Updated list of mammals of the Island of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

Abstract

The Island of Santa Catarina is the largest island on the Brazilian coast. Within the Atlantic Forest domain, it serves as a model for investigating the decline in biodiversity within this ecosystem. This decline is associated with the loss of a large part of forest cover and mammalian species. Although the forest environment in the island has recovered more in comparison to the rest of the Atlantic Rainforest (66% versus 28%, respectively), the isolation typical of islands has hindered the recolonization of sensitive species, particularly those that are threatened. Two decades after the first publication of the mammal list of the Island of Santa Catarina, we revised past data to identify which species became extinct and which native and exotic species remain, focusing on the inclusion of Chiroptera. Through bibliographical reviews, scientific collections and field surveys, a total of 59 species of native mammals, non-volant and volants, were confirmed. Among these, eight species were determined to be extirpated, all threatened with extinction, including large ungulates and top cats, in addition to the occurrence of nine domestic and exotic invasive species. Studies employing specific methodologies and sampling techniques in inadequately assessed environments have the potential to augment species richness, particularly among rodents, marsupials, and bats.