Catagonus Research Articles

EVALUATION OF A COMBINATION OF TILETAMINE-ZOLAZEPAM, MEDETOMIDINE, AND AZAPERONE WITH NASAL OXYGEN SUPPLEMENTATION FOR THE IMMOBILIZATION OF CAPTIVE CHACOAN PECCARIES (CATAGONUS WAGNERI) IN THE CHACO REGION OF PARAGUAY.

A combination of tiletamine-zolazepam, medetomidine, and azaperone was used to immobilize captive Chacoan peccaries (Catagonus wagneri) for health assessments and biological sample collection at the Centro Chaqueño para la Conservación e Investigación (CCCI) in the Paraguayan Chaco during July in 2017 and 2018. In total, 83 peccaries kept in 0.25-1.50 hectare enclosures were immobilized via dart-administered anesthetic. Mean animal weight was 33.89±3.74 kg (standard deviation; n=77). The mean intramuscular (IM) anesthetic drug and dosages were 0.03±0.00 mg/kg of medetomidine, 0.91±0.10 mg/kg of Zoletil 50 (tiletamine-zolazepam), and 0.30±0.03 mg/kg azaperone. The mean time to recumbency after darting was 6.07±2.65 min. The mean time to reach the anesthetic plane postdarting was 10.00±2.00 min. Muscle relaxation was adequate to allow minor veterinary procedures. A mean dosage of 0.15±0.02 mg/kg of atipamezole was given IM to reverse the medetomidine. Recoveries were smooth and animals were standing by 59.17±30.18 min postreversal. Full recovery and release back to enclosures occurred 90±30 min postreversal. A single dose of this drug combination provided adequate anesthesia for 88% of adult Chacoan peccaries; 12% needed a supplemental dose of tiletamine-zolazepam because of failure to receive the full dose from the anesthetic dart. Sex and age did not impact the dosage required to achieve immobilization. Confinement during recovery from anesthesia is required with this protocol. Aside from mild hypoxemia, no adverse effects from anesthesia were observed. However, oxygen supplementation as a part of this protocol is recommended to support circulatory and respiratory capacity.

Partitioning the effects of habitat loss, hunting and climate change on the endangered Chacoan peccary

AbstractAimLand‐use change and overexploitation are major threats to biodiversity, and climate change will exert additional pressure in the 21st century. Although there are strong interactions between these threats, our understanding of the synergistic and compensatory effects on threatened species' range geography remains limited. Our aim was to disentangle the impact of habitat loss, hunting and climate change on species, using the example of the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri).LocationGran Chaco ecoregion in South America.MethodsUsing a large occurrence database, we integrated a time‐calibrated species distribution model with a hunting pressure model to reconstruct changes in the distribution of suitable peccary habitat between 1985 and 2015. We then used partitioning analysis to attribute the relative contribution of habitat change to land‐use conversion, climate change and varying hunting pressure.ResultsOur results reveal widespread habitat deterioration, with only 11% of the habitat found in 2015 considered suitable and safe. Hunting pressure was the strongest single threat, yet most habitat deterioration (58%) was due to the combined, rather than individual, effects of the three drivers we assessed. Climate change would have led to a compensatory effect, increasing suitable habitat area, yet this effect was negated by the strongly negative and interacting threats of land‐use change and hunting.Main ConclusionsOur study reveals the central role of overexploitation, which is often neglected in biogeographic assessments, and suggests that addressing overexploitation has huge potential for increasing species' adaptive capacity in the face of climate and land‐use change. More generally, we highlight the importance of jointly assessing extinction drivers to understand how species might fare in the 21st century. Here, we provide a simple and transferable framework to determine the separate and joint effects of three main drivers of biodiversity loss.

