In this study we aimed to investigate the utility of the barn owl diet as a tool for determining the spatial distribution and abundance of the yellow-necked mouse, a forest-dwelling small mammal species, in the Montseny mountains and surrounding plains (Barcelona, NE Spain). After validating the molar shape criterion for species discrimination (t9 of second upper molar), we classified a sample of 2,684 Apodemus spp. identified from 8,831 small mammals of 17 species from barn owl pellets collected in 18 roosting places. Almost all individuals were determined as A. sylvaticus (91.8%) and the remainder were considered as A. flavicollis (8.2%). Frequencies of occurrence of A. flavicollis were related to 11 environmental descriptors by means of Redundancy Analysis and partial constrained ordination. Frequencies of occurrence changed along a strong environmental gradient (increased towards rainy localities covered by deciduous forests), and this pattern coincided with that observed for other forest predator (Genetta genetta). The use of non-invasive sampling methods, like the barn owl diet analysis, can be more efficient in detecting the presence of the yellow-necked mouse than other conventional sampling methods, since accurate species determination of the binomial A. sylvaticus/A. flavicollis is difficult after live-trapping in NE Spain.

Averages of external and cranial measurements were correlated with latitudes in Apodemus peninsulae, A. draco, and A. latronum in East Asia and Siberia. A total of 852 sexually mature specimens of 24–44 local populations were grouped into 5–11 regions by countries, provinces of China, running directions of big rivers in south-western China and Myanmar, or islands. In A. peninsulae, significant positive correlations were demonstrated in the lengths of condylobasal (CBL), anterior part of the skull, diastema, head and body (HBL), and hind foot (HFL) in all regions except for Siberia, Sakhalin, and Hokkaido, whereas a negative one was in HBL in Siberia, indicating two clines with the largest at around 50°N in Heilongjiang, China. In A. draco, two significant negative correlations were shown in CBL, the lengths of anterior and posterior part of the skull, total molar, and tail by dividing into higher and lower localities than 29°N except for Hebei. In A. latronum, significant positive correlations were exhibited in CBL and HFL in all regions. Adaptive meanings of the latitudinal clinal variations disclosed in A. peninsulae and A. draco were discussed on plant productivity, character displacement, and increasing of the anterior part of the skull.

Debarking behavior by deer may impact forest renewal and succession, particularly when a deer population is overabundant. The sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) population in Taiwan has expanded rapidly in the last 20 years, and its debarking behavior has been observed for approximately 10 years. This study surveyed 83 sampling plots in four protected areas to reveal the status of debarking by sambar in Taiwan. A total of 153 species of trees was sampled and 94 of them were debarked by sambar. The debarking frequency was high in Yushan National Park (19.9%), but very low in the other three protected areas. The best-fitting generalized linear model shows that sambar has a significant preference for tree species and range of diameter at breast height (DBH) for debarking. Pinaceae species were most preferred by sambar except that Taiwan red pine (Pinus taiwanensis), a pioneering canopy species in forest succession, was the least preferred in all the species in our sample. Without considering species, trees with a DBH around 20 cm were preferred the most by sambar for debarking. We hypothesize that the preference of debarking by sambar for specific species and younger trees may eventually impact forest regeneration and succession.

In the article “The haplotypes of four finless porpoises stranded on the coast of Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay during 2011–2013″ by Miwa Suzuki, Hajime Taru, Noriyuki Takai, Kenji Okutsu, Haruka Ito and Tadashi Ishii (Mammal Study 40: 127–132, 2015), the authors report that the name and affiliation for Tadashi Ishii were incorrect.

The correct name for “Tadashi Ishii” should read “Masayuki Ishii”.

The correct affiliation for “Japan Driftlogical Society, Hata, Kochi, Japan” should read “National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan”.

The authors apologize for not correcting the errors in proofs.