A 3-year population study of guerlinguetus brasiliensis ingrami (Rodentia, sciuridae) at the serra da bocaina national park, rio de janeiro state, brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian Squirrel Guerlinguetus brasiliensis ingrami (Rodentia, Sciuridae) is commonly observed in the wild, yet its population parameters are poorly known because this species is rarely captured with traditional live-traps. Here we evaluated the population parameters of G. b. ingrami in a 3-year capture-mark-recapture study at the Serra da Bocaina National Park, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Population parameters were evaluated using the Jolly-Seber model POPAN and the Minimum Number Known to be Alive (MNKA). Population size estimates ranged between 3.2 ± 2.4 (mean ± SE) and 51.3 ± 15.0 individuals based on POPAN, and 2 and 10 individuals based on MNKA. Our population density estimates (1.3 to 74.3 individuals/km2) were similar to those documented in previous studies carried out in the Atlantic Forest. Monthly survival was high (0.94 ± 0.02) and capture probability was low (0.16 ± 0.05), probably reflecting the species trap-shyness. The low capture probability of G. b. ingrami evidences the importance of the unique population data presented in this study for increasing basic knowledge on this species.