Less than six generations to save the chacoan peccary

Less than six generations to save the chacoan peccary

A conservation landscape for the Dry Chaco based on species habitat suitability

The Dry Chaco (DCH) is a biodiversity-rich region that contains the largest dry forest in the world. It is seriously endangered and has one of the fastest deforestation rates. Yet, very few conservation efforts have been undertaken to protect this ecosystem, and information to develop efficient and sustainable land-use plans is scarce. This study aimed to design a conservation landscape that would maximize the conservation of the DCH’s ecological integrity, endangered species, and ecological and evolutionary processes. Five focal species of high conservation value were chosen based on their ecological roles, conservation status, or endemism: white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari, chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri, giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, tapir Tapirus terrestris, and giant armadillo Priodontes maximus. We used interviews with local informants to obtain information on species presence and location. Their habitat suitability was modelled and ranked using Maxent software. A conservation landscape was designed by overlapping these spatially explicit models. A systematic conservation planning framework was followed, considering habitat connectivity using Zonation. Interviews proved to be useful for conservation planning in this region with longstanding close ethnozoological relationships. The spatial design obtained was compared with existing land-use policies and protected areas to discuss conservation strategies that could be efficient if applied in the DCH and considering land sharing vs. land sparing conservation strategies. There is a large surface of suitable habitat for the studied species, but their conservation cannot be ensured with the present conservation schemes. We consider land-sharing as a feasible conservation strategy for this region and its species, and identified areas that should be preserved and their optimal connections to increase conservation opportunities for the Dry Chaco.

New record of the Chacoan Peccary, Parachoerus wagneri (Rusconi, 1930) (Cetartiodactyla, Tayassuidae) in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

New records of the Endangered Catagonus wagneri (Rusconi, 1930) are reported in Campo Grande Community of peasants, northwestern Santiago del Estero, Argentina. The new records were obtained through camera traps as well as the finding of a skull and footprints. We conducted interviews confirmed the historical presence of the species. The records indicate the presence of C. wagneri in the North Biological Corridor, expanding this species’ distribution in Santiago del Estero province, providing initial evidence of potential connection between northern and southern populations.

Areas for the connectivity of Chaco peccary (Catagonus wagneri) populations at the southern limit of their distribution in the Argentine Chaco / Áreas para a conectividade de populações de pecari do Chaco (Catagonus wagneri) no limite sul de sua distribuição no Chaco Argentino

The area of geographical distribution of mammal populations in the Argentine Chaco ecoregion is being increasingly reduced and this is mainly due to the progressive destruction of habitats. In this context, several species have been affected, among which is the endemic Catagonus wagneri (Tayassuidae), currently classified as "endangered" and with a trend of population decline. In this work, the predictions estimated by three algorithms were compared to establish the potential geographic distribution of this species at the southern limit of its natural distribution. Priority locations for landscape connectivity were identified by comparing intrinsic variations in the PC index based on data classification methods. With the use of foot transects, trap cameras and surveys with the local population, the presence of chacoan peccary was recorded on 25 occasions. From the GLM, Random Forest and Maxent algorithms (mean AUC 0.74), a reference model was obtained. Using it as an input and the PC index, the variation in the importance of the connectivity surfaces of the landscape was evaluated using three classification methods: quantile, equal interval and natural breaks. The consensus model (SDM) occupies 55,674 km2 of Argentina, representing 10% of the Chaco Seco ecoregion. The distribution occupies not only forest ecosystems, but also environments with less tree coverage. Coefficients of variation of 170% were recorded between the classification methods for the number of patches of classes 9 and 10 of the priority habitat for landscape connectivity. The SDM shows a fragmented distribution in line with the Chaco's land use change process.The results suggest a great variability of the PC index depending on the method of classifying data in class intervals, an aspect that was not discussed in previous studies.

Hunting practices and harvest of peccaries in the northern Paraguayan Dry Chaco

Overexploitation is a frequently cited driver of species extinction. Throughout the Neotropics, balancing traditional practices and the needs of local people with protection of rare or declining species is challenging, especially given low capacity for control by authorities. We conducted interviews with wildlife professionals and residents, along with a camera-based field survey of wildlife occurrence, to gain insight into recent population trends, relative abundance, and drivers of harvest for large mammals in the northern Dry Chaco of Paraguay including but not limited to, Defensores del Chaco National Park. Although the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) was preferred regardless of hunter motivation, harvests of all species appeared largely opportunistic, and limited to immediate family use due to a lack of market forces, and constraints on refrigeration capacity in the region. This pattern may soon change given rapid deforestation, and an associated and growing road network providing greater access both to wildlife resources and commercial bushmeat markets. Notably, public perception of abundance and trends for Chacoan peccary differed from professional opinions—likely due in part to greater use of areas along roads by C. wagneri compared to other, relatively more abundant species. This discordance may pose future challenges if harvest restrictions become a conservation necessity, especially during a process of essentially self-imposed voluntary limitations.

