Geographic distribution, natural history and conservation of Lesser Grison Galictis cuja (Molina, 1782) (Carnivora, Mustelidae) in Central Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

The Lesser Grison, Galictis cuja, is a species widely distributed in extra-Andean Patagonia, although its records are scarce. This work was carried out in Chubut province, Central Patagonia, Argentina. Here we report new occurrence localities of G. cuja for this region; we discuss aspects of their geographical distribution and conservation in the Área Natural Protegida Península Valdés (ANP-PV; World Heritage Site) and briefly explores the representation of G. cuja in carnivore assemblages of ANP-PV, since the late Holocene to the present. We added 18 new records of G. cuja in Central Patagonia. We detected a conflict between the rural residents and the Lesser Grison, which motivates the hunting of the latter. There was an apparent increase in abundance of G. cuja in the last thousands of years, concomitant with regional extinction or dramatic reduction of Lyncodon patagonicus (Carnivora, Mustelidae).