The agouti Dasyprocta leporina (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae) as seed disperser of the palm Astrocaryum aculeatissimum

some large-seeded plants depend heavily on agoutis for seedling recruitment. the importance of dasyprocta leporina as seed disperser of the atlantic forest palm astrocaryum aculeatissimum was evaluated using camera-traps and seed removal experiments. agoutis were registered at 67% of the records obtained through the monitoring of mature fruits; palms were visited from 07:00 to 18:45 h. dispersal distances ranged from 0.5 to 48.7 m (mean ± sd = 6.8 ± 9.1 m) and most of the removed seeds were buried (57.8%). these results corroborate the importance of agoutis for the seed dispersal of astrocaryum palms.