Tahuayo River mammal records (Iquitos area, Peru; 2023). DRAFT

SUMMARY: I saw +38 mammal species on a ten-day trip (20-29 June 2023) in the Tahuayo River Area. The highlight was Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus) which were the first in-situ records published for the Iquitos area; the species at the time was reported only from about ten other sites in South America. Peruvian Tree Rat and Long-tailed Spiny Tree Rat were common. Amazon Bamboo Rat was common locally. Eastern Pygmy Marmoset was easily seen at known study sites. Bishop’s Slender Opossum and White-bellied Slender Opossum was seen in the ARC area. Bats seen included Thumbless Bat. I organized the trip through Amazonia Expeditions and stayed at their Tahuayo Lodge and Amazon Research Center (ARC); my lodge-supplied guide was Juan Pacaya.

Paul Carter: paulcarter@pacapix.com
Draft posted: 2024 Dec 10; last updated Dec 16. Additions due by 20 Dec.

Contents
A)  Mammal list
B)  Mammal images
C)  Reptile list
D)  Bird records
E)  Site information
F)  Trip information
G)  References
H) QUERIES

Bat Audio: For bat records with AUDIO identification/support, I used an “Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro” ultrasonic module and the Echo Meter app; noting that taxonomy in the app is not current regarding splits. I only show audio records where I see the bat and where the size, behaviour and habitat fit the audio ID.

Abbreviations:
PH – Photographed; NP – Not Photographed; iNat – iNaturalist.com; MDD – Mammal Diversity Database.
ARC – Amazon Research Center (the lodge, excluding trails).
ARCA – Amazon Research Center Area (including all trails and streams accessed from ARC).
TLA – Tahuayo Lodge Area (including all trails accessed whilst at the lodge).
ACRCTT – Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo.
EF97 – Emmons and Feer (1997).
Times are shown in 24-hour format from 0000h to 2359h e.g. 3:49 PM written as “1549h”.

A.  MAMMAL LIST

The list below includes taxonomic comments and whether it was seen at TLA or ARCA or both. Images are shown in the next section.

