We developed a model to identify and analyze the socioeconomic and spatial factors contributing to illegal primate capture in Mexico. The aim was to predict vulnerable sites and areas at significant capture pressure Focusing on primate species, we gathered data from each municipality where these species are found. Calculations showed that regions with higher socioeconomic status, such as Quintana Roo, are at highest capture pressure. We found that the most vulnerable sites were close to roads and urban settlements, and areas at risk of capture were identified as those harboring multiple primate species. These findings have significant implications for intelligence and surveillance strategies as understanding capture hotspots is crucial to mitigate indiscriminate captures and safeguard primate populations. Key words: Capture, Pressure, Drivers, Primate trafficking, Vulnerability

Human-carnivore conflicts, arising from the predation of domestic animals, contribute to global declines in carnivore populations, primarily due to retaliatory and preventative killings. Understanding the contextual factors that commonly lead to such conflicts is crucial for developing policies and strategies that mitigate economic losses for individuals and reduce human-caused mortality of carnivores. In this study, we used livestock predation insurance claim records filed in Mexico from 2017 to 2020, alongside potentially significant anthropogenic and landscape variables, to explore the relationship between the occurrence of livestock predations and the degree of disturbance or transformation of natural habitats across the country. Our findings reveal that predation sites were widespread throughout Mexico, but their distribution varied in relation to the degree of anthropogenic transformation of habitats. The occurrences of predation by jaguar, puma, and black bear were associated with landscape attributes indicative of anthropogenic changes, including urbanization, deforestation, habitat conversion to intensive agriculture, roads, cultivated pastures, and livestock density. We propose that classified model of anthropic variables can serve as an effective planning tool to identify, prioritize, and address the vulnerability of livestock to carnivores, providing a strategic framework for managing and mitigating human-carnivore conflicts.

Since the description in 1957 of Iberus ortizi, a land snail endemic to the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula, there has been limited information about its distribution. It has traditionally been assumed that all populations of rock-dwelling Iberus snails inhabiting the Subbetic mountain ranges of Córdoba belonged to I. ortizi. In this study, intensive sampling throughout the entire potential area of I. ortizi allowed the identification of a new species (named I. rutensis sp. nov.) with conchological features somewhat intermediate between I. ortizi and I. loxanus. This new species occupies a limited area, divided into two populations. The first of these is located south of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park and the second is located in the central-eastern part of the massif. Here we present a comprehensive description of the species following an integrative taxonomic approach combining geographical distribution, conchological analysis (including a morphometric study) and phylogenetic position and relationships. We also provide new localities for the cryptic species I. ortizi and I. marmoratus marmoratus, extending their known distributions to the provinces of Jaén and Córdoba, respectively.

Hybridization, understood here as the sexual reproduction between individuals of different species, is relatively common in riverine, estuarine, and marine environments. Investigating hybridization in wild populations of aquatic megafauna species provides important insight into their biology, evolution, and conservation. Here, we conducted an extensive and systematic review of published reports of hybrids in keystone, aquatic megafauna, aiming to provide a clear summary of state-of-the-art and hybridization trends in this group. We selected 129 journal articles reporting 80 hybrids in aquatic megafauna. We included mammals (40.3 %), turtles (33.3 %), crocodilians (17.8 %), and elasmobranchs (8.5 %) that are widely distributed in oceans and continental waters. Our results showed a clear increase in reports of hybrids involving aquatic megafauna in recent years, possibly reflecting the improvement in molecular techniques. However, this increase could also be a consequence of translocation of organisms and habitat modification by humans, and may have a critical impact on conservation, particularly regarding already depleted populations. Hybridization has directly or indirectly facilitated the extinction of many species, but it has also played a crucial role in the evolution and adaptation of many others. To determine whether hybridization is a natural effect or a collateral effect of anthropic pressures we need to understand its implications on the conservation of aquatic megafauna.

Roadkills are among the most important threats to wildlife worldwide. In Colombia, few studies have evaluated the impact or patterns of this threat and many aspects are yet to be evaluated. Bogotá and Cundinamarca are the most populated areas in the country, but no information is available regarding this threat in this area. Here we evaluated the incidence of roadkill in three main road corridors between August 2018 and November 2019, estimating its magnitude, patterns and influencing variables. All roadkill records were collected and characterized spatially, temporally, and taxonomically. We then modeled the effect of landscape variables on roadkill incidence. We surveyed 88 times, covering 12,120 km and obtaining 52 records of 15 species. Mammals were the most affected taxa (67.30 %), followed by reptiles (19.12 %). We identified 38 hotspots. Sinuosity was found to be the most influential variable in the probability of roadkill, with overall probabilities concentrated in the medium risk (60-70 %), and 20 % showing high probabilities (90-100 %). These findings lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring, promoting implementation of measures to reduce the effect of this threat to wildlife in the department.

Earthworms from various land uses in the Kottayam district of Kerala, part of the Western Ghats hotspot in India, were studied using an integrative approach that involved morphoanatomical methods and cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcoding techniques for the first time here. The study unveiled the presence of nine earthworm species: <i>Drawida ghatensis</i> Michaelsen, 1910; <i>Moniligaster julkai</i> Narayanan and Paliwal, 2022; <i>Glyphidrilus annandalei</i> Michaelsen, 1910; <i>Pontoscolex corethrurus</i> (Müller, 1857); <i>Eukerria kuekenthali</i> (Michaelsen, 1908); <i>Dichogaster bolaui</i> (Michaelsen, 1891); <i>Megascolex cochinensis</i> Stephenson, 1915; <i>M. konkanensis</i> Fedarb, 1898; and <i>Lampito mauritii</i> Kinberg, 1867, belonging to eight genera. The COI sequences of all nine species were deposited in GenBank. Notably, <i>M. julkai</i> and <i>E. kuekenthali</i> are novel additions to the GenBank barcode database. The Bayesian phylogram and maximum-likelihood indicated that the species <i>M. julkai</i> in this study exhibited a closer relationship to <i>D. ghatensis</i> than to other <i>Moniligaster</i> species. This study provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of all nine species, supplemented by their DNA barcodes, to facilitate future species identification.

The lesser kestrel Falco naumanni is a facultative colonial falconiform whose breeding range stretches across the entire Palaearctic. As with other pseudo-steppe birds, the lesser kestrel has experienced a sharp decline in western Europe over the last decades, spurring conservation actions. We compared natal philopatry of captive versus wild-bred individuals and the effect of release date on philopatry by comparing return data of captive- and wild-bred kestrels from 13 colonies between 2004 and 2019. We found that wild-bred kestrels show significantly stronger philopatry than their captive-bred counterparts, possibly due to the lack of parental influence experienced by the latter during their first days. No relationship was detected between release date and natal philopatry. Future studies should focus on factors affecting the philopatric behaviour of lesser kestrels bred in captivity, which could in turn improve their captive breeding and release strategy.