Known from a handful of specimens: analyzing the worldwide patterns of occurrence and conservation of rodents and shrews recorded only from the type locality
Main Article Content
Abstract
Traditionally, conservation research has not focused on Rodentia and Soricomorpha, and many species are known from a handful of specimens and the type locality only (few and type locality species (FETP)). Here we studied the patterns of occurrence of FETP rodents and soricomorphs in relation to geographical area and vegetation zones and report some conservation considerations. Overall, 91 species of Rodentia and 19 species of Soricomorpha were selected. There was a positive correlation between number of species per genus and number of FETP species in each genus. The majority of FETP rodents occur in the Neotropical, Afrotropical and Oriental regions, and soricomorphs in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions. Higher numbers of FETP rodent species occurred in Argentina and Indonesia. There was a positive relationship between species richness of rodents per country and number of FETP species. In terms of habitat type, FETP species of rodents and soricomorphs showed similar patterns, with most species being found in rainforest. The great majority of selected species of both groups were Data Deficient (DD), with Critically Endangered (CR) accounting for 16.5% of Rodentia and 5.3% of Soricomorpha. Overall, IUCN threatened species mostly occur in the Neotropical region, followed by the Afrotropical region. It is urged that IUCN authorities should promptly revise all FETP species and their precautionary CR status, at least when a reasonable timespan (i.e., >25 years) has passed since the last records.
ÂArticle Details
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Amori, G. & S. Gippoliti (2000). What do mammalogists want to save? Ten years of mammalian conservation biology. Biodiversity Conservation 9: 785−793; http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1008971823774
Amori, G., F. Chiozza, C. Rondinini & L. Luiselli (2011a). Country-based patterns of total species richness, endemicity, and threatened species richness in African rodents and insectivores. Biodiversity Conservation 20: 1225−1237; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0024-1
Amori, G., S. Gippoliti & L. Luiselli (2011b). Do biodiversity hotspots match with rodent conservation hotspots? Biodiversity Conservation 20(14): 3693–3700; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0131-z
Bland, L.M., B. Collen, C.D.L. Orme & J. Bielby (2015). Predicting the conservation status of data-deficient species. Conservation Biology 29: 250–259; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12372
Carpaneto, G.M., A. Mazziotta, R. Pittino & L. Luiselli (2011). Exploring co-extinction correlates: the effects of habitat, biogeography and anthropogenic factors on ground squirrels–dung beetles associations. Biodiversity Conservation 20(13): 3059–3076; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0162-5
Churchfield, S. (1990). The Natural History of Shrews. Christopher Helm, New York, NY.
Gippoliti, S. & G. Amori (2011). A new species of mole-rat (Rodentia, Bathyergidae) from the Horn of Africa. Zootaxa 2918: 39–46.
Gaston, K.J. (1994). Rarity. Springer, Berlin.
Ghazoul, J. & D. Sheil (2010). Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation. Oxford University Press, 536pp.
Golley, F.B., L. Ryszkowski & J.T. Sokur (1975). The role of mammals in temperate forest, grasslands and coltivated fields, pp. 223–241. In: Golley F.B., K. Petrusewicz, L. Ryszkoski (eds.). Small Mammals: Their Productivity and Population Dynamics. Cambrige University.
Hafner, D.J., E. Yensen & K.L. Gordon Jr. (1998). North American Rodents. Status survey and conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Rodent Specialist Group. IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge UK, 171pp.
Howard, S.D. & D. Bickford (2014). Amphibians over the edge: silent extinction risk of Data Deficient species. Diversity and Distributions 2014: 1–10; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12218
Lewis, L.A. & L. Berry (2012). African environments and resources. Routledge, New York, 404pp.
McCain, C.M., R.M. Timm & M. Weksler (2007). Redescription of the enigmatic Long-tailed Rat Sigmodontomys aphrastus (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) with comments on taxonomy and natural history. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 120: 117–136.
Nowak, R.M. (1999). Walkers’s Mammals of The World. Sixth Edition. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2015pp.
Řeháková, M., V. Řehák & W.L.R. Oliver (2015). Rediscovery of the Dinagat Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat Crateromys australis (Musser, Heaney & Rabor, 1985) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from Dinagat Island, Philippines. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(8): 7428–7435; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4226.7428-35
Schlitter, D.A. (1999). African rodents of special concern: a preliminary assessment, pp. 33–39. In: Lidicker, W.Z. Jr. (ed.). Rodents - A World Survey of Species of Conservation Concern. Occasional papers of IUCN/SSC.
Wilson, D.E. & D.R. Reeder (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference - 3rd Edition. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2142pp.