1. Bishop’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops bishopi). Note range map at MOL. PH. ARCA only: June 25. Image below
2. White-bellied Slender Opossum (Marmosops noctivagus). Note range map at MOL. PH. ARCA only: June 27. Tentative ID.
3. Northern Black-eared Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis). AKA “Southern Opossum” (iNat, 2023). TLA only: Main Trail and at Tahuayo Lodge. Image below.
4. Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla). ARCA only: close to ARC Lodge twice.
5. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus). TLA only: seen near Tahuayo Lodge (June 23). Image below.
6. White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari). NP. ARCA only: one group seen but only one was seen very well, albeit briefly (from 10m away).
7. Gray Dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis). AKA Tucuxi.TLA only: seen at Charo Lake. Image below.
8. Amazon Pink River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis).  TLA only: seen from Tahuayo Lodge and elsewhere in the Tahuayo River.
9. QUERY- Artibeus sp: Dark Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus obscurus) / Flat-faced Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus planirostris). Also see Platyrrhinus  and Vampyressa. PH. TLA only. A few seen eating figs (2023 June 21) near El Chino..
10. QUERY- Peropteryx sp (Dog-like Bat sp). PH. TLA only: seen in Cave Log, TLA.
11. QUERY- Carollia sp?. PH. TLA only: two seen in a log near TL. Also in Cave Log?
12. QUERY- Platyrrhinus fusciventris / Chiroderma sp. PH. TLA only. Seen eating fruit (2023 June 20).
13. Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus). PH. TLA only: seen in Cave Log. Image below.
14. Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata). PH. TLA and ARCA: Seen on the Main Trail (at zip line tree) and audio records on that trail and at TL. Seen on Poza Yarina trail (ARC area) in buttress tree.
15. Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris naso). PH. TLA and ARCA: Seen on a tree near TL dock and under thatch roof of TL dining area. Very common on the Tahuayo river at the ARC area. Image below.
16. Thumbless Bat (Furipterus horrens). PH. ARCA only: Poza Yarina Trail (June 27). Image below.
17. Kinkajou (Potos flavus). TLA only: Seen in trees at the edge of Tahuayo Lodge.
18. Central Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis). Taxonomy: common name now Central Neotropical Otter after Northern Neotropical Otter was split from this species. PH. TLA and ARCA: Seen in Rio Blanco (TLA) and seen twice on Tahuayo River upstream of ARC lodge. Image below.
19. Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). PH. ARCA only: a pair seen once on Tahuayo river upriver of ARC. Image below.
20. Paca (Cuniculus paca). NP. Heard only (ID by guide). Trail.
21. South American Long-tailed Porcupine (Coendou longicaudatus). Taxonomy: Staff refer to the form here as Brazilian Porcupine but Menezes et al (2021) note that Brazilian Porcupine (C. prehensilis) is now restricted to the north of the Atlantic Forest). Menezes et al (2021) split C. longicaudatus from Brazilian Porcupine (C. prehensilis) with two subspecies including C. l. longicaudatus from the Amazon. iNat (2023 June) refer to C. prehensilis as Yellow Quill-tipped Porcupine. TLA and ARCA: a few seen along Main Trail behind Tahuayo Lodge; only one was seen at ARCA (on Poza Yarina Trail).
22. Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus). TLA only: seen near Tahuayo Lodge. See separate ID notes and report here and a citable version on Zenodo here (9 July 2023). Voss et al (2024, p112-114) summarize the status of this species in the area and use one of my images (Fig 46). Images of the two animals are shown below.
23. Southern Amazon Red Squirrel (Hadrosciurus spadiceus / Sciurus spadiceus). Taxonomy: de Abreu et al (2020) treats as Hadrosciurus spadiceus whilst iNat (2024 April) lists as Sciurus spadiceus. Voss et al (2024 pp9-38) reviews Sciuridae in the area. TLA only: seen on side trails of the Main Trail.
24. Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat (Isothrix bistriata): TLA and ARCA: a few were seen day and night on the Main Trail; and it was seen on other trails in TLA and ARCA.I also saw it on trees along the Tahuayo River. Image below.
25. Amazon Bamboo Rat (Dactylomys dactylinus). TLA only: Common outside El Chino Village area (2023 June 22). Image below.
26. Peruvian Tree Rat (Toromys rhipidurus). TLA and ARCA: it is common along river edge immediately downstream of Tahuayo Lodge. There was only one previous record on iNat from at/near Tahuayo Lodge – possibly from the bamboo near the Hammock Room which staff thought was Amazon Bamboo Rat. ARCA: seen on trees at river edge upriver from the lodge. Image below.
27. Long-tailed Spiny Tree Rat (Makalata macrura)*. Taxonomy: Voss et al (2024 p121) indicate that the form here may be a different species and refer to it as “Makalata Species 5”, based on Miranda et al (2021). TLA and ARCA: At TLA June 24, 2129h. Red on nose carries up onto forehead (unlike Toromys). At ARCA I saw it more often and better than at TLA e.g. photos June 24, 2129h; and very well on 2023 June 27, 1800h and 1856h. Images below.
28. QUERY- Spiny Rat sp (Proechimys sp). Taxonomy: Voss et al (2024 p131) note that “Species of Proechimys are difficult to distinguish in the field—hence our reluctance to accept unvouchered identifications (see below)—but most adult specimens can be confidently identified using a combination of pelage, craniodental, and bacular traits …”. TLA: seen along Main Trail. And ARCA?
29. QUERY – Oecomys sp: Robert’s Arboreal Rice Rat (Oecomys roberti) and not White-bellied Arboreal Rice Rat (Oecomys bicolor)? Taxonomy: For review of the genus locally see Voss et al (2024 pp61-86), inluding new species described in the region. PH. TLA only: June 21 on the Main Trail; and June 23.
30. QUERY – Bristly Mouse sp ? (Neacomys sp?). PH. TLA – two photographed on June 23.
31. Ma’s Night Monkey (Aotus nancymae). ARCA only: seen twice in the ARC grid area. Image below.
32. Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella niveiventris). TLA and ARCA: three families seen at known sites on side trails of the Main Trail; also seen at a known site along the river in ARCA. Image below.
33. Colombian Red Howler Monkey (Alouatta seniculus) – ssp Juara Red Howler. ARCA only: Seen on Poza Yarina Trail.
34. Monk Saki (Pithecia monachus). ARCA only: seen on Poza Yarina Trail (June 27, 1051h) and from Tahuayo River in ARCA. Image below.
35. Coppery Titi (Plecturocebus cupreus). PH. TLA and ARCA: seen near Tahuayo Lodge and at Palm Swamp at ARCA. Images below.
36. Moustached Tamarin (Saguinus mystax). TLA only: seen in Frog Valley area. Amazonia notes “relatively easy to find running and jumping along tree branches in groups of 5-20 individuals, located on the trail grid at the ARC”.
37. Geoffroy’s Saddle-back Tamarin (Saguinus nigrifrons) – MDD taxonomy. Taxonomy:  iNat list as “Saddleback Tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis)” (with splits pending, as at Oct 2023). Amazonia Expeditions list it as “Black-fronted Tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis)”. ARCA only. Seen at Palm Swamp SE of trail grid. Listed as “Saddleback Tamarin” on iNat and Black-fronted Tamarin on the Amazonia Expeditions site where “relatively easy to find running and jumping along tree branches in groups of 5-20 individuals, located on the trail grid at the ARC”.
38. Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri macrodon). Taxonomy: MDD-1/10 treats as S. macrodon whilst. iNaturalist (2023 Aug) treats it as Humboldt’s Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri cassiquiarensis) ssp macrodon. MDD-1/10 note that Saimiri cassiquiarensis is restricted to Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. Alfaro et al (2015), for Saimiri cassiquiarensis, concluded that “Our interim recommendation is to consider five subspecies of S. cassiquiarensis, which correspond to clades cassiquiarensis, albigena, macrodon A (Marañón and Napo Centers), macrodon B (Inambari Center) and macrodon C (Imeri Center) in our phylogenetic tree …”. QUERY – It is possible that MDD do not lump them because it is only an interim recommendation by Alfaro et al (2015)? Check for more recent data? TLA (also at ARCA?).
39. Tufted Capuchin (Sapajus apella). Taxonomy: This form here was locally treated as “Sapajus macrocephalus” but RL20v2 note that “the form macrocephalus Spix, 1823 is now considered a synonym of Sapajus apella”. The binomial in Emmons and Feer (1997) is “Cebus apella”. The common name in iNat (2023 Aug) is Brown Capuchin. TLA and ARCA: Seen 100 metres downriver from the Tahuayo Lodge and in ARCA on Poza Yarina Trail.

Primate Targets NOT SEEN:

1. Spix’s White-fronted Capuchin (Cebus unicolor).Note that“Cebus albifrons” in the Iquitos area is now “Cebus unicolor. The Amazonia website lists C. unicolor as present at ARC and that it is seen “on the trail grid behind the ARC as well as on motorboat excursions near the ARC”.
2. Common Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lagothricha) ssp poeppigii.
3. Red Faced Uakari (Cacajao calvus) ssp ucayalii.
4. Plecturocebus sp? Amazonia Expeditions state that in addition to the familiar Coppery Titi Monkey Amazonia Expeditions “may also have another species of titi monkey unknown to science”.
5. Pithecia sp (undescribed). ACRCTT possibly has another species of saki monkey not known in the area. “The saki populations around our Tahuayo River Amazon Research Center are the subject of our full-time ongoing research project. Both morphs of saki monkeys can frequently be found around the ARC”.

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B. MAMMAL IMAGES

IMAGES ARE CURRENTLY BEING ADDED (Mid-Dec 2024)

1 – Bishop’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops bishopi).
ID notes: Tail scales are in spiral rows (ph -080). Dorsum – grey-brown above. Venter is clean white. Hindfeet and Forefeet digits are white. Small. Tail about 120% max? of HB. Cheeks and upper lip are white. Tail nearly naked at base, no significant tail collar.

2 – White-bellied Slender Mouse Opossum (Marmosops noctivagus):

3 – Northern Black-eared Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis):

4 – Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla):

5 – Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus):

7 – Gray Dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis):

13 – Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus):

15 – Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris naso):

16 – Thumbless Bat (Furipterus horrens):

18 – Central Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis):

19 – Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis):

21 – South American Long-tailed Porcupine (Coendou longicaudatus):

22 – Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus):

24 – Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat (Isothrix bistriata):

25 – Amazon Bamboo Rat (Dactylomys dactylinus):

26 – Peruvian Tree Rat (Toromys rhipidurus):

27 – Long-tailed Spiny Tree Rat (Makalata macrura): two different animals shown below (two images each)

29 – Robert’s Arboreal Rice Rat (Oecomys roberti) – QUERY:

31 – Ma’s Night Monkey (Aotus nancymae):

32 – Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella niveiventris):

34 – Monk Saki (Pithecia monachus):

35 – Coppery Titi (Plecturocebus cupreus):

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C.  REPTILE LIST

This list includes species seen at both TLA and ARCA:

1. Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana). 2023 June 23, 0815h: a pair mating on the grounds of TL.
2. Western Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria). 2023 June 24, 0100h; seen on the grounds of TL.
3. Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). 2023 June 23, 1041h; on riverside vegetation.
4. Southern Turnip-tail Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis).
5. Bridled Forest Gecko (Gonatodes humeralis).
6. QUERY – Gecko sp. At ARC.
7. QUERY – Agama sp. At ARC.
8. Collared Treerunner (Plica plica). At TL and ARC (June 27).
9. Forest Whiptail (Kentropyx pelviceps). At TL and ARC (June 26).
10. Cocha Whiptail (Kentropyx altamazonica).  At ARC.
11. Amazon Bark Anole (Anolis ortonii).
12. South American Spotted Skink (Copeoglossum nigropunctatum). At ARCA (June 28).
13. Western Amazon Mabuya (Varzea altamazonica). At ARCA (June 28).

I was hoping to see a Bush Master but none seen.

D.  BIRD IMAGES

Birds were low priority, those photographed included:

1. Sun Bittern (Eurypyga helias). PH. June 27 at ARC.
2. Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica). PH. June 27 at ARCA.
3. White-bearded Hermit (Phaethornis hispidus). PH. June 21
4. LIST INCOMPLETE

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E.  SITE INFORMATION

Location: Tahuayo Lodge and Amazon Research Center (ARC) are owned by Amazonia Expeditions (link). ARC is 9 km SSW of Tahuayo Lodge; both sites located on the banks of the Tahuayo River, a tributary of the Amazon River. Tahuayo Lodge is 91 miles by river from Iquitos (Northern Peru) and is a few kilometers south and upstream of a small village called El Chino. The area is at the northwestern edge of the Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo (ACRCTT), the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area (Wiki) in the Department of Loreto, Peru.
Wi-Fi and Phone: There is no phone signal. Wi-Fi at Tahuayo Lodge is available only in the lounge room (mesh-sided room overlooking the river). Wi-Fi at ARC is available only in the dining area.

F.  TRIP INFORMATION

Trip package: I was on a standard 9-night tour (as advertised on their website) over 20-29 June 2023; the first 5 nights at Tahuayo Lodge (20-25 June) and the last 4 nights (25-29 June) based at ARC. Amazonia do not charge extra if you are alone and you have your own guide as well. I visited alone and my allocated lodge guide was Juan Pacaya, a bird guide and very interested in the mammals found. He was great and recommended. I was happy with all arrangements, staff and food.
Getting there: I flew into Iquitos and stayed at Amazonia Expeditions hotel, from where their speedboat leaves to the lodges. The boat transfer from Iquitos to Tahuayo Lodge was about 3 hours; we left at 9 AM. The return trip to Iquitos left at around 2 PM from Tahuayo Lodge and going downriver was quicker. The trip by motorized canoe from Tahuayo Lodge to ARC was about 1.5 hours; we left at 9 AM.

Sites visited include:

• “Main Trail”: the trail leading from the back of Tahuao Lodge; with various side trails.
• Frog Valley and “Cave Log” – in the Frog Valley area (TLA).
• Rio Blanco. A tributary off the Tahuayo River (TLA).
• Charo Lake. This is up a tributary off the Tahuayo River (TLA).
• ARC Grid. It starts from behind the lodge.
• Palm Swamp. This area is southeast of the ARC Trail Grid.
• Poza Yarina Trail (ARCA).
• Yarinu Lake Trail (ARCA) – June 26.

G.  REFERENCES

• Amazonia Expeditions (2023a). Tahuayo Lodge. https://perujungle.com/the-lodge/#tahuayo-lodge
• Amazonia Expeditions (2023b). Primates of ACR Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo. Webpage viewed 2023 May. https://perujungle.com/primates/
• Anonymous. Tahuayo Bat List (pre 2020?). A list of species apparently recorded on a survey before 2020?
• Carter P (2023 July). Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus) in the Iquitos area (northeastern Peru). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8128848. A version of this is also posted at https://www.pacapix.com/m-coendou-ichillus/
• de Abreu EF, Pavan SE, Tsuchiya MT, Wilson DE, Percequillo AR, Maldonado JE (2020). Museomics of tree squirrels: A dense taxon sampling of mitogenomes reveals hidden diversity, phenotypic convergence, and the need of a taxonomic overhaul. BMC Evolutionary Biology 20 (article 77).
• Díaz-Nieto JF, Voss RS (2016). A Revision of the Didelphid Marsupial Genus Marmosops, Part 1. Species of the Subgenus Sciophanes. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 402:1–70.
• Emmons L (1997). Neotropical rainforest mammals: a field guide (Second edition). Illustrated by F Feer. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. ISBN 0-226-20721-8 (paperback).
• Menezes FH, Feijó A, Fernandes-Ferreira H, Costa IR, Cordeiro-Estrela P (2021). Integrative systematics of Neotropical porcupines of Coendou prehensilis complex (Rodentia: Erethizontidae).
• Velazco PM, Voss RS, Fleck DW, Simmons NB. (2021). Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru Part 4: Bats. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 451:1-199.
• Voss RS and Fleck DW (2011). Mammalian diversity and Matses ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru. Part 1. Primates. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 351:1–81.
• Voss RS and Fleck DW (2017 Oct). Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru. Part 2: Xenarthra, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Sirenia. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 417:1-118.
• Voss RS, Fleck DW, Giarla TC (2024). Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy In Amazonian Peru. Part 5. Rodents. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 466:1-179. Issued 2024 April 18.
• Voss RS, Fleck DW, Jansa SA (2019 June). Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru. Part 3: Marsupials (Didelphimorphia). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 432:1-90. 2019 June 14.

The references above include the five volumes of the monographic series by Voss et al (2011 – 2024) on the mammalian diversity and Matses ethnomammalogy in the Yavarí-Ucayali interfluvial region of northeastern Peru. These are summarised below:

• Part 1. Primates: see Voss RS and Fleck DW (2011).
• Part 2: Xenarthra, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Sirenia: see Voss RS and Fleck DW (2017 Oct).
• Part 3: Marsupials (Didelphimorphia): see Voss RS, Fleck DW, Jansa SA (2019 June).
• Part 4: Bats: see Velazco PM, Voss RS, Fleck DW, Simmons NB. (2021).
• Part 5. Rodents: see Voss RS, Fleck DW, Giarla TC (2024).

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Queries and Action

1. Myotis sp. I had repeated audio records for Elegant Myotis (x) but this is a Central America species and it presumably refers to a split?
2. Lesser Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx leptura) – smaller one seen with the Greater form?
3. reptile 27 june 1019h – needs ID