Comparative chromosome painting in Chacoan peccary, Catagonus wagneri.

Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri, 2n=20) is the most endangered of three extant species of Tayassuidae. Its karyotype has been studied only by differential chromosome staining methods so far. To establish a comparative cytogenetic map of the peccary, we used cross-species hybridization with porcine (Sus scrofa, 2n=38) painting probes. Painting revealed 30 evolutionary conserved autosomal segments between pig and peccary. The q-arm of the submetacentric chromosome X is homologous to the porcine X chromosome, while the p-arm is composed of heterochromatin. Nucleolar organizer regions were detected on chromosomes 8 and 9 which are homologous to pig chromosomes 8 and 4/18, respectively. Fusions of chromosomes homologous to pig chromosomes 4/7 and 4/18 and fission of chromosome 7 are synapomorphic characters shared by Catagonus wagneri and Tayassu pecari but not by Pecari tajacu. Our results confirmed a high rate of karyotype evolution in Tayassuidae and a closer relationship of Catagonus wagneri with Tayassu pecari than with Pecari tajacu.

Streptococcus catagoni sp. nov., isolated from the respiratory tract of diseased Chacoan peccaries (Catagonus wagneri).

Novel catalase-negative, Gram-stain-positive, beta-haemolytic, coccus-shaped organisms were isolated from Chacoan peccaries that died from respiratory disease. The initial API 20 Strep profiles suggested Streptococcus agalactiae with acceptable identification scores, but the 16S rRNA gene similarity (1548 bp) to available sequences of streptococci was below 98 %. Next taxa of the genus Streptococcus, displaying highest similarities to the strains from this study, were S. bovimastitidis NZ1587T (97.5 %), S. iniae ATCC 29178T (97.5 %), S. hongkongensis HKU30T (97.4 %), S. parauberis DSM 6631T (97.1 %), S. penaeicida CAIM 1838T (97.1 %), S. pseudoporcinus DSM 18513T (97.0 %), S. didelphis DSM 15616T (96.6 %), S. ictaluri 707-05T (96.6 %), S. uberis JCM 5709T (96.5 %) and S. porcinus NCTC 10999T (96.4 %). All other Streptococcus species had sequence similarities of below 96.4 %. A sodA gene as well as whole genome-based core genome phylogeny of three representative strains and 145 available Streptococcus genomes confirmed the unique taxonomic position. Interstrain average nucleotide identity (ANI) and amino acid identity (AAI) values were high (ANI >96 %; AAI 100%), but for other streptococci clearly below the proposed species boundary of 95-96 % (ANI <75 %; AAI <83 %). Results were confirmed by genome-to-genome distance calculations. Pairwise digital DNA-DNA hybridization estimates were high (>90 %) between the novel strains, but well below the species boundary of 70 % for closely related Streptococcus type strains (23.5-19.7 %). Phenotypic properties as obtained from extended biochemical profiles and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry supported the outstanding rank. Based on the presented molecular and physiological data of the six strains, we propose a novel taxon for which we suggest the name Streptococcus catagoni sp. nov. with the type strain 99-1/2017T (=DSM 110457T=CCUG 74072T) and five reference strains.

Disruption of thermogenic UCP1 predated the divergence of pigs and peccaries.

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) governs non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. It has been estimated that pigs lost UCP1 ∼20 million years ago (MYA), dictating cold intolerance among piglets. Our current understanding of the root causes of UCP1 loss are, however, incomplete. Thus, examination of additional species can shed light on these fundamental evolutionary questions. Here, we investigated UCP1 in the Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri), a member of the Tayassuid lineage that diverged from pigs during the late Eocene-mid Oligocene. Exons 1 and 2 have been deleted in peccary UCP1 and the remaining exons display additional inactivating mutations. A common nonsense mutation in exon 6 revealed that UCP1 was pseudogenized in a shared ancestor of pigs and peccaries. Our selection pressure analyses indicate that the inactivation occurred 36.2-44.3 MYA during the mid-late Eocene, which is much earlier than previously thought. Importantly, pseudogenized UCP1 provides the molecular rationale for cold sensitivity and current tropical biogeography of extant peccaries.

