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Background: Seed banks, an important element in the natural regeneration of plant communities, are regulated mostly by granivores along an altitudinal gradient. Question/Hypothesis: Pinus hartwegii forms transient and probably persistent seed banks along an altitudinal gradient. Seed removal will vary according to the removing agents, the altitude and the season. Species under study/Data description/Mathematical model: The formation of seed banks and the removal of Pinus hartwegii (Pinaceae) seeds along an altitudinal gradient were evaluated in different seasons using a linear model with two factorial variance analyses. Site and years of study: The study was conducted at the Cofre de Perote National Park, Veracruz, Mexico, over an altitudinal gradient (at 3,400, 3,600, 3,800 and 4,000 m a.s.l.) in July-September 2015 (rainy season), and January-March 2016 (dry season). Methods: In order to understand seed bank formation and identify the removal agents along an altitudinal gradient, two experiments were conducted with seeds from 10 trees at each altitudinal tier. Results: The results of the first experiment, after one year, demonstrated the formation of transient and probably persistent seed banks along an altitudinal gradient ( P < 0.0001). The results of the second experiment showed significant variations in seed removal according to the removal agents and the seasons ( P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Pinus hartwegii forms transient and probably persistent seed banks along an altitudinal gradient. Seed removal varies according to altitude and season.

Free-ranging domestic dogs are the world most common exotic carnivore species that could negatively interact with the native wildlife as predators, competitors, and disease vectors. Their generalist habits have allowed them to be present in a large number of urban parks, which are the habitat for wild mammal species, some of these animals are restricted to these areas. Moreover, dogs can perform activities alone or in a group during day and night time, having a wide temporal niche. However, the issues related to activity patterns overlap and temporal niche breadth between dogs and wild mammals in urban parks are still poorly known and have not been studied in deep. In this investigation, we evaluated the activity patterns, the temporal niche breadth, and the activity patterns overlap between medium-sized wild mammals (MSWM) and dogs using trap cameras in five urban parks in Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico. During March to August 2014, there were taken 928 photo-captures of MSWM and dogs (720 trap nights). The activity patterns of MSWM were bimodal (two activity peaks), being more active during night time. MSWM showed low temporal niche breadth versus dogs. Five species of MSWM overlap their activity patterns with dogs in five urban parks. Didelphis marsupialis and Urocyon cinereoargenteus were the species with the greatest overlap regarding dogs, finding some individuals of this species lifeless in the studied sites. Our results show the need to perform studies that assess the effect of this temporal overlap on the biology, behavior, and permanence of these species in urban parks.

Ectoparasitism in bats seems to be influenced strongly by the type of roost preferred by the hosts, and group size; however, the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on the prevalence of ectoparasites in bats has scarcely been studied. In northeastern Yucatan, Mexico, we estimated the prevalence of infestation by Streblidae flies in three phyllostomid bat species with different roost preferences (caves, trees, or both) in two types of landscape matrices (tropical semi-deciduous forest and man-made pastures) that differed in area of forest cover and the number of forest fragments. Habitat fragmentation and the presence of a contrasting matrix may limit the availability of roosts (trees) and the movement of bats across the landscape. Accordingly, we hypothesized higher prevalence of Streblidae infestation in the pasture matrix and in the group of bats that roost in trees. Bat abundance was higher in the pasture matrix; however, the prevalence of infestation was significantly higher in the continuous forest matrix and in bats that roosted in caves. The prevalence of some species of Streblidae was affected by habitat fragmentation in species that roost in caves, such as Desmodus rotundus, as well as those using foliage and caves, such as Artibeus jamaicensis. Our results provide evidence that some species of Streblidae may respond differently to habitat fragmentation than their hosts, generating changes to bat-ectoparasite interactions in fragmented areas. Environmental variations involving roosts, not evaluated in this study, may influence our results, since these factors affect ectoparasite abundance and reproduction.

Incluye contenido parcial de los autores Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a speciesto become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonna-tive habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this dataset, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposeda geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into theNeotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced recordson alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 speciesbelonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotrop-ics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Floridain the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 coun-tries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g.,Callithrixsp.,Myocastor coypus,Nasua nasua)considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The mostnumerous species in terms of records are fromBossp. (n=37,782),Sus scrofa(n=6,730), andCanis familiaris(n=10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caf-fer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of spe-cies in the data set (n=20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomicidentification of the generaCallithrix,which includes the speciesCallithrix aurita, Callithrixflaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, andtheir hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion riskassessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copy-right restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We alsorequest that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

Albinism is defined as the complete absence of pigment in skin, hair, and eyes directly caused by a hereditary disorder in the production of melanin. This genetic abnormality is usually attributed to environmental factors such as low quality of habitat and inbreeding. In this note, we recorded a case of partial albinism in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) captured by poachers in the area known as Barranca de Matlacobatl, Municipality of Teocelo, Veracruz, Mexico. The specimen was recovered by the civil association Pro-Vida Silvestre Teocelotl and sheltered for a week under medical care. This is the second record in Mexico of a wild albino raccoon. Specifically, it was recorded particularly for a neotropical region of the center of the state of Veracruz, Mexico.

