The Evolutionary History and Genetic Diversity of Kinkajous, Potos flavus (Carnivora, Procyonidae)

Infestation, histology, and molecular confirmation of Sarcoptes scabiei in an Andean porcupine (Coendou quichua) from the Central Andes of Colombia

Sarcoptic mange is a highly contagious, worldwide disease that affects the skin of mammals, including humans. It is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, however, the information available in wild mammal populations in the world, and particularly in Colombia is limited. Here, we document a new case of sarcoptic mange in an Andean porcupine (Coendou quichua) from the Andean region of Colombia. We morphologically and molecularly confirmed the mite as S. scabiei and documented the histopathology associated with scabies, and show the different stages of the life cycle of S. scabiei from the Andean porcupine skin samples. Our review of reports of additional cases of scabies in wild mammal species in South America showed 15 species, mostly carnivores, artiodactyls, and rodents. Considering the limited information in Colombia, it is urgent to evaluate the risk of this condition on mammals which would contribute to the epidemiological knowledge and the potential implications of sarcoptic mange in the ecology and conservation of wild mammals in the country.

Arboreal camera trap reveals the frequent occurrence of a frugivore-carnivore in neotropical nutmeg trees

Arboreal and flying frugivorous animals represent primary dispersers in the Neotropics. Studies suggest a possible compensation for the loss of large species by smaller ones with expanding rampant anthropogenic pressures and declining populations of larger frugivores. However, studies on seed dispersal by frugivores vertebrates generally focus on the diurnal, terrestrial, canopy, and flying species, with the nocturnal canopy ones being less studied. Setting camera traps high in the canopy of fruiting nutmeg trees revealed for the first time the high frequency of the kinkajou (Potos flavus, Schreber, 1774, Procyonidae), an overlooked nocturnal frugivore species (Order Carnivora) in the Guianas. The diversity of the fruit species consumed by the kinkajou calls for considering it as an important seed disperser. The overlap of the size of seeds dispersed by frugivores observed in nutmeg trees suggests that the small (2-5 kg) kinkajou may compensate for the loss of large (5-10 kg) frugivorous vertebrates in the canopy. Camera traps visualise how the kinkajou is adapted to forage in the nutmeg tree crown and grab the fruit. Such information is vital for conservation because compensation of seed dispersal by small frugivores is crucial in increasing anthropogenic stressors.

Potential mammalian species for investigating the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest

Much evidence suggests that Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest were connected through at least three dispersion routes in the past: the Eastern route, the central route, and the Western route. However, few studies have assessed the use of these routes based on multiple species. Here we present a compilation of mammal species that potentially have dispersed between the two forest regions and which may serve to investigate these connections. We evaluate the present-day geographic distributions of mammals occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest and the likely connective routes between these forests. We classified the species per habitat occupancy (strict forest specialists, species that prefer forest habitat, or generalists) and compiled the genetic data available for each species. We found 127 mammalian species presently occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest for which, substantial genetic data was available. Hence, highlighting their potential for phylogeographic studies investigating the past connections between the two forests. Differently from what was previously proposed, the present-day geographic distribution of mammal species found in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest points to more species in the eastern portion of the dry diagonal (and adjoining forested habitats). The Central route was associated with the second most species. Although it remains to be seen how this present-day geography reflects the paleo dispersal routes, our results show the potential of using mammal species to investigate and bring new insights about the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Procyonids Reveals Distinct Demographic Histories in Kinkajou (Potos flavus) and Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

Here, we present the initial comparison of the nuclear genomes of the North American raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the kinkajou (Potos flavus) based on draft assemblies. These two species encompass almost 21 Myr of evolutionary history within Procyonidae. Because assemblies greatly impact downstream results, such as gene prediction and annotation, we tested three de novo assembly strategies (implemented in ALLPATHS-LG, MaSuRCA, and Platanus), some of which are optimized for highly heterozygous genomes. We discovered significant variation in contig and scaffold N50 and L50 statistics and genome completeness depending on the de novo assembler used. We compared the performance of these three assembly algorithms in hopes that this study will aid others looking to improve the quality of existing draft genome assemblies even without additional sequence data. We also estimate the demographic histories of raccoons and kinkajous using the Pairwise Sequentially Markovian Coalescent and discuss the variation in population sizes with respect to climatic change during the Pleistocene, as well as aspects of their ecology and taxonomy. Our goal is to achieve a better understanding of the evolutionary history of procyonids and to create robust genomic resources for future studies regarding adaptive divergence and selection.

Unexpected rabies variant identified in kinkajou (Potos flavus), Mato Grosso, Brazil

A second case of a novel rabies variant described once in a capuchin monkey from Mato Grosso, Brazil, was discovered in a rabid wild kinkajou from the same region, indicating a public health risk following exposure to either of the two animals.

Mitochondrial phylogeography of kinkajous (Procyonidae, Carnivora): maybe not a single ESU

Knowledge of how a species is divided into different genetic units, and the structure among these units, is fundamental to the protection of biodiversity. Procyonidae was one of the families in the Order Carnivora with more success in the colonization of South America. The most divergent species in this family is the kinkajou (Potos flavus). However, knowledge of the genetics and evolution of this species is scarce. We analyzed five mitochondrial genes within 129 individuals of P. flavus from seven Neotropical countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia). We detected eight different populations or haplogroups, although only three had highly significant bootstrap values (southern Mexico and Central America; northern Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and Colombian Amazon; and north-central Andes and the southern Amazon in Peru). Some analyses showed that the ancestor of the southern Mexico–Central America haplogroup was the first to appear. The youngest haplogroups were those at the most southern area analyzed in Peru and Bolivia. A “borrowed molecular clock” estimated the initial diversification to have occurred around 9.6 million years ago (MYA). All the spatial genetic analyses detected a very strong spatial structure with significant genetic patches (average diameter around 400–500 km) and a clinal isolation by distance among them. The overall sample and all of the haplogroups we detected had elevated levels of genetic diversity, which strongly indicates their long existence. A Bayesian Skyline Plot detected, for the overall sample and for the three most significant haplogroups, a decrease in the number of females within the last 30,000–50,000 years, with a strong decrease in the last 10,000–20,000 years. Our data supported an alignment of some but not all haplogroups with putative morphological subspecies. We have not discounted the possibility of a cryptic kinkajou species.