Mammals of Cerro de Arcos Reserve, Loja Province, Ecuador, with Comparative Cricetid Diversity and Ecology in Ecuador

This is the eleventh survey conducted over the past 20 years by researchers from Abilene Christian University and the Museo de Zoología of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador in Andean field sites of Ecuador to assess mammal diversity. In 2023 we studied the mammals of Cerro de Arcos Reserve on Loja Province, Ecuador (3540–3741 m elevation). The habitat is windswept alpine grassland or paramo mixed with non-native pine trees, volcanic rock outcrops and botanically diverse bogs. The mammals we collected or photographed using cameras traps were Akodon mollis, Microryzomys altissimus, Thomasomys auricularis, T. caudivarius, T. taczanowskii, Sylvilagus andinus, Cryptotis montivagus, Lycalopex culpaeus and Odocoileus virginianus. We have used a clustering analysis to establish the cricetid relatedness among the surveyed sites. This analysis shows that Cerro de Arcos is most similar to Yacuri National Park with regard to their cricetid assemblages.