Central Bolivia Research Articles

Similar looking sisters: A new sibling species in the Pristimantis danae group from the southwestern Amazon basin (Anura, Strabomantidae)

We describe a new frog species that is the sibling of Pristimantis reichlei. These two sister species inhabit the Amazonian lowlands and adjacent foothills of the Andes, from central Bolivia to central Peru. Pristimantis reichlei occurs from central Bolivia to southern Peru (Alto Purús National Park), while the new species occurs from northern Bolivia (Departamento Pando) to Panguana in central Peru (Departamento Huánuco), at elevations between 220 and 470 m a.s.l. In spite of their morphological crypsis, these siblings occur in syntopy without evidence of interbreeding (in the Alto Purús area) and are recovered as reciprocally monophyletic. Their uncorrected pairwise genetic distances in the 16S rRNA gene range from 9.5–13.5%, and their advertisement calls differ in both qualitative and quantitative traits. Moreover, our study found uncorrected pairwise distances within the new species of up to 5.0% and up to 9.3% within P. reichlei. We therefore cannot rule out the possible existence of hybrids or additional species-level lineages hidden in this complex. Furthermore, we found another potential pair of sibling species composed of P. danae and an unnamed lineage, with divergences of 9.4% in the 16S gene, whose in-depth analysis and taxonomic treatment are pending future revision. With the new nominal species, the Pristimantis danae species group now includes 20 species, distributed across the upper Amazon basin and in the eastern Andes, from western Brazil to Bolivia and Peru. Our study, together with an increasing number of other studies, indicates that sibling species are far from being rare among Amazonian amphibians and that species resolution remains low even for groups that have received considerable attention in recent years.

Intercomparisons of Three Gauge-Based Precipitation Datasets over South America during the 1901–2015 Period

Gridded precipitation (PRP) data have been largely used in diagnostic studies on the climate variability in several time scales, as well as to validate model results. The three most used gauge-based PRP datasets are from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC), University of Delaware (UDEL), and Climate Research Unit (CRU). This paper evaluates the performance of these datasets in reproducing spatiotemporal PRP climatological features over the entire South America (SA) for the 1901–2015 period, aiming to identify the differences and similarities among the datasets as well as time intervals and areas with potential uncertainties involved with these datasets. Comparisons of the PRP annual means and variances between the 1901–2015 period and the non-overlapping 30-year subperiods of 1901–1930, 1931–1960, 1961–1990, and the 25-year subperiod of 1991–2015 for each dataset show varying means of the annual PRP over SA depending on the subperiod and dataset. Consistent patterns among datasets are found in most of southeastern SA and southeastern Brazil, where they evolved gradually from less to more rainy conditions from 1901–1930 to the 1991–2015 subperiod. All three datasets present limitations and uncertainties in regions with poor coverage of gauge stations, where the differences among datasets are more pronounced. In particular, the GPCC presents reduced PRP variability in an extensive area west of 50° W and north of 20° S during the 1901–1930 subperiod. In monthly time scale, PRP time series in two areas show differences among the datasets for periods before 1941, which are likely due to spurious or missing data: central Bolivia (CBO), and central Brazil (CBR). The GPCC has less monthly variability before 1940 than the other two datasets in these two areas, and UDEL presents reduced monthly variability before 1940 and spurious monthly values from May to September of the years from 1929 to 1941 in CBO. Thus, studies with these three datasets might lead to different results depending on the study domain and period of analysis, in particular for those including years before 1941. The results here might be relevant for future diagnostic and modelling studies on climate variability from interannual to multidecadal time scales.

