Biogeographic analysis of the mammal communities in the Venezuelan Andes

This study is concerned with mammal communities that inhabit highlands (>80 0 m) of the Venezuelan Andes, in terms of their taxonomical structures and ecological associations. It is based on the revision of specimens housed in mammal collections, bibliographic reviews and field work done by the autho rs. The analysis embraces five ecological units: seasonal forests, cloud fo rests, dry evergreen forests, paramos and thorn shrubs. A checklist of the species recorded in the region includes 157 species (46.1% of mammals recor ded in the country), of which 31 have their distributions restricted at lea st to the Andes of Colombia and Venezuela, ten are endemic to the Venezuela n Andes (50%), and 29 are new records for the region. The Venezuelan Andes represent only 4% of the country area and the values of species/area ratio are 8.3 times greater than those found in the Guayana region with 50% of na tional territory Seasonal forest and cloud forest communities show the high est values of taxonomic richness (117 and 78 species, respectively), while thorn shrubs include 39 species rind each of dry evergreen forest and param os only 21 and 20 species, respectively. We distinguish three distribution patterns far the species restricted to the Andes (31 species): 1) widesprea d in the region (Cordillera de Merida, and at least a portion of the Cordil lera Oriental of Colombia) (13 spp), 2) endemic to the Cordillera de Merida (10 spp.), and 3) restricted to the Cordillera Oriental and Macizo de El T ama (8 spp.). Even though the criteria used for the protection of natural a reas has considered a significant and continuous area of cloud forests and paramos, seasonal forests need to be protected in an equivalent extension i n order to guarantee the conservation of the biological diversity of this e cological unit.