Retrospective characterization of reproductive tract lesions in relation to age, parity, and contraception in captive suidae and tayassuidae

Reproductive management in zoos requires contraception or physical separation of sexes to ensure captive population viability, but information is sparse on the effects of parity, age, and contraceptive use on lifetime reproductive health in captive Suidae and Tayassuidae species. This retrospective study evaluated reproductive tissues and histories from babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), Vietnamese pot-bellied pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), domestic cross pig (Sus scrofa), Sunda island pig (Sus celebensis timoriensis), Eurasian boar (Sus scrofa), Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus), Ossabaw island hog (Sus scrofa domesticus), Guinea hog (Sus scrofa domesticus), Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri), and collared peccary (Pecari tajacu). Age, parity, litter size, time-since-last-parturition, contraception exposure and type, and lesion prevalence were recorded. Reported chemical contraceptives used in females included porcine zona pellucida vaccine, progestins, GnRH analogues (deslorelin and leuprolide). Average litter size was significantly different between species (p < 0.0001) with the common warthog having the largest average litter size (3.5 ± 0.2 offspring/litter). There was a trend for age to be positively correlated with leiomyoma/sarcomas (r = 0.6135; p = 0.0789). Progestins (medroxyprogesterone acetate, megestrol acetate, depomedroxyprogesterone acetate) were positively correlated (r = 0.8946; p = 0.0161) and GnRH analogues (deslorelin, leuprolide; subcutaneous) were negatively correlated with ovarian cysts (r = 0.9743; p = 0.0010). Across all species, there was a trend for age to be negatively correlated with folliculogenesis (r = −0.6528; p = 0.0566) and parturition gap length to be negatively correlated with follicular cysts (r = −0.8944; p = 0.1). Common warthog, babirusa, and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs had the greatest diversity of uterine lesions and the highest prevalence of reproductive tract lesions of all species evaluated. Four of the 27 males (14.5%) in the dataset had testicular tumors. All males had prominent testicular interstitial cell populations, which appears to be within normal limits for these species. These data suggest prolonged gaps between pregnancies, age, and contraception are risk factors for reproductive tract lesions in Suidae.

New data on the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) link the core distribution with its recently discovered southern population

Abstract The endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri Rusconi, 1930) has been recorded in western Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia and northern Argentina, reaching the north of Santiago del Estero province. Recently, however, this species was found much further south in central Argentina, ca. 650 km away from the southern limit of its known distribution. In this report we provide new records in previously unsurveyed areas linking the core range with the southern population, suggesting a continuous distribution. Due to synergistic effects of hunting pressure and deforestation, we are almost certain that the Chacoan peccary is as threatened in central Argentina as in the rest of its distribution range.

Semen analysis parameters from a captive population of the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) in Paraguay

Baseline information about the reproductive physiology of an endangered species is vital to captive breeding programs. This study analyzed reproductive parameters from eleven captive Chacoan peccaries (Catagonus wagneri) (mean age: 10.5 ± 1.2 years old) in Paraguay. After immobilization, testis length, width and firmness (hard to flaccid, 1–3) were assessed, followed by electroejaculation and analysis of semen. Samples were examined for percentage and progressive motility, total cell count, percentage live spermatozoa and morphology. Mean (±SEM) testis volume and firmness were 24.7 ± 1.8 cm3 and 2.1 ± 0.1, respectively. Mean ejaculate volume was 2.9 ± 0.7 ml with a pH of 7.7 ± 0.3. Few male peccaries had motile spermatozoa (n = 5/9) with a mean percentage and progressive motility of 18.3 ± 8.5% and 0.6 ± 0.3, respectively. The mean percentage of live spermatozoa was 25.1 ± 5.6%. Male peccaries had a low percentage of normal spermatozoa (12.4 ± 2.5%). The mean total count of spermatozoa per ejaculate was also quite low at 1.58 ± 1.01 million total spermatozoa per ejaculate. Spermatozoa defects were predominantly primary (77.7%) with the most common spermatozoa defects being tapered head (19.0 ± 7.4%), diadem/crater (17.7 ± 2.8%), and excess residual cytoplasm (9.6 ± 2.5%). Male age was not correlated with semen parameters (percent live: r=-0.19; motility percentage: r = 0.01; percent normal spermatozoa: r = 0.38; total count: r = 0.29; p>0.05). Evaluation of additional males from this population as well as other captive populations at various time points during the year is warranted.