Open-source model applied for techno-economic optimization of a hybrid solar PV biogas-based polygeneration plant: The case of a dairy farmers’ association in central Bolivia

Proper sizing of energy systems is a key aspect that allows avoiding overestimated installation costs or failures in operation and dispatch. However, most of the available sizing tools focus on systems dedicated only to electrical loads, omitting combined energy systems with simultaneous supply of various thermal demands. This study presents an adaptation of an existing open access techno-economic optimization model for broadening the design tool for small-scale energy systems supplying both, electrical and thermal needs. For this, a new typology of an energy system was proposed considering the use of biogas, solar energy and adding thermal components. This was followed by modifying the model framework, constraints equations and objective function, which is the net present cost of the system. Once the design tool was verified a model was constructed to analyse the feasibility of a polygeneration plant for an association of 30 small dairy farms. The developed model was able to optimize the sizing of the main system components for different proposed scenarios, encompassing supply of electricity, refrigeration, biogas for cooking and fertilizers. For the selected application it was found that the aggregated cost of producing electricity and heat ranges from 0.044 to 0.070 USD/kWh; the penetration of solar energy can reach up to 32%; while the annual potential savings of CO2 emissions of applying the solution ranges from 109 to 127 ton of CO2.

A New Species of Matelea (Apocynaceae, Gonolobinae) from Bolivia and an Assessment of Matelea in Bolivia

Matelea anomala Morillo, Meve & Liede (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadeae, Gonolobinae) is here described and illustrated. The new taxon, known only from a single locality in eastern central Bolivia, is characterized by very small flowers with a campanulate corolla and recurved, abaxially pubescent and not ocellate corolla lobes, an annular corona with fimbriate-crenulate margins, and a terete stipe carrying the gynostegium. The new species is recognized in Matelea Aubl. s. str., for which a generic description is provided as well as a key to the species occurring in Bolivia.

Critical ontologies: rethinking relations to other‐than‐humans from the Bolivian Andes

AbstractDrawing from fieldwork and archival research carried out in Bolivia between 2010 and 2017, this article undertakes a rethinking of Indigenous ontologies in light of Bolivian interlocutors’ efforts to navigate deeply precarious ties to named places and saints. Attention to such instabilities challenges romantic accounts of ontology that presume a stable domain of materiality or religiosity outside of practice. During fieldwork in central Bolivia, I learned about the ways that Quechua farmers negotiated the relational and ecological effects of a divisive history of indentured labour and sexual violence through acts of devotion including paraman purina (‘walking for rain’), feasting, flute‐play, dance, and chapel prayer each February for the Patron Saint La Virgen de la Candelaria, named places, and the Pachamama. These practices sought to rebuild ties to named places that were interrupted by the forbidding of offerings by the prior hacienda master and reshaped by state projects of Indigenous revivalism. These devotional practices, and participants’ narrations of them, offer insight into the political workings of Indigenous ontologies in twenty‐first‐century Bolivia. I propose critical ontologies as a scholarly lens that insists upon placing relations with other‐than‐humans within broader fields of legal and political contestation over rights, nature, and Indigeneity.

Unmasking hidden genetic, vocal, and size variation in the Masked Flowerpiercer along the Andes supports two species separated by Northern Peruvian Low

Abstract Genetic divergence among isolated populations is not always reflected in phenotypic differentiation. We investigated the genetic and phenotypic differentiation in Diglossa cyanea (Thraupidae; Masked Flowerpiercer), a widely distributed species in the tropical Andes. We found strong evidence for 2 main lineages separated by the Marañón River valley in the Northern Peruvian Low (NPL). These 2 lineages show a deep sequence divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; ~6.7% uncorrected p-distance, n = 122), spectral frequency and song structure (with exclusive final whistles in southern populations, n = 88), and wing length (the northern populations are smaller, n = 364). The 2 divergent D. cyanea mitochondrial lineages were not sister to each other, suggesting a possible paraphyly with respect to D. caerulescens (Bluish Flowerpiercer) that remains to be tested with nuclear genomic data. No genetic variation, size difference, or song structure was observed within the extensive range of the southern group (from the NPL to central Bolivia) or within all sampled northern populations (from the NPL to Venezuela). These vocal differences appear to have consequences for song discrimination, and species recognition, according to a previously published playback experiment study. We propose that the southern taxon be elevated to species rank as D. melanopis, a monotypic species (with the proposed name Whistling Masked-Flowerpiercer). In turn, we provide a redefinition of D. cyanea (Warbling Masked-Flowerpiercer), which is now restricted to the northern half of the tropical Andes as a polytypic species with 3 subspecies (tovarensis, obscura, and cyanea). Based on our results, the subspecies dispar should be treated as a junior synonym of cyanea. Our study highlights the need to continue amassing complementary data sets from field observations, experiments, and collection-based assessments to better characterize the evolutionary history, biogeography, bioacoustics, and taxonomy of Neotropical montane birds.

