Report on the mammals of Quimsacocha National Recreation Area, Azuay Province, Ecuador

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Abstract

Quimsacocha National Recreation Area is located on the western slope of the Andes in Azuay Province, southern Ecuador. All sampling locations were in the high paramo and high Andean forests (3,572 to 3,865 m). The habitats in-clude paramo, bogs, riparian, patches of elfin forests, and secondary cloud forest. We set Sherman, pitfall, and camera traps (3,600 trap nights), and mist nets to collect 117 specimens. Eight species were collected, including Caenolestes caniventer Anthony 1921; Didelphis pernigra J.A. Allen, 1900; Cryptotis montivagus (Anthony, 1921); Akodon mollis Thomas, 1894; Microryzomys altissimus (Osgood, 1933), Phyllotis haggardi Thomas, 1908; Sigmodon inopinatus Anthony, 1924; and Sylvilagus andinus (Thomas, 1897). Two additional species Coendou rufescens (Gray, 1865) and Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780) were documented photographically. This is the first survey that saved voucher specimens for mammals of Quimsacocha.

Translated title of the contributionInforme sobre los mamíferos del Área Nacional de Recreación Quimsacocha, provincia del Azuay, Ecuador
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)125-131
Number of pages7
JournalCheck List
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The authors.

Funding

This research was supported by a Math/Science research grant from Abilene Christian University. We thank the staff of the Quimsacocha National Recreation Area for their kind support and help trapping in the field. This field trip was conducted under the legal authorization of the Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador. We thank Jonathan Jasper for help with the figures and proofreading.

Funders
Abilene Christian University

    Keywords

    • High Andean paramo
    • Mammal survey
    • Polylepis forests

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