Central America pygmy anteater

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Central America pygmy anteater
Cyclopes dorsalis, graphic representation from the first description by John Edward Gray in 1865

Cyclopes dorsalis , graphic representation from the first description by John Edward Gray in 1865

Systematics
Superordinate : Sub-articulated animals (Xenarthra)
Order : Tooth arms (pilosa)
Subordination : Anteaters (Vermilingua)
Family : Cyclopedidae
Genre : Pygmy Anteaters ( Cyclopes )
Type : Central America pygmy anteater
Scientific name
Cyclopes dorsalis
( JE Gray , 1865)

The Central America pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes dorsalis ) is a species of mammal belonging