Mastigostyla moqueguensis (Tigridieae: Iridaceae), a new species from southern Peru

A new species, Mastigostyla moqueguensis Huaylla & Llalla, is described from the Andes of Moquegua in southern Peru. Mastigostyla, which belongs to the tribe Tigridieae, is widely distributed in the Puna and Andean dry valleys of southern Peru and central Bolivia. The new species can be recognized by its ovate-lanceolate, acute inner tepals with glands at the base. It shows some affnity with M. torotoroensis because of the fliform, bifid style arms with apical stigmas. We present photographs and a table highlighting differences between the new specie and some similar species.

The complete chloroplast genome and phylogenetic analysis of Salvia oxyphora Briq. 1896 (Nepetoideae, Lamiaceae)

Salvia oxyphora Briq. 1896 is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae native to Central Bolivia. In this study, the chloroplast genome of S. oxyphora was sequenced using the Illumina platform and was assembled for the first time. The complete plastid genome of S. oxyphora was 151,014 bp in length including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 82,293 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,531 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IR) regions of 25,595 bp. The total GC content of this genome was 38.04%, and that of LSC, SSC and IR regions was 36.21%, 31.80% and 43.13%, respectively. A total of 114 unique genes of this genome have been annotated, including 80 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA genes, and four ribosomal RNA genes. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed with 51 complete chloroplast genomes, illustrating the close relationship of S. oxyphora to the Brazil’s native medicinal species S. splendens. The chloroplast genome of S. oxyphora provides a foundation for further studies on the adaptive evolution and genetic diversity of the genus Salvia.

Why Is the Drug Trade Not Violent? Cocaine Production and the Embedded Economy in the Chapare, Bolivia

ABSTRACTBolivia is a centre for drug production and trafficking and yet it experiences far less drug‐related violence than other countries in Latin America that form part of cocaine's commodity chain. Drawing upon more than three years of ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2005 and 2019, this article presents evidence from the Chapare, a coca‐growing and drug processing region in central Bolivia, to consider why this is the case. Building from the literature on embedded economies and the subsistence ethic of peasant communities, the article demonstrates that the drug trade is part of a local moral order that prioritizes kinship, reciprocal relations and community well‐being, facilitated by the cultural significance of the coca leaf. This has served to limit possibilities for the violence that is often associated with drug production and trafficking. In addition, coca grower agricultural unions act as a parallel form of governance, providing a framework for the peaceful resolution of disputes and working actively to exclude the state and criminal actors.

An assessment of the taxonomic validity of three species of marsupial frogs (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) from the Yungas of Bolivia based on external morphology and cranial osteology.

The genus Gastrotheca (Anura: Hemiphractidae) is a group of marsupial frogs particularly diverse in Andean regions. Several taxonomic studies of this genus have been conducted in the humid cloud forestsor Yungasof the Andean eastern slopes of central Bolivia (departments of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz). Yet, the distinction among three species that occur sympatrically in these forests, G. lauzuricae (proposed as a junior synonym of G. coeruleomaculatus in 2015), G. piperata, and G. splendens, remains unclear since the morphological characters that purportedly support their differentiation are variable and partly shared among them. We have carried out external morphological studies, including multivariate morphometric analyses, to assess how they support the taxonomic status of these three species. We also evaluated characters of the cranial osteology of a sample of six individuals using micro CT-scanning. Principal component and linear discriminant analyses resulted in a great overlap among the putative species. Cranial osteological comparisons did not reveal highly significant differences among them, but suggested that different degrees of hyperossification could be related to the developmental state of individuals. Our results indicate that most morphological and osteological reported differences between the three species likely represent intraspecific variation. Thus, we propose that the three nominal species belong to a single biological entity, for which the name Gastrotheca splendens (Schmidt, 1857) has priority. We also restrict the name Gastrotheca coeruleomaculatus (Werner, 1899) to externally similar congeneric populations from the Yungas forests of department of La Paz, but highlighting the need of a detailed evaluation of their taxonomic identity.

