Maria Nazareth F. da Silva

Maria Nazareth Ferreira da Silva is a zoologist from Manaus, Brazil. She serves as curator of the mammal collection at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research.

Da Silva has, for many years, specialised in the study of Amazonian mammals. She has described several new species of mammals, most of which are rodents: Metachirus aritanai, the Aritana's brown four-eyed opossum Saguinus kulina, the Kulinas' mustached tamarin Plecturocebus grovesi, the Alta Floresta titi Cacajao ayresi, the Aracá uakari Cacajao hosomi, the Neblina uakari Coendou ichillus, the Streaked dwarf porcupine Coendou roosmalenorum, the Roosmalen's dwarf porcupine Mesomys occultus, the Tufted-tailed spiny tree-rat Proechimys echinothrix, the Stiff-spine spiny rat Proechimys gardneri, the Gardner's spiny rat Proechimys kulinae, the Kulina spiny rat. Neacomys elieceri, the Eliécer's bristly mouse Neacomys jau, the Jaú bristly mouse Neacomys marajoara, the Marajó bristly mouse Neacomys minutus, the Minute bristly mouse Neacomys musseri, the Musser's bristly mouse Neacomys vossi, the Voss's bristly mouse Neacomys xingu, the Xingu bristly mouse Rhipidomys gardneri, the Gardner's climbing mouse

She has written, and contributed to, many papers and articles on the subject, and currently works for the National Institute of Amazonian Research.

Selected publications

Mammals of the Rio Juruá: Evolutionary and ecological diversification within Amazonia. (with Patton, J.L. and J.R. Malcolm) (pub.2000) Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 244:1-306 Population Genetic Structure of two ecologically distinct Amazonian Spiny Rats:Separating History and Current Ecology (with Marjorie D. Matocq and James L. Patton) Definition of Species of Pouched Four-Eyed Opossums (Didelphidae, Philander) (with James L. Patton) Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 78, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 90–102 Rivers, Refuges, and Ridges: The Geography of Speciation of Amazonian Mammals (with James L. Patton)