Editorial: De México a Argentina

Volume 7 of Mammalia aequatorialis is of particular interest, as it is the first volume published in two editions per year, one in each semester. This seven-year growth period has showcased studies and scientific contributions regarding Neotropical mammals, mainly from Ecuador, to the academic world.We are proud to announce that we have converted Mammalia aequatorialis into a broader Latin American journal. The first two articles in this issue offer proof of this. We begin with an analysis of the ecological interaction between wild and domestic mammals in north-central Mexico and continue with a taxonomic study of the high-Andean mouse Abrothrix andina (Cricetidae) in north-central Argentina and western Bolivia.We are also encouraged to see that the contributions to Ecuadorian mammalogy have not diminished. In this issue we include two articles on bats: the second record of Furipterus horrens (Furipteridae) for the western Andes (after the work of Warren et al., 2025) and the reevaluation of the holotype of Lonchophylla orcesi (Phyllostomidae). This latter article provides new information and photographs, particularly of the pelage and other external features, which complement the original description of the species by Albuja V. & Gardner (2005).A variety of topics regarding carnivores comprise the major contributions to this volume. These topics range from studies of the diet of pumas in the province of Imbabura to genetic abnormalities in two species of felines in Guayas, and from an analysis of the activity cycle of the skunk Conepatus semistriatus (Mephitidae) in the province of Pichincha to the proposal of a taxidermy process in the Andean fox Lycalopex culpaeus (Canidae).We close our issue with an ethnozoological study of the current use of mammals in the province of Santa Elena, a pioneering research of its kind for the southwestern coast of the country. Santa Elena is known to be a province rich in archaeological remains, and numerous evidence has demonstrated the importance of fauna, particularly mammals, in the pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited its coasts (Gutiérrez Usillos, 2002); however, the current importance of mammals had not been documented. In this article, the authors record 56 different forms of use of 17 species of mammals recognized by local inhabitants. The data show that the species with the greatest number of uses was the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Cervidae).Thus we close the seventh year of Mammalia aequatorialis, with the edition containing the most articles published and the largest number of pages. After seven years of growth, we are sure that we will continue to expand and publish many more contributions on the mammals of Ecuador and the Neotropics. We rest on the knowledge that we can count on the support of our readers.