Three new species of spiny mice, genus Neacomys Thomas, 1900 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), from Brazilian Amazonia

Spiny mice of the genus Neacomys Thomas, 1900 are small oryzomyines that occur in forested habitats from Panama to central Bolivia. Previously known by only four species, systematic revisions provided great increase in genus species richness, which currently comprises 20 valid species. Herein we raise this number to 23, describing three new species of spiny mice. The new taxa are found in western and central Brazilian Amazonia in the states of Amazonas and Pará, and their geographic distribution are delimited by major rivers, being coincident with previously described Amazonian centers of endemism: (1) Neacomys aletheia, sp. nov., ranging from the right and left bank of the Rio Juruá, Amazonas state, Brazil to Loreto in Peru, from the Inambari center; (2) Neacomys jau, sp. nov., distributed between the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, Amazonas state, Brazil, from the Imeri center; and (3) Neacomys elieceri, sp. nov., restricted to the Rondônia endemism center, between the Rio Tapajós and Rio Madeira, Pará state, Brazil. Previously reported more than 20 years ago as putative new species based on molecular and cytogenetic data, morphological analyses now reinforce the validity of these forms. Based on the analysis of 78 specimens, including name-bearing types from most of the distributional range of Neacomys, we formally describe and name these undescribed species. The new taxa can be distinguished from other closely related Neacomys by a set of qualitative traits, such as dorsal and ventral pelage coloration, tail color, morphology of the nasal bones, interorbital region, paraoccipital process, sphenopalatine foramen, incisive foramina, zygomatic plate, auditory bullae, foramen accessorius, anterocone and anteroloph of first upper molars, in association with cytochrome b gene sequences, and karyotype. These data increase the currently known Neacomys diversity, and also contribute to elevate Amazonian sigmodontinae species richness and endemism, in this yet poorly surveyed biome. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1721BB20-3542-4959-B95E-A36B0D522F39

Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXIII: Bostriana n. gen., a new genus of Diapheromerinae from Bolivia (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromeridae)

ABSTRACT The new genus Bostriana n. gen. is described exclusively for the Bolivian species B. boliviana (Piza, 1939) n. comb., which previously was of uncertain generic affiliation and provisionally attributed to Dyme Stål, 1875. The new monotypical genus belongs to a subgroup of New World Phasmatodea currently referred to as Diapheromerinae: Diapheromerini and now a member of a clade termed Occidophasmata. Possible relationships within Diapheromerinae and the supposed taxonomic position are discussed. The type-species, B. boliviana (Piza, 1939), that has previously only been known from the female, is re-described and illustrated. As the holotype is not traced a neotype is designated. The male and egg are described for the first time. The species appears to be geographically restricted to the Provinces of Sara and Andrés Ibáñez in the Departemento Santa Cruz, Eastern Central Bolivia. Brief information on breeding B. boliviana in captivity in Europe is provided.

The Sweet Land: Manufacturing “Tradition” in Small‐Town Bolivia

Chronotopes have been described as “envelopes” of time and space that provide the setting for the circulation of particular types of characters or personae (Silverstein 2005, Agha 2007, Bakhtin 1981, 1986). In this article, I investigate how these narratives of time and space are used to produce meaning in conjunction with structured relationships between groups of social categories, particularly discourses of tradition and modernity. Specifically, I examine the ways in which local actors shape and imagine how Saipina, a small town in central Bolivia, is represented to outside audiences. Influential actors produce a set of artifacts that represent the town, as well as a series of narratives that overlay values such as hard work and agricultural roots with goods such as sugarcane and chancaca, a raw sugar product, in representing the town to outside audiences.