The human flea Pulex irritans (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in northwestern Argentina, with an investigation of Bartonella and Rickettsia spp.

Pulex irritans is the only cosmopolitan flea species and the most studied one within the genus Pulex. It has importance in public health since it commonly parasitizes humans causing dermatitis, and it has been also implicated in the transmission of bacterial pathogens. Pulex irritans has been confused with the closely related Pulex simulans species for years. Herein, Pulex specimens collected from a Pampas fox and a Chacoan peccary from northwestern Argentina were identified by comparison with type specimens. In addition, the presence of Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. was investigated using PCR assays. Our results provided characters of diagnostic importance to identify P. irritans, which include the shape of sternite VII in the females, and of the aedeagal sclerite, clasper and crochet in the males. Besides, we report for the first time P. irritans parasitizing a peccary. This finding reinforces the hypothesis of the origin of this flea associated with this mammal, and then colonizing humans and domestic mammals. There was no evidence of Bartonella or Rickettsia DNA in the analyzed fleas. This information even if negative may be considered relevant for P. irritans from Argentina.

94 Semen Parameters from a Captive Population of the Endangered Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) in Paraguay

Priority conservation actions for the endangered Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) include improvement of captive breeding initiatives. Eleven captive male peccaries housed in mixed-sex groups of 17 to 35 animals at the Centro Chaqueño para la Conservación e Investigación in Paraguay were immobilised with intramuscular tiletamine/zolazepam (30 mg; Zoletil® 50, Virbac, Forth Worth, TX, USA), azaperone (10 mg; 50 mg mL−1; ZooPharm, Windsor, CO, USA), and medetomidine (1 mg;10 mg mL−1; ZooPharm). Animals were administered supplemental intranasal oxygen (1-2 L min−1) and reversed with atipamazole (5 mg; 25 mg mL−1; ZooPharm). Testis length, width, and firmness (1-3 scale; 1 = hard, 2 = normal, 3 = flaccid) were recorded. The preputial sheath was clipped, cleaned, and flushed with sterile saline using a Foley catheter. A lubricated 13-mm-diameter electroejaculator probe (Beltron Instruments, Longmont, CO, USA) was inserted into the rectum to a depth of 5 cm. The electroejaculation protocol consisted of 4 cycles of 10 stimuli each (1-4 V/cycle). Collection tubes were changed frequently during electroejaculation to avoid urine or gel fraction contamination of the sperm-rich fraction. Collected semen was evaluated for volume, color/appearance, and pH. Percent motility was determined as the average motility of spermatozoa from 10 fields (40×). Progressive motility of spermatozoa was scored on a scale of 0-5 (0 = dead sperm; 5 = rapid forward progression). Semen samples were assessed for total spermatozoa. Percent of live spermatozoa and spermatozoa morphology were evaluated with Eosin-Negrosin smears. The mean ± standard error of the mean of each parameter is presented. A Pearson correlation coefficient between age and semen parameters was calculated. Males assessed in this study were 10.5 ± 1.2 years old. The mean testis volume was 1005.7 ± 50.9 cm3 and mean testis firmness was 2.1 ± 0.1. The mean ejaculate volume was 2.9 ± 0.7 mL and pH was 7.7 ± 0.3. Few males had motile spermatozoa (n = 5/9), which yielded a mean percent motility of 18.3 ± 8.5 (range: 0-50%) and a mean progressive motility of 0.6 ± 0.3 (range: 0-2). The mean percentage of live spermatozoa was 25.1 ± 5.6 (range: 4-44%). Male Chacoan peccaries in this population had a low percentage of normal spermatozoa (12.4 ± 2.5%; range: 2.8-24.0%). The mean total count of spermatozoa per ejaculate was 1.58 ± 1.01 million (range: 0.09-8.28 million). Spermatozoa defects were predominantly primary (67.1%), with the most common defects being tapered head (15.4 ± 6.2%), diadem/crater (14.8 ± 2.6%), and excess residual cytoplasm (8.5 ± 2.7%). There was no correlation between age and semen parameters (percent live: r = –0.19; motility percentage: r = 0.01; percent normal spermatozoa: r = 0.38; total count: r = 0.29; P &gt; 0.05). This is the first report of semen parameters in the Chacoan peccary. It is unknown whether the poor semen quality is inherent to the species or this population. Reproductive assessment of males from other captive populations and of wild male Chacoan peccaries is warranted.

