Abstract

MATSON, John O; ORDONEZ-GARZA, Nicté; BULMER, Walter  and  ECKERLIN, Ralph P. Small mammal commnities in the Sierra de los cuchumatanes, Huehuetenago, Guatemala. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2012, vol.19, n.1, pp.71-84. ISSN 0327-9383.

Very little is known concerning small mammal ecology and their distribution in the highlands of Guatemala. Small mammals were trapped from five different cloud forests in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Cloud forest elevations ranged from 2600 m to 3350 m. Most sites had evidence of human disturbance with only Cerro Bobí having a relatively pristine forest. A total of 13 species was recorded with the species density at sites ranging from six to ten. Accounts of each species are given. The most common species present was Reithrodontomys sumichrasti, except at Cerro Bobí where Peromyscus guatemalensis was most abundant. Differences between years and between seasons (wet versus dry) were minor. Only the site at Cerro Bobí, with relatively pristine cloud forest, appeared to have a species composition that resembled other cloud forests in the highlands of Guatemala. Information on reproduction is summarized.

Keywords : Cloud forests; Ecology; Mesoamerica; Rodents; Shrews.