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On 21 September 2012, a dried carcass of a bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) was found near Black Mesa in the Oklahoma Panhandle. A complete skeleton (OMNH 55240) was salvaged and represents the first specimen record of the species in the state of Oklahoma.

Eligmodontia morgani Allen, 1901, is a sigmodontine rodent commonly known as the western Patagonian laucha. A small, delicate, arid-adapted rodent, it is 1 of 7 currently recognized species in the genus Eligmodontia. The species occurs in the semiarid steppe habitat of western Patagonia of Argentina and Chile. E. morgani is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

A new species of Akodon (sigmodontine rodents of the tribe Akodontini) is described from the Córdoba Montane Savanna Ecoregion in the eastern mountain ranges of the Sierras Centrales in central Argentina. Phylogenetic relationships among the new species and 11 other species of Akodon were examined using nucleotide sequence data from the entire 1,140 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. Maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian analyses found the new species to be distinct from other Akodon and sister to a clade composed of A. spegazzinii, A. boliviensis, and A. oenos. We present analyses of morphological data and descriptions of external, cranial, and dental morphology. This species is relevant to the insular biogeography of the Sierras Centrales, the uniqueness of the ecoregion, and the level of plant and animal endemism in isolated montane regions of central Argentina.

Phylogenetic relationships among individuals of 9 taxa of the Akodon varius group of sigmodontine (tribe Akodontini) rodents from Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay were examined using nucleotide sequence data from the entire 1,140 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene to clarify the evolutionary relationships among lineages. Two individuals of A. iniscatus were included to test proposed relationships with the A. varius group. Maximum-parsimony, minimum-evolution, maximum-likelihood (TVM+I+G), and Bayesian analyses revealed 2 major clades, 1 composed of Yungas Forest taxa and 1 of non-Yungas (lowlands) taxa, and 8 well-supported terminal clades. The Yungas Forest clade includes A. glaucinus, A. simulator, A. tartareus, and A. varius, which are recognized as distinct species. A. iniscatus was the most basal taxon in the lowlands clade containing A. dayi, A. toba, and A. dolores. Results support the proposed conspecificity of A. dolores and A. molinae, and the relationship within the A. varius group, which had not been clearly defined, is clarified. A. dayi and A. toba were found to be more closely related to A. dolores than to the Yungas Forest clade with which they historically have been associated. A low level of percent sequence divergence between A. toba and A. dolores suggests the need for a closer examination of this relationship, as does the high level of within-clade percent sequence divergence for A. dayi.

The cytochrome-b gene was sequenced and data were analyzed for 104 Perognathus from localities in Mexico, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas to evaluate the validity of P. flavus and P. merriami and to assess the occurrence of species of Perognathus in Oklahoma. Unweighted-parsimony, minimum-evolution, maximum-likelihood (TrN+I+G), and Bayesian analyses revealed seven well-supported terminal clades corresponding to currently recognized species of Perognathus. Results validate recognition of P. flavus and P. merriami as distinct species, document the occurrence of P. merriami within Oklahoma, and reveal a second potential contact zone between P. flavus and P. merriami in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

As a periodic assessment of the mammal collection resource, the Systematic Collections Committee (SCC) of the American Society of Mammalogists undertakes decadal surveys of the collections held in the Western Hemisphere. The SCC surveyed 429 collections and compiled a directory of 395 active collections containing 5,275,155 catalogued specimens. Over the past decade, 43 collections have been lost or transferred and 38 new or unsurveyed collections were added. Growth in number of total specimens, expansion of genomic resource collections, and substantial gains in digitization and web accessibility were documented, as well as slight shifts in proportional representation of taxonomic groups owing to increasingly balanced geographic representation of collections relative to previous surveys. While we find the overall health of Western Hemisphere collections to be adequate in some areas, gaps in spatial and temporal coverage and clear threats to long-term growth and vitality of these resources have also been identified. Major expansion of the collective mammal collection resource along with a recommitment to appropriate levels of funding will be required to meet the challenges ahead for mammalogists and other users, and to ensure samples are broad and varied enough that unanticipated future needs can be powerfully addressed.

Scope and Method of Study: Despite comprising only 12% of the Earth's landmass, South America supports nearly one quarter of all extant species of mammals (Wilson and Reeder 1993). The genus Akodon (Rodentia, Cricetidae) is among the most speciose groups of South American rodents, second only to the genus Oryzomys, where its 46 extant species occur from northern Venezuela to southern Argentina. The genus is organized into four species groups and numerous subgenera and subspecies are recognized. In previous molecular studies of the genus, few taxa and single gene datasets dominate. In this study, 3 genes (cytb, DMP1, and THY) were sequenced and analyzed under maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic criterion to 1) obtain a well-resolved evolutionary history of Akodon, 2) to evaluate the validity of a number of subspecific taxa and supraspecific groupings, and 3) to evaluate the historical biogeography of the genus. Findings and Conclusions: Thirty four of the 46 extant species, as well as numerous subspecies, were included here. Of these 46 species, the monophyly of four (A. aerosus, A. mimus, A. mollis, and A. orophilus) are questioned. A. lindberghi is assigned to the cursor group. In the boliviensis group, A. lutescens caenosus currently consists of two species level taxa, both to be elevated to full species. Four taxa, including A. varius, from the varius group are moved to the aerosus group. Additionally two subspecies within the aerosus group (A. aerosus baliolus and A. orophilus orientalis) warrant species recognition. Two additional species level taxa fall within the aerosus group and are unnamed. The redefined varius group is recommened to be referred to as the dolores group. Dates of divergence and relationship of taxa provide the information needed to generate a hypothesis regarding the evolution of the genus. Future efforts in the study of Akodon systematics need to include not only the addition of previously unavailable taxa but also the inclusion of sequence data from multiple genetic markers for all individuals.