Distributional patterns of living ungulates (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla and Perissodactyla) of the Neotropical region, the South American transition zone and Andean region

To recognize the distributional patterns of living ungulates in the Neotropical region, the South American transition zone, and Andean region using the panbiogeographical method of track analysis, and to attempt to correlate these patterns with geological history. The distribution of 24 species of living ungulates (in the families Camelidae, Cervidae, Tapiridae and Tayassuidae) was studied by the panbiogeographical method of track analysis. It was performed using distributional data acquired from literature and databases of scientific institutions. Individual tracks were obtained for each species by plotting locality records on maps and connecting them by minimum-spanning trees. Generalized tracks were determined from the spatial overlap between individual tracks, indicating a common history. The intersection between generalized tracks defined a biogeographic node, implying that these locations are biogeographic composites resulting from different ancestral biotas coming into spatial contact, possibly at different geologic times. The superposition of the 24 individual tracks resulted in five generalized tracks (GTs): GT1, Mesoamerican/Choco (composed of Mazama pandora, Mazama temama, Odoicoileus virginianus and Tapirus bairdii); GT2, Northern Andes (Mazama rufina, Pudu mephistophiles and Tapirus pinchaque); GT3, Central Andes (Hippocamelus antisensis, Lama guanicoe, Mazama chunyi and Vicugna vicugna); GT4, Chilean Patagonia (Hippocamelus bisulcus and Pudu puda); and GT5, Chaco/Central west Brazil (Blastocerus dichotomus, Catagonus wagneri and Ozotocerus bezoarticus). The biogeographic node was found in the Northwestern Colombia. The geological events such as tectonism and volcanism that occurred through the Neogene and mainly in the Pleistocene caused fragmentation, diversification and endemism of biota. The biogeographic node in Colombia occurred within a zone of convergence. This node emphasized the complexity of the area and it contains biotic elements with different origins, which represent a special condition for the establishment of priority conservation areas.

New records of the Endangered Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri suggest a broader distribution than formerly known

AbstractThe Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri is the rarest and most threatened of the three extant species of peccary. Its presence has been recorded in the northern Dry Chaco ecoregion, which spans northern Argentina, western Paraguay and south-eastern Bolivia. However, distribution models based on its occurrence in Argentina have predicted that suitable habitat extends southwards into central Argentina, where the species was not previously recorded. We present several records of the species outside the currently accepted distribution, including the first two records in the west of Córdoba province, &gt; 650 km south of the southern limit of the previously known distribution. The discovery of the Chacoan peccary in central Argentina could serve as a justification for the protection of Chacoan forests in this region, where deforestation rates are among the highest worldwide.

Diversidad de mamíferos y participación local en la conservación en el Gran Chaco Boliviano

