Abstract Climate has long been recognized as one of the main determinants of the geographical distribution of species. Variations associated with primary productivity in temperature, rainfall, and photoperiod can affect survival and reproduction, affecting the peripheries of geographical distributions. The importance of graphical visualization of these distributions lies in conservation, management, and environmental research. With respect to the South American species of mustelids, 37% are threatened according to the IUCN Red List, and the limits of distributions and their determinants are poorly known for the majority of species. Here, complete and updated databases and maps of geographical and temporal distribution are presented for the 12 species of mustelids inhabiting South America. Museum specimens and recorded localities were gathered based on an online search. Geographic limits of distributions were assessed, as were environmental values for all localities. Comparison with IUCN maps was undertaken to determine the need for updating. Finally, sympatry and syntopy among species analyzed were examined using Geographic Information Systems. The most complete and updated database of geographic distributions of South American mustelids to date was assembled for all species, encompassing 9,826 localities. New areas with recorded localities not present in IUCN maps were documented in many species, indicating the need to update current maps for conservation efforts. Areas of sympatry and syntopy were found among many species, indicating that patterns of coexistence between them are not well known. This study will serve as a framework for ensuing efforts in species distribution modeling, conservation decisions, and field studies, among others.

中文翻译：

---

南美鼬科动物（食肉目：鼬科）的分布模式

摘要 长期以来，气候一直被认为是物种地理分布的主要决定因素之一。与温度、降雨量和光周期初级生产力相关的变化会影响生存和繁殖，从而影响地理分布的外围。这些分布的图形可视化的重要性在于保护、管理和环境研究。根据 IUCN 红色名录，南美洲的鼬科动物有 37% 受到威胁，而大多数物种的分布范围及其决定因素却鲜为人知。在这里，展示了居住在南美洲的 12 种鼬科动物的完整和更新的地理和时间分布的数据库和地图。博物馆标本和记录的地点是基于在线搜索收集的。评估了分布的地理限制，以及所有地区的环境价值。与 IUCN 地图进行比较以确定是否需要更新。最后，使用地理信息系统检查所分析物种之间的同位性和同位性。迄今为止，为所有物种收集了最完整和更新的南美鼬科动物地理分布数据库，涵盖 9,826 个地点。许多物种都记录了IUCN地图中没有记录的新区域，这表明需要更新当前地图以进行保护工作。在许多物种中发现了共生区和同位区，这表明它们之间的共存模式尚不为人所知。