Distribution and ecology of squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Paraguay, with first country records forSciurus ignitus

Abstract

Abstract We document for the first time that Sciurus ignitus, a medium-sized agouti-patterned squirrel with white venter, occurs in Paraguay, being found in the northern Chaco–Pantanal region of the country, where the borders of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil come together. Sciurus urucumus, the only species of squirrel previously known with certainty to range into Paraguay, occurs in the Chiquitano Forest of the northeastern Paraguayan Chaco. We provide details of the Paraguayan habitats for the known specimens of both species. At present, we know of no localities where the two species co-occur. We critically evaluate some of the morphological characters used previously to characterize S. ignitus. Interviews with local hunters, including Ache indigenous ones, coupled with an earlier published account, indicate that the squirrel Sciurus aestuans also occurs in eastern Paraguay's Departamento Alto Parana, although no specimens are now available from the country.