Mamíferos de la Reserva Tapichalaca, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

Resumen

For some years now, researchers from the Abilene Christian University and the Museo de Zoología of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador have carried out systematic field studies focused on characterizing the diversity of small mammals in different areas of the Andes mountains of Ecuador. In 2021, we surveyed the mammalian diversity of the Tapichalaca Reserve in Zamora Chinchipe Province, Ecuador. The habitat corresponds to the mountain cloud forest of the eastern Andes. The steep mountain slopes and high rainfall in this habitat cause frequent landslides that result in dense secondary growth forests. The reserve was established to protect the Jocotoco Antpitta (Passeriformes: Grallariidae, Grallaria ridgelyi) that is only known from Tapichalaca and a few other nearby mountain forests. The mammalian species we registered were Didelphis pernigra, Marmosops caucae, Caenolestes condorensis, Syntheosciurus granatensis, Oreoryzomys balneator, Akodon aerosus, Nephelomys albigularis, Thomasomys aureus, T. caudivarius, T. fumeus, T. taczanowskii, Cuniculus tazanowskii, Coendou rufescens, Anoura geoffroyi, Sturnira bidens, S. erythromos, Myotis oxyotus, Leopardus tigrinus, and Nasua olivacea.