Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-HERRERA, Bernal; RAMIREZ-FERNANDEZ, José D; VILLALOBOS-CHAVES, David  and  SANCHEZ, Ragde. Actualización de la lista de especies de mamíferos vivientes de Costa RicaList of extant species of mammals of Costa Rica. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2014, vol.21, n.2, pp.275-289. ISSN 0327-9383.

Although Costa Rica is a small country, it has a high diversity of mammals. The study of mammalogy in the country dates back to the early nineteenth century with the presence of the first European and Costa Rican naturalists as Alfaro and Zeledon. Despite extensive studies in Costa Rica there are still many species of mammals to be recorded. Proof of this is the addition here of 11 species of mammals to the national list, with a total of 249 species. The orders with more species are Chiroptera with 114, Rodentia with 47, Cetacea with 31, and Carnivora with 24. Out of the 11 species added to previous list of mammals for the country, 50% correspond to already describe species with new records for Costa Rica, and 3 are the result of the elevation of subspecies to specific level. The endemic mammals in Costa Rica occur mainly in the highlands with 23 species. We point on the need of more field work to complete the documentation of species for the country; however, we do not know much about the ecology of many species. To complete the information on the ecology of mammalian species is one of the most important challenges for present and future generations of mammalogists, not only in Costa Rica but in the Neotropics.

Keywords : Costa Rica; Endemism; Promops centralis; Taxonomy.

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