Soursop, Annona muricata L., is an economically important tropical crop in America, Asia, and Australia for its fresh pulp and processed products, and is attacked by insects from a variety of families. As many as 199 insects infest fruits of the family Annonaceae. Annona muricata fruits, leaves, and flowers were collected at 11 locations in central Veracruz, Mexico, producing new records for the region, including a fruit borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Stenoma spp., (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), Neosilba spp. (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) in fruits: Acantocephala femorata Fab. (Hemiptera: Coreidae), Euphoria leucographa (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae), Collembola, Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in flowers, as well as parasitoids and predators. Of the 15 insects associated with soursop, seven are new records for Mexico and some have the potential to become pests. The two main pests at all locations were Bephratelloides cubensis and Cerconota anonella.

Abstract ContextUrban protected areas (PAs) are the habitat of several Neotropical medium-sized wild mammal (MSWM) species. However, this richness is seriously threatened by the growing populations of free-ranging dogs and cats in these areas. AimsThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of free-ranging dogs and cats on the assemblage structure of MSWM in PAs of Xalapa city, Veracruz, Mexico. MethodsCamera traps were used to assess the effect of abundance and activity of dogs and cats on richness, abundance, dominance and activity of MSWM across two urban and three peri-urban PAs. The effect of plant diversity, vegetation structure and PA on mammal richness, activity and abundance were also evaluated. Key resultsThe dominance of MSWM was higher in peri-urban areas than urban areas, and the activity of dogs and cats from peri-urban and urban PAs was similar with wildest MSWM. Only inside urban areas did the size of the area and the dogs’ activity have a negative effect on the richness, activity and abundance of MSWM. Moreover, the activity and abundance of cats also had a negative effect on the activity of MSWM in urban PAs. The presence of dogs affected the latency of appearance of MSWM. ConclusionsThe presence of free-ranging dogs and cats in urban PAs affects MSWM assemblages and their appearance latency. ImplicationsThe potential harm of free-ranging dogs and cats on the community of MSWM in urban areas is clear, as is the need for increased scientific research to aid in the control of these exotic species in urban landscapes.

In order to assess the impact of seed removal and seedling establishment for four species of pines, we designed experiments with and without the exclusion of seed removers in three vegetation types (pine forest, oak-alder forest, and subalpine grassland). Seed removal was significantly different between species of pines (P < 0.01), as was the interaction between the vegetation types and category of exclusion (remover) (P < 0.0001). The significant difference in terms of seed removal was between P. patula and P. montezumae (33.0 and 17.9%, respectively). Seed removal was significant between pine forest—without exclusion (20.0%) versus oak-alder forest—without exclusion (7.0%). There was significant interaction between seedling establishment of the pine species and vegetation type (P < 0.0001). Highlighting differences between the pine forest—P. teocote (84.1%) versus oak-alder forest—P. patula (19.0%), oak-alder forest—P. pseudostrobus (45.0%), pine forest—P. patula (20.2%), pine forest—P. pseudostrobus (45.6%), subalpine grassland—P. montezumae (24.3%), subalpine grassland—P. patula (27.9%), and subalpine grassland—P. pseudostrobus (17.5%). The impact of the food preferences of rodents and other granivores for P. patula and P. pseudostrobus seeds, as well as the poor survival of seedlings of these species in the pine and oak-alder forest are both factors which may explain the dominance of P. teocote in the study region.

"Knowing the factors that influence abundance, distribution and species richness is key to establishing local conservation strategies. We evaluated the influence of vegetation type (pine forest, oak-alder-forest and grassland) and season (dry, wet), on the rodent assemblage (richness and abundance in space and time) in a mosaic of temperate forest in Mexico. The completeness of the inventory was evaluated by nonparametric estimators ACE and Jackknife. We used a GLM to evaluate the effect of vegetation type, season and interaction (vegetation type*season) on the richness and abundance of rodents.The effects of factors and their interaction on the abundance of each species were evaluated with two- way ANOVA with rank transformations.To analyze changes in the rodent assembly structure, we used rank-curves abundances and ANCOVA to assess differences in species relative abundance (dominance). We found that rodents were more abundant in the pine forest and during the dry season, but the interaction between oak-alder forest and the dry season also favored abundance.At the species level, Peromyscus melanotis was abundant in the pine forest and Reithrodontomys fulvescens in the oak-alder-forest. Between seasons, only the abundance of P. maniculatu s and P.melanotis was higher in the dry season than the wet season. The results show that in a temperate forest mosaics with trees are of crucial importance for rodent conservation during the dry season. However connectivity among temperate plant communities (pine forest, oak-alder forest and grassland) must be a strategy to consider in the study of rodents assemblage and their dynamics in temperate forests."

