OPEN ACCESS The Journal of Threatened Taxa is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use of artcles in any medium, reproducton, and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Home range and spatial organization by the Hoary Fox Lycalopex vetulus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae): response to social disruption of two neighboring pairs Julio C. Dalponte, Herson S. Lima, Stuart Klorfne & Nelton C. da Luz 26 May 2018 | Vol. 10 | No. 6 | Pages: 11703–11709 10.11609/jot.3082.10.6.11703-11709 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies and Guidelines visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints contact <[email protected]> Publisher & Host Partners Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2018 | 10(6): 11703–11709 Home range and spatial organization by the Hoary Fox Lycalopex vetulus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae): response Communication to social disruption of two neighboring pairs ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Julio C. Dalponte 1, Herson S. Lima 2, Stuart Klorfne 3 & Nelton C. da Luz 4 OPEN ACCESS 1 Insttuto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais (PRÓ-CARNÍVOROS), Avenida Horácio Neto, 1030, Parque Edmundo Zanoni, 12945-010, Atbaia, São Paulo, Brasil 2 Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Campus de Nova Xavantna, Av. Expedição Roncador Xingu, Nova Xavantna, Mato Grosso 78690-000, Brasil 3 SQN 215, Bloco B, 505, 70874-020, Brasília DF, Brasil 4 Insttuto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)- Centro Regional da Amazônia, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia do Guamá, Avenida Perimetral, 2651, 66077-830, Belém, Pará, Brasil 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected]; 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected] Abstract: The Hoary Fox Lycalopex vetulus, is a small omnivore-insectvore canid inhabitng open environments/areas of the Brazilian savannah, whose spatal organizaton and territoriality is stll unknown. Space use and social organizaton of two breeding pairs with adjacent home ranges were determined through radio tracking from October 2002 to April 2003 in a mosaic of cultvated pastures and Cerrado vegetaton in eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Home ranges were 140–299 ha in size, with individual areas of the male and female in each breeding pair overlapping extensively. Afer the death of both individuals of one pair, the neighboring pair progressively occupied the vacant space, expanding markedly its range into about half the area originally occupied by the previous pair. Factors driving a pair of Hoary Foxes to expand their territory into a vacant area afer death of the neighboring pair were not clearly determined. Absence of territorial defence, however, could have contributed to the range shif observed. This is the frst tme that the response of neighboring foxes to social disrupton of an adjacent pair has been documented for Hoary Foxes. Keywords: Catle pastures, movement paterns, South American Canidae, territoriality. Portuguese Abstract: Resumo: A raposa-do-campo Lycalopex vetulus, é um pequeno canídeo insetvoro-omnívoro que habita ambientes abertos da savana brasileira, cuja organização espacial e territorialidade ainda é desconhecida. Uso do espaço e organização social de dois casais reprodutvos com áreas domiciliares adjacentes foram determinadas através de rastreamento por rádio telemetria de outubro de 2002 a abril de 2003 em um mosaico de pastagens e vegetação de Cerrado no leste de Mato Grosso, Brasil. As áreas de vida tnham 140–299 ha, com áreas individuais de machos e fêmeas de cada par reprodutvo sobrepondo-se extensivamente. Após a morte de ambos os indivíduos de um dos pares, o par vizinho ocupou progressivamente o espaço vago, expandindo marcadamente sua área em cerca de 50% da área originalmente ocupada pelo par anterior. Fatores que levaram um par de raposas para expandir seu território em uma área vaga após a morte do par vizinho não foram claramente determinadas. Ausência de defesa territorial, no entanto, pode ter contribuído para a mudança de área observada. Esta é a primeira vez que a resposta de raposas vizinhas à ruptura social de um par adjacente foi documentada para a raposa-do-campo. DOI: htp://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3082.10.6.11703-11709 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D5BA9563-9A43-4D8C-BF60-97B9D05B90D9 Editor: Brian L. Cypher, California State University ,Bakersfeld, USA. Date of publicaton: 26 May 2018 (online & print) Manuscript details: Ms # 3082 | Received 03 October 2016 | Final received 31 October 2017 | Finally accepted 15 April 2018 Citaton: Dalponte, J.C., H.S. Lima, S. Klorfne & N.C. da Luz (2018). Home range and spatal organizaton by the Hoary Fox Lycalopex vetulus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae): response to social disrupton of two neighboring pairs. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(6): 11703–11709; htp://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3082.10.6.11703-11709 Copyright: © Dalponte et al. 2018. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this artcle in any medium, reproducton and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton. Funding: The Saint Louis Zoo’s Field Research for Conservaton Program funded this study (FRC #01-15). Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. For Author Details & Author Contributon see end of this artcle. Acknowledgements: We thank E.S. Lima for feld for assistance in the feld, and E.C. Rocha, W. Tomas, M.R. Pitman, and V. Queirogas by early manuscript revisions. 11703 Shif on spatal organizaton of the Hoary Fox Dalponte et al. INTRODUCTION vary in size depending on body size (Gitleman & Harvey 1982), and tend to be larger as animal size increases The Hoary Fox Lycalopex vetulus, is a non- (Ewer 1973). Ranges can also vary according to sex, cooperatve, solitary, small canid (3–4 kg body weight) habitat type distributon and availability (Ross et al. with a distributon restricted to Brazil (Dalponte 2009). 2012), and productvity of the habitats, as well as food It is classifed as a species of Least Concern (Dalponte & dispersion and availability (Macdonald 1983; Sandell Courtenay 2004) for conservaton purposes. In a more 1989). Considering food availability, for example, ranges recent assessment, however, it has been classifed as may be larger where prey density is lower (Zoellick Vulnerable to extncton in Brazil (Lemos et al. 2013). & Smith 1992), and smaller where food resources are The Hoary Fox inhabits open areas of Brazil, clumped (Eide et al. 2004). partcularly the herbaceous and sub-shrubland of the A territory is an area within an animal’s home range Cerrado (Brazilian savannah), transitonal areas, and over which the animal has exclusive or priority use, and catle pastures (Dalponte & Courtenay 2004; Rocha et al. it may comprise the animal’s entre home range (Powell 2008). It is an omnivore-insectvore consumer (Dalponte 2000). Territoriality is an important mechanism by which 1997). Although with no morphological adaptatons that social carnivores limit or exclude potental compettors enable them to gain access to the concealed termite of the same species from access to mates, food, space, galleries of hard exposed above-ground nests, such as and cover (Mech 1970; Gese 1998). those found in true myrmecophagous mammals, it is an Owners of territories usually win territorial disputes actve predator of leaf-feeding termites (Dalponte 1995; against intruders of the same species. Winners in the Dalponte 1997; Juarez & Marinho Filho 2002; Dalponte competton for territories achieve considerable direct 2003; Dalponte & Courtenay 2004; Jácomo et al. 2004; and indirect reproductve benefts (Alcock 2005). A Courtenay et al. 2006; Lemos & Facure 2011). Rich territory should provide all the key resources for an termite patches occur in catle pastures (mainly above- individual or group, allowing self-sufciency within ground concentratons of Syntermes and Cornitermes the smallest possible area (Vaughan 1978). Neighbors species) along with dung beetles, and these resources of the same species represent potental compettors are exploited on a seasonal and opportunistc basis for space, food and partners (Mech 1970; Gese 1998). (Ferreira-Silva & Lima 2006). Territoriality limits the number of animals competng In central Brazil, the Hoary Fox can subsist foraging for food resources, matng opportunites and formaton and breeding in catle pastures year-round (Juarez & of new social groups. Territorial behavior in carnivores Marinho-Filho 2002; Dalponte 2003; Courtenay et al. includes vocalizatons, postures and odoriferous marking 2006). Hoary Fox can reach densites of 1.5 foxes/km² at territory boundaries (Brown & Orians 1970; Kruuk (radio tracking; Courtenay et al. 2006). 1972; Peters & Mech 1975; Harrington & Mech 1978). The Hoary Fox has a monogamous