A new species of Aegidium Arrow (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae) from Colombia.

In the Neotropical Region, Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are represented by the endemic tribe Aegidiini, which comprises five genera and 49 species (Paulian 1948; Colby 2009; Frolov Vaz-de-Mello 2015; Frolov et al. 2017a, 2017b, 2017c, 2019). Aegidium Westwood is the largest genus of the tribe and it comprises 24 valid species known from the southern Mexico in the north to Central Bolivia in the south (Frolov et al. 2015; Rojkoff Frolov 2017; Frolov Akhmetova 2020).

CASAS Y VIVIENDAS ANDINAS. CRÍTICA ETNOGRÁFICA A LAS POLÍTICAS DE DESARROLLO

espanolEn este texto continuo una reflexion anterior acerca de la concepcion que la poblacion quechua del centro de Bolivia tiene de sus casas. En concreto, se presenta la etnografia de dos tipos de hogares: unas nuevas viviendas surgidas a raiz de un plan de desarrollo habitacional del gobierno de Evo Morales, las que han sido construida segun un modelo estandarizado. Esto ha provocado escasa fidelidad local al proyecto, a las casas y al uso pensado para las mismas; y la casa o wasi tradicional, que describiremos con detalle, asi como su lugar en la cosmologia comunaria. El objetivo del articulo es presentar los desajustes entre planes de desarrollo y practica comunitaria a partir de las ideas de infidelidad indigena y dispepsias desarrollistas. EnglishIn this paper, I continue a previous reflection about the idea that the Quechua people of central Bolivia has of their houses. Specifically, I do the ethnography of two kinds of homes: new houses (viviendas) that emerged as result of a housing development plan of the Evo Morales government, which have been built according to a standardized model. This has led to low local fidelity to the project, the houses and their use; and the traditional house or wasi, which I will describe in detail, as well as its place in community cosmology. The aim of the paper is to present the mismatches between development plans and community practice from the ideas of indigenous infidelity and developmental dyspepsies.

The contribution of small-scale, privately owned tropical aquaculture to food security and dietary diversity in Bolivia

New aquaculture systems are emerging in new contexts around the world in part due to aquaculture’s perceived development benefits. However, linkages between aquaculture and food security in these systems are unclear. This study investigated the impact of emerging small-scale, business-oriented fish culture in central Bolivia on the food security and dietary diversity of aquaculture producers (n = 40) and workers (n = 26) in the value chain and compared them to local non-aquaculture farmers (n = 40). Three pathways were investigated: fish consumption, household income, and women’s participation. Food insecurity was widespread and did not vary in a statistically significant way between groups, but a trend toward greater food security amongst aquaculture producers was observed. Dietary diversity was highly homogenous, with the notable exception of high fish consumption amongst producers. Aquaculture was related to higher income, and income has a modest positive effect on food security for aquaculturists and non-aquaculture farmers, but not aquaculture value chain workers. Income did not have an effect on dietary diversity. Women’s involvement in aquaculture was correlated positively to productivity, profitability, and size of operation, while male-only aquaculture was negatively correlated to these. The value chain generated employment, especially for women, but average wages were higher for men. The research provides important insight into aquaculture-food security linkages by showing that the introduction of small-scale business-oriented aquaculture systems can provide nutritious products for regional consumption and can have positive effects on food security but is not sufficient to change local dietary preferences more broadly.

Hiding in Plain Sight: A Fourth New Cryptic Species of the Adenomera andreae Clade (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Southwestern Amazonia

We describe a new species of Adenomera from southwestern Amazonia. The new species corresponds to one of the acoustic patterns and morphotypes from Tambopata National Reserve (Adenomera “Forest Call II”), which was associated with the candidate species identified via molecular data as Adenomera sp. C in the phylogeny of the genus. The new species is distinguished from all congeners, except A. phonotriccus, by a unique advertisement call: calls are composed of complete pulses, i.e., separated by silent gaps, whereas those of remaining Adenomera species are composed of incomplete pulses (partly fused) or nonpulsed calls. The new species occurs in southeastern Peru and north central Bolivia, with two sympatric records with A. chicomendesi. The taxonomic status of two candidate species (sp. D and sp. T) of the A. andreae clade in southwestern Amazonia still needs to be addressed by the acquisition of additional phenotypic and molecular data.