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) from the geeach Annona species at each locality. In all, 23.1 nus Anastrepha are endemic to subtropical and kg of A. liebmanniana fruits were collected (15 tropical areas in the Americas (Stone 1942; Aluja kg in Feb 2010 and 8.1 kg in Feb 2012); 3.2 kg of 1994), and collectively infest a wide variety of A. reticulata fruits were collected in Apr 2010; economically important hosts (Hernandez-Ortiz and 1.6 kg of A. cherimola x A. reticulata fruits 1992; Norrbom 2004). In Mexico and northern were sampled in Oct 2010. Collections focused Central America, Anastrepha ludens Loew, the on fruit that appeared to be physiologically ma Mexican fruit fly, is the most common and most ture. After sampling, all fruit was labeled and damaging insect pest of perennial fruit crops such transported to the laboratory. The collected as citrus (Rutaceae) and mango (Anacardiaceae). fruit were placed in individual trays labeled This polyphagous species also attacks fruit spewith the name of the host species and covered cies belonging to the plant families Myrtaceae, with mesh netting to prevent the emerging in Fabaceae, Rosaceae, and Sapotaceae, among othsects from escaping (Borror & White 1970; Pena ers (Baker et al. 1944; Bush 1962; Aluja & Maret al 2002). Pupae were collected and kept in tinez 1984; Aluja et al 1987; Aluja 1993,1994). plastic containers with moist (50-70%) vermic Several species of Anastrepha have been reulite until the emergence of the adult insects, ported to infest Annona spp. For example, in Emerged fruit flies were collected and placed Mexico several authors have reported A. ludens in vials containing 70% alcohol. Keys provided feeding in Annona cherimola Mill., A. reticulata by Hernandez-Ortiz (1992) were used for insect L., A. squamosa L., and A. muricata L. (Baker et taxonomic identification. Voucher specimens al 1944; Aluja et al 1987; Hernandez-Ortiz 1992; of A. ludens were deposited at the Instituto de White & Elson-Harris 1992; Vidal 1994). In the Investigaciones Forestales, Universidad Vera state of Veracruz, Piedra-Rodriguez & Zunigacruzana, in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Voucher Anell (1993) reportedA. ludens infestingA. cherispecimens of A. liebmanniana and A. cherimola mola fruits in the locality of Llano Grande, Mux A. reticulata were deposited in the herbarium nicipality of Teocelo. Here, we provide the first XALU of Faculty of Biology of Universidad Ve report of A. ludens feeding in two new host plants: racruzana (Xalapa, Mexico). Annona liebmanniana BaiW. (= A. scleroderma B., Overall, 55 A. ludens individuals emerged USDA 2007) and A. cherimola x A. reticulata, a from A. liebmanniana (5 adults, 9.1% of the total plant that is presumed to be a natural hybrid recovered), A. reticulata (48 adults, 87.3% of the (R.V. Ortega-Ortiz, pers. comm.), from Chiapas total) and A. cherimola x A. reticulata (2 adults, and Veracruz, Mexico, respectively. Also we con3.6% of the total) fruits (Table 1). This is the first firm previous reports indicating that A. ludens report documenting the emergence of A. ludens infests fruits of A. reticulata. from A. liebmanniana (Tuzantan, Chiapas) and Fruits were collected in 2010 and 2012 in difA. cherimola x A. reticulata (Llano Grande-Vera ferent agro-ecosystems in the communities of cruz). This fly species also was found infesting A. Francisco Sarabia, Municipality of Tuzantan, reticulata fruits (Tejeria-Veracruz) thus confirm Chiapas, Mexico (N 15°09'6" W 92°28'08", 513 ing previous reports from Hernandez-Ortiz (1992) m asi, and N 15°11'13"W 92°21'41", 1074 m asi); and White & Elson-Harris (1992), who indicated Tejeria (N 19°22' 24" W 96°54'90", 938 m asi) that A. cherimola, A. reticulata and A. squamosa and Llano Grande (N 19°22'05"W 96°52'79", serve as hosts to A. ludens in Mexico; however, 851 m asi) Municipality of Teocelo, Veracruz, they provided no specific information as to the lo Mexico. Three fruit collections were made for cation of the infestations.

Background: Foraging strategies may vary among guilds of granivores and impact the tree recruitment and biodiversity of plant communities. Hypothesis : The hypotheses were: during the night in areas with tree cover rodents will be the main seed removers, insects in open areas at night, and birds in all types of plant communities during the daytime. Studied species/Data description/Mathematical model: The seed removal by birds, rodents and insects was studied in a Mexican temperate forest. In order to detect differences in seed removal of Pinus patula , P. pseudostrobus , P. teocote and P. montezumae, a GLMM model with three way interaction (type of plant community, exclusion treatment and period) was carried out for each pine seed species where random variables were the variation among sites and months. Study site and years of study: This study was carried out in a Mexican temperate forest during February 2006 and January 2007. Methods : Through exclusion treatments we evaluated the seed removal of four pine species in three plant communities with two replicates (1 ha approximately) and two periods. Results : The three-way interaction was significant for all pine species ( P < 0.001) (GLMM processes). The variance was greater among sites than between months. The main seed removers for all pine seed species, were: At night insects for subalpine grassland; during the daytime birds for all plant communities, and at night the rodents in pine forest, oak-alder forest and finally in the subalpine grassland. Conclusions : The rodents were the main seeds removers in areas with tree cover during the night, the insects in open areas at night, and birds in all plant communities during the daytime.