Small mammals in restinga areas of north-eastern Brazil

Abstract

. The restingas are an important component of the Atlantic Forest, affected by anthropic impacts along the Brazilian coast. The mastofauna that occurs in these environments is little known, especially in the north-east of the country. This study characterized the richness, abundance and composition of small mammal species in arboreal restinga areas in the state of Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil. Sampling was performed monthly, from September 2017 to August 2018. An effort composed of 8188 trap-nights with Sherman traps and 1782 trap-night with pitfall traps resulted in the capture of 120 individuals from 10 species; four marsupials ( Didelphis albiventris , Marmosa demerarae , Marmosa murina, and Marmosops incanus ) and six rodents ( Calomys sp., Cerradomys vivoi , Oligoryzomys sp., Phyllomys blainvilii , Rhipidomys mastacalis, and Trinomys sp.). Phyllomys blainvilii is a new record for the state. The observed richness corresponds to 73% of that estimated by Jackknife 1 (13.6 ± 1.5 species). Marmosops incanus and R. mastacalis were the most abundant, corresponding to 84% of the individuals captured. The community composition differs from the restingas of other regions of Brazil, but the majority of the species correspond to a subset of those found in the Atlantic Forest of the region. The locality presented the greatest richness of small mammals in areas of the Atlantic Forest of Sergipe, reinforcing the importance of the preservation of these areas and contributing to understanding the mastofauna in the restingas. This study also presents an updated list for this group in the state. regiões do Brasil, mas a maioria das espécies corresponde a um subconjunto das encontradas nas áreas de Mata Atlântica da região. A localidade apresentou a maior riqueza de pequenos mamíferos em áreas da Mata Atlântica de Sergipe, reforçando a importância da preservação dessas áreas e contribuindo para o entendimento sobre a mastofauna que ocorre nas restingas. Este estudo apresenta assim uma lista atualizada de pequenos mamíferos para o estado.