First records of a cottontail rabbit in Guyana: ecology and conservation of Sylvilagus parentum Ruedas, 2017 from South Rupununi

Scientific specimens of rabbits (Lagomorpha, Leporidae) have been reported for Venezuela and Suriname, but not for neighboring Guyana. Over the past few decades, people traversing Guyana’s Deep South Rupununi have anecdotally reported sightings of rabbits, particularly along the road to the Marudi mining site; however physical documentation by camera trap images were not obtained until 2019. The goal of this study was to confirm species identification of rabbits found in Guyana and provide information on distribution, ecology, and conservation. An international team of scientists, community conservation organizations (South Rupununi Conservation Society and Rupununi Wildlife Research Unit), and community members identified the species as the Suriname tapeti ( Sylvilagus parentum ). Described in 2017, S. parentum was known only from the forests of western Suriname. Four adult rabbits were captured on small stakeholder farms located within primary forest in the Rupununi and prepared as museum vouchers with an additional 18 occurrences by camera traps. Camera traps and indigenous knowledge were used to describe the species’ distribution, ecology, and conservation status. Confirmation of S. parentum in Guyana’s South Rupununi adds another taxonomic order (Lagomorpha) to the country’s mammal list and highlights the value of combined scientific and indigenous approaches for understanding biodiversity.