro coast as well’’ (p. 210). Pohle (1919) also reports a map with an occurrence point at the mouth of the Sa˜o Francisco River, but did not indicate where that information was obtained, nor reported any studied specimen from that locality (no specimen from that region could be located in the holdings of the Berlin Museum). Later, the distributional hypothesis of Neotropical river otters advanced by Cabrera (1958), possibly based on some of these earlier reports, stated that Lutra enudris (sLontra longicaudis enudris) was

distributed over ‘‘Eastern Venezuela, Guyanas, Northeastern Brazil down to Rio de Janeiro’’. However, all these statements that Neotropical otters occur in NEB were ignored in subsequent distribution hypotheses (Emmons and Feer 1997, Eisenberg and Redford 1999, Lariviere 1999, Kruuk 2006, Waldemarin and Alvares 2008). Here, we report for the first time several voucher specimens that confirm the presence of L. longicaudis in NEB. With the exception of these specimens, kept in the Mammal collections of the Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) and that of the Departamento de Sistema´tica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraı´ba (UFPB), no other specimens of L. longicaudis from NEB could be located in any of the major Brazilian mammal collections (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro and Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sa˜o Paulo), in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History, The Natural History Museum, the Muse´um national d’Histoire naturelle, the Museum fu¨r Naturkunde, nor in any collection integrating the MaNIS network (http://manisnet.org). These new specimens are (numbers correspond to localities plotted ´ rea de Proteca ¸ ˜ o Ambiental in Figure 1): (1) UFPE 1706. A da Barra do Rio Mamanguape, Rio Tinto, Paraı´ba (68439280 S, 348569350 W). Donated by ICMBio (ReBio Guaribas, PB). 2008. Male (Figure 2); (2) UFPB 5970. Canal do Bessa, rua Pres. Delphim Moreira, bairro do Bessa, Joa˜o Pessoa (7804904.000 S, 34850956.890 W). Received from CETAS PB/ IBAMA. Field number JLS 27. February 3rd, 2009. Female; (3) UFPB 5969. Mari, Paraı´ba (7802952.040 S, 35818932.310 W). Received from CETAS PB/IBAMA – Field number JLS 12. December 5th, 2008. Male; (4) UFPE 1707. Loteamento Cha˜ de Peroba, Aldeia, Camaragibe, Pernambuco (78579560 S, 348599130 W). August 2007. Unknown sex; (5) UFPB 5966. Va´rzea of the Rio Sa˜o Francisco, between the towns of Telha and Cedro de Sa˜o Joa˜o, Sergipe (10813940.710 S, 36852944.540 W). Seized in 2007. Unknown sex. Available external and cranial measurements are given in Table 1. Four other specimens (UFPB 976, 5967, 861, and 5968), two of them from the Zoological Garden of Joa˜o Pessoa and two with no locality information are also preserved in the UFPB collection. In addition to these specimens, several sighting records report the occurrence of otters in other localities in NEB. ¸ ˜ o Ecolo´gica These include: (a) Paratibe River, in the Estaca de Caete´s, Paulista, Pernambuco (7855959.280 S, 34855957.960 W), where we observed three individuals in December 13, 2008, in a small stream; (b) Usina Sa˜o Jose´, Igarassu, Pernambuco (78499120 S, 35809290 W), where we saw a young female in January 31, 2009; (c) RPPN Frei

2010/014

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On the occurrence of the Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) (Mammalia, Mustelidae) in Northeastern Brazil

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Figure 1 Lontra longicaudis: previously known distribution in South America, including approximate collection localities of specimens examined by Jong (1972) (black dots), and by Eisenberg (1989), Redford and Eisenberg (1992), and Eisenberg and Redford (1999) (white dots). Shaded area indicates distribution hypothesis by Eisenberg (1989), Redford and Eisenberg (1992), and Eisenberg and Redford (1999). Gray dots indicate new records presented here (see text for explanation).

Caneca, Jaqueira, Pernambuco (088439 S, 358509 W), where a sighting prior to 2003 was reported by Silva Junior and Mendes Pontes (2008); (d) Parque Ecolo´gico Municipal Professor Joa˜o Vasconcelos Sobrinho (PEMVS), Brejo dos Cavalos, Caruaru, Pernambuco (8822920.020 S, 36800958.690 W), where sightings in small dams from 1997 were reported by Sousa et al. (2004); (e) Mata do Buraquinho, Joa˜o Pessoa, Paraiba (7808915.790 S, 34851945.380 W), where a specimen captured in 2004 in the small dam was reported by Percequillo et al. (2007); and (f) Bessa, Joa˜o Pessoa, Paraiba (7803915.530 S, 34850947.830 W), where a sighting of an animal in the beach was reported during the 1980s to us. All these records indicate that the previously reported distributional gap was as a result of a lack of adequate samplings, and it is likely that otters are present in other NEB coastal river basins. Cabrera (1958) considered six Lontra species occurring in Brazil, felina, provocax, annectens, enudris, incarum, and platensis (the last four occurring around central Amazonia). He considers L. enudris (type locality in Guyana) to occur from eastern Venezuela and Guyana, to NEB and down to

Rio de Janeiro. Subsequently, Jong (1972), in the latest taxonomic revision of Neotropical otters, synonymized all peri-Amazonian forms under Lontra longicaudis (Olfers), an arrangement followed by subsequent authors (Emmons and Feer 1997, Eisenberg and Redford 1999, Lariviere 1999, Wozencraft 2005). Proper taxonomic assignment of these specimens can only be provisional, awaiting a proper revision of L. longicaudis that includes new specimens, collected since Jong (1972). Diagnostic characters given in that study, such as shape of the rhinarium and color of the ventral underfur from our specimens suggest they are more in agreement with those of the southern otters (L. platensis) than to those of the Guyana otter (L. enudris), in contrast to the distributional hypothesis of Cabrera (1958). The Neotropical Otter has been classified as Data Deficient in the 2008 IUCN Red List (Waldemarin and Alvares 2008), and despite ecological studies, mostly diet analyses (Pardini and Trajano 1999, Quadros and Monteiro-Filho 2001), our observations confirm that basic information on its biology and distribution are still insufficient. Local extinctions have to be thoroughly documented, and a proper assess-

