Abstract:
In 2014, a mammal survey was conducted in an ecotone region (including páramo and temperate forest) on the Eastern Versant of the Andes in Carchi province, Ecuador. Sherman traps, Tomahawk traps, pitfall traps, and mist nets were used to collect mammal specimens at two sites (3,340 m elevation and 3,650 m levation). A total of 142 specimens representing 14 species were collected from the survey area. Species collected include: Didelphis pernigra, Microryzomys altissimus, M. minutus, Nephelomys albigularis, Neusticomys monticolus, Reithrodontomys mexicanus soderstromi, Thomasomys baeops, T. cinnameus, T. vulcani, T. ucucha, Sturnira bidens, S. erythromos, and Myotis keaysi. One additional species (Mazama rufina) was documented by a partial skull salvaged from the forest near the biological station. A comparison of the effects of elevation on Ecuadorian rodent diversity was conducted by examining previous collections from this region. This comparison revealed an ecological gradient and turnover of cricetid rodent diversity (at the taxonomic level of tribe) that occurs between 2,070 m and 2,500 m. Furthermore, a reexamination of the taxonomy of Thomasomys was warranted based on the results of Cytb analyses (this study) and more comprehensive escriptions of Thomasomys species in the recent literature.