Introduction: Local participation, be it passive or active, has had variable degrees of success in long-term conservation processes. We describe an alliance in the Bolivian Gran Chaco between indigenous people—seeking land and resource rights, and improved livelihoods—and a conservation organization—pursuing biodiversity and wildlife conservation—that successfully proposed, and subsequently managed, a vast national park comprising one of the best preserved and most extensive areas of tropical dry forest in the world. We explain the geographical, political / social and biological contexts (relative to mammals) of this partnership in order to encourage collaboration elsewhere in Latin America. The Gran Chaco’s varied habitats support a diversity of unique species, but like other tropical dry forests, it is suffering severe pressure from the expansion of industrial agriculture and hunting. Created in 1996, the Kaa-Iya National Park covers 34,000 km 2 in Bolivia. Extensive and participatory ecological and socio-economic studies, combined with an intense consultation process, resulted in a zonification that provides areas for agriculture and resource exploitation by private land-owners and by indigenous peoples—Ayoreode, Chiquitano, and Isoseño-Guaraní—neighboring the park. Subsequent participatory research and training in the park and on neighboring indigenous communal lands established a cadre of indigenous “parabiologists.” Methodology: Research by joint parabiologist-biologist teams on mammals included efforts to document the status of the Chacoan guanaco Lama guanicoe ; research on the ecology of the jaguar Panthera onca and its prey; conservation and use of landscape species (including the endemic Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri ); resolution of conflicts between humans and wildlife; a fire ecology study to understand the structural changes in the landscape; and a binational Bolivia-Paraguay effort to survey mammals. Results: Isoseño-Guaraní communities, in response to the findings on guanacos and Chacoan peccaries, proposed and adopted a ban on hunting these two endangered species. With respect to game species, hundreds of hunters participated in a multi-year self-monitoring program. After analyzing the data, the communities adopted temporary hunting bans on lowland tapirs Tapirus terrestris and white-lipped peccaries Tayassu pecari , management plans for the sustainable commercial utilization (skins) of collared peccary Pecari tajacu , and defined communal reserves with no hunting. The fire ecology study found that traditional fire management by indigenous communities maintained the most diverse savanna habitats. Discussion and conclusions: A successful partnership must recognize that the interests or general objectives of the actors may vary, explicitly identify common ground, and collaborate to promote objectives that coincide or that complement each other. Through participatory research and formal training activities (including an 8 month, 13 module certification program), the parabiologists developed their own research projects, analyzed data they had collected, presented the results to their communities and wider audiences, and worked with the communities to manage and conserve wildlife resources and communal lands. Several have become leaders of their communities and directed local development projects. The benefits of participatory conservation and alliances between indigenous peoples and conservation organizations therefore far exceed the immediate outcomes of databases and publications on wildlife, providing technical and human resources as well as personal trust and institutional collaboration mechanisms as a base for long-term landscape conservation. Nevertheless continuity depends on action and financial support, and partners must strive to develop new allies that include in the Kaa-Iya case local and national government entities, private landowners, and business such as the natural gas industry. Key words: Bolivia, Gran Chaco, indigenous people, tropical dry forest, parabiologist.

The Chacoan peccary, Catagonus wagneri (Mammalia, Tayassuidae), in the late Pleistocene (northern Uruguay, South America): paleoecological and paleobiogeographic considerations

Catagonus wagneri has the most restricted geographical distribution among extant Tayassuidae and inhabited semi-arid thorny forests of dry Chaco in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. Until now, C. wagneri has only been recorded in archaeological, pre-Hispanic deposits from the Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina. A new partially complete skull from the Sopas Formation (Late Pleistocene; Uruguay) is identified as C. wagneri. This is the only fossil record of the species which extends its biochron until the late Pleistocene, and the first one substantially far from its current range; the first fossil record of the species in Uruguay; the most complete fossil material of the species; and it provides relevant ecological and climatic information. According to the ecological and climatic available information of C. wagneri, the presence of this mammal in the late Pleistocene of northern Uruguay indicates a warm climate and arid to semi-arid environments. Even though not associated with the fossil remains of C. wagneri, some mammals included in the sedimentary levels of the Sopas Formation also suggest arid to semi-arid environments. Climatic changes, in particular in the late Pleistocene and Holocene, could be invoked to explain modifications of its geographic range.http://zoobank.org/ECF04BCF-8246-4F11-AAB8-5FAA9F437BDA

First report of &lt;i&gt;Amblyomma boeroi&lt;/i&gt; Nava, Mangold, Mastropaolo, Venzal, Oscherov and Guglielmone (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Chacoan peccary, &lt;i&gt;Catagonus&lt;/i&gt; wagneri (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae), in Paraguay

Fil: Mastropaolo, Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina