MAMÍFEROS NÃO-VOADORES DE UM FRAGMENTO DE MATA MESÓFILA SEMIDECÍDUA, DO INTERIOR DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO, BRASIL

Abstract

Semideciduous forests from rural areas of São Paulo State are isolated and small due to agriculture, industry and city growth. Fragmented forests are important to the persistence of several mammal species. In this study we did an inventory of the mammal fauna from a fragmented mesophilous semideciduous forest in the rural region of the São Paulo State (Fazenda São José), between Rio Claro and Araras cities. In the three sampling periods, between May 1997 and March 1999, field work was done using traps for small mammals, direct observation of animals and identification of their footprints. We recorded the occurrence of three marsupial species (Didelphidae), two armadillos (Dasipodidae), three primates (Callithrichidae and Cebidae), five carnivores (Canidae, Procyonidae and Mustelidae), one deer (Cervidae), six rodent (Sciuridae and Muridae) and one rabbit (Leporidae). Didelphis albiventris (Didelphidae), Nectomys squamipes and Akodon montensis (Muridae) were the most frequently species captured. Mammal species of the study area are also present in other areas of Atlantic Forest in São Paulo State and others mesophilous forests from of the region around. However, we did not captured or observed signs of rodents and felid species common to other areas linked to the study area through gallery forest of the Ribeirão Claro (Rio Claro city). The forest studied showed a subset of mammal species present in other larger areas of the region, and the mammal species listed in this area demonstrated how it is important the conservation of this and other forest fragments to mammal diversity in the State.