RBI 02: Cordillera Azul - Espanol - The Field Museum

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Pisqui Campamentos Playa y Quebrada
We used traps, nets, and visual and auditory observations
to survey mammals in the alluvial plain and
terraces at this subsite, from 9 to 13 September.
We had 11 individuals representing 8 species, among
which were Panthera onca and Pithecia monachus.
In the Sherman traps, we caught Oryzomys cf.
megacephalus and Proechimys sp., and we caught
3 species of bats in our mistnets.
Pisqui Campamentos Subcresta
We also used traps and nets, in addition to visual and
auditory observations, to examine these generally
north-facing slopes from 8 to 12 September. We had 28
encounters representing 17 species, of which the most
significant was another sighting of the “new” squirrel,
Microsciurus “oscura.” We saw tapirs (Tapirus terrestris)
and a large number of wooly monkeys (Lagothrix
lagotricha). We also found Microsciurus flaviventer at
this site, so the two small squirrels are sympatric. At the
higher reaches of the mountain, at 1200 m, we found
several species of bats and night sightings of the night
monkey (Aotus sp.) and kinkajou, Potos flavus (both
species foraging close to camp). We also had daily
sightings of white-fronted capuchin monkey, Cebus
albifrons. The abundance of monkeys in this region was
notable and makes it a high priority for conservation.
Pisqui Trochas a Las Colinas
Finally, we surveyed terraces along the Río Pisqui,
recording 7 species in 10 events on 12 and 13 September.
Conservation targets present in this area included Ateles
chamek, Pithecia monachus, and Lagothrix lagotricha.
The area is significant because of the abundance of
primates (all of which were extremely tame). We saw 6
species of primates in the two days, with two groups of
wooly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha), one with 30 and
the other with 4 individuals, a group of 12 Ateles
chamek, a group of 4 Pithecia monachus, and a group
of about 10 Cebus albifrons.
THREATS AND
PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend further inventory work in the Pauya
and Pisqui watersheds, along with additional inventories
at other sites in the northern Cordillera Azul, with
adequate and appropriate collection permits to document
the diversity of small mammals. A careful inventory of
the flying and non-flying small mammals can easily
double the total number of species we recorded. The
Pauya Campamento Ladera and Pisqui Campamento
Subcresta sites should be revisited to collect specimens
of the small, dark squirrel (Microsciurus “oscura”), to
determine whether it is a species new to science, and to
document it appropriately. The Pisqui Trocha 6 km
subsite would be a good site to evaluate the population
and conservation status of Speothos venaticus.
The northern Cordillera Azul contains an
unusually high richness of large mammal species, with
high estimated densities, indicating an intact and
healthy condition of the forests. The rarity or absence
of these species at other sites highlights the importance
of designating the highest degree of protection to this
area, that is, the creation of the proposed Parque
Nacional Cordillera Azul Biabo. At areas closer or
more accessible to resident human populations, careful
restrictions on hunting, with allowance for subsistence
only, under sensible management, will guarantee the
continued survival of such mammalian richness.
RAPID BIOLOGICAL INVENTORIES INFORME/REPORT NO.2