Systematics of Neotropical Spiny Mice, Genus Neacomys Thomas, 1900 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), from Southeastern Amazonia, with Descriptions of Three New Species

Species of Neacomys are small cricetid rodents that occur in forested habitats of Central and South America, from eastern Panama to central Bolivia and central/western Brazil. In order to assess species diversity of this poorly known genus, we obtained cytochrome b gene sequences from the most comprehensive taxonomic and geographic sampling analyzed to date. We also conducted morphological analyses on a large series of specimens housed in 15 museums, including types of 10 out of 14 nominal taxa. Our analyses of the genetic data recovered 17 lineages clustered in four distinct clades. Among these lineages, 11 correspond to species currently recognized as valid, and the remaining six are putative new species. In southeastern Amazonia—the geographical scope of this report—four undescribed species were discovered, three of which are named herein: Neacomys marajoara, sp. nov., from the Island of Marajo, Para state; Neacomys vossi, sp. nov., restricted to the Tapajos center of endemism (between the Tapajos and Xingu rivers); and Neacomys xingu, sp. nov., restricted to the Xingu center of endemism (between the Xingu and Araguaia/Tocantins rivers). The new species can be discriminated from other Neacomys species by the morphology of the nasal bones, zygomatic plate, interorbital region, subsquamosal fenestra, paraoccipital process, incisive foramina, auditory bullae, anterocone and anteroloph of the first upper molar, carotid circulation pattern, and karyotype. Our results substantially improve our understanding of the genus Neacomys by providing morphological, morphometric, and novel molecular insights about these poorly known rodents and demonstrate that the diversity of small Amazonian mammals is still poorly known, even in the relatively accessible southeastern part of the biome.

Taxonomic evaluation of the Grallaria rufula (Rufous Antpitta) complex (Aves: Passeriformes: Grallariidae) distinguishes sixteen species.

Populations in the Rufous Antpitta (Grallaria rufula) complex occupy humid montane forests of the Andes from northern Colombia and adjacent Venezuela to central Bolivia. Their tawny to cinnamon-colored plumages are generally uniform, featuring subtle variation in hue and saturation across this range. In contrast to their conservative plumage, substantial vocal differences occur among geographically isolated or parapatric populations. Working within the framework of a comprehensive molecular phylogeny, we reexamined species limits in the G. rufula complex, basing taxonomic recommendations on diagnostic differences in vocalizations and considering identifiable differences in plumage where pertinent. We identified 16 populations for species designation, including seven populations previously described as subspecies and, remarkably, six new species described herein. Within one of these species, we identified less robust vocal differences between populations that we designate as subspecies. Geographic variation exists within another species, but its critical evaluation requires additional material. Taxonomic revisions of groups consisting of cryptic species, like the Grallaria rufula complex, are imperative for their conservation. Rather than widespread species as currently defined, these complexes can comprise many range-restricted taxa at higher risk of extinction given the continuing human pressures on their habitats.

<p><strong>Description of <em>Isoetes afloramientorum,</em> sp. nov. (Isoetaceae), and a second record for <em>Isoetes santacruzensis</em>,<em> </em>two granite outcrop quillworts in Bolivia</strong></p>

A second population of the diploid Isoetes santacruzensis is reported. This extends the range of that newly described endemic of granite outcrop pools by approximately 100 kms southward into central Bolivia from its type location. Another distinct taxon has been detected in the vicinity of the new I. santacruzensis population. The morphology of probably tetraploid I. afloramientorum sp. nov. is described. A cluster of distinct taxa comparable to similar complexes seen in North America, Australia and northern Brazil may be present on Bolivian granite outcrops. There is an urgent need for field investigation of this unique and important habitat to determine the contemporary status and protection requirements of its rare and possibly endangered flora.