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Figure 2 Lontra longicaudis: skull and mandible of specimen UFPE 1706 from northeastern Brazil. Bars5 cm.

ment of conservation status depends both on adequate population data and adequate presence data (IUCN 2001). For all practical purposes, population studies of L. longicaudis are inexistent (M. Rheingantz and C. Trinca, personal communications) or based on indirect evidence that could present several artifacts (Casariego-Madorell et al. 2008), and for presence data, intensive field surveys, with proper voucher specimens, are still the most trustworthy source. Other non-invasive survey methods exist, such as visual census or scat counts (Casariego-Madorell et al. 2008), but they all present the same problem, that the identity cannot be confirmed or reassessed, as there is no voucher to sustain the

taxonomic identification (see Ruedas et al. 2000 on this matter). As obtaining collecting permits and voucher specimens for medium- and large-sized mammals, usually threatened and charismatic taxa, is more laborious than for small taxa, and larger taxa usually have smaller population sizes and longer life cycles, efforts have been made to compensate this by cooperation efforts, particularly with environmental agencies (such as IBAMA and ICMBio), thus optimizing the use of already dead animals. These remain the best physical records of biodiversity, essential for proper taxonomic assessments, and constitute the base of a wide array of future analyses.

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Table 1 External and cranial measurements from the new voucher specimens of Lontra longicaudis from northeastern Brazil reported here (in mm, except where noted).

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Sex Total length Tail length Foot length Ear length Weight (g) Condylobasal length Palatal length Zygomatic breadth Interorbital constriction Width at postorbital processes Postorbital constriction Width at mastoid processes Length of upper toothrow including canine Buccal length of upper carnassial Greatest diameter of upper molar Width across upper canines at premaxilla Length of mandible from condyle Total length of lower carnassial

Specimens UFPE 1706

UFPE 1707

UFPB 5969

UFPB 5970

M 1270 500 125/115 25 – 110.41 54.07 77.52 23.84 37.47 20.12 75.54 39.31 13.80 12.50 28.97 77.38 14.80

– – – – – – 108.01 48.24 – 22.43 26.75 17.62 – 34.55 12.51 12.29 26.01 66.92 13.90

M 1195 545 135/125 21 – 109.4 54.5 – 25.6 37.5 18.0 79.7 38.3 14.2 13.0 31.4 76.1 15.0

F 990 432 104/107 23 3500 92.8 44.2 65.5 21.4 31.9 19.8 65.1 32.7 11.8 11.0 24.1 62.3 13.2

All measurements are the same as used by Husson (1978: 302) on otters from Guyana. Refer to text for further details.

Acknowledgements Support for the field work that led to these new records and for the maintenance of the UFPE mammal collection was given by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Proc 480877/2007-6 and 553875/2006-0) and the Pernambuco State Agency for Science and Technology (FACEPE) (APQ0351-2.04/06). The laboratory that prepared the specimens at DSE/ UFPB is supported by CNPq (Proc 503689/2008-4). P.H.A. is supported by a fellowship from FAPERJ, F.A. by a fellowship from the Alban Program and A.L. by a productivity fellowship from CNPq. We are grateful to Mr. Ivaldo Marques, manager of the Guaribas Biological Reserve (ICMBio) and to Paulo Wagner (CETAS/PB, IBAMA) and Tiago Ce´sar Farias da Silva for providing the most recent specimens here reported, to Cristine Trinca (PUCRS) and Marcelo Rheingantz (UFRJ and IUCN Otter Specialists Group) for important information on their studies and on population studies, to Geraldine Ve´ron (Muse´um national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris) and Frieder Mayer (Museum fu¨r Naturkunde, Berlin) for checking for us the presence of specimens in the collections under their care, and to Dione Seripierri (MZUSP) for retrieving rare literature for us.

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Measurements

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J.J.P. Cabral and M. Tabarelli, eds) Brejos de altitude em Per¸ ˜ o. nambuco e Paraiba – Histo´ria natural, ecologia e conservaca MMA/UFPE, Brasilia. pp. 229–254. Thomas, O. 1908. On African and South-American otters. Ann. Nat. Hist. 8: 387–395. Waldemarin, H.F. and R. Alvares. 2008. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of threatened species. -www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on January 27, 2009. Wozencraft, W.C. 2005. Order Carnivora. In: (D.E. Wilson and D.M. Reeder, eds) Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. pp. 532–628.

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Redford, K.H. and J.F. Eisenberg. 1992. Mammals of the Neotropics. Vol. 2. The Southern Cone: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. pp. 430. Ruedas, L.A., J. Salazar-Bravo, J.W. Dragoo and T.L. Yates. 2000. The importance of being earnest: What, if anything, constitutes a ‘‘Specimen examined’’? Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 17: 129–132. Silva Junior, A.P. and A.R. Mendes Pontes. 2008. The effect of a mega-fragmentation process on large mammal assemblages in the highly-threatened Pernambuco Endemism Centre, north-eastern Brazil. Biodivers. Conserv. 17: 1455–1464. Sousa, M.A.N., A. Langguth and E.A. Gimenez. 2004. Mamı´feros dos brejos de altitude Paraı´ba e Pernambuco. In: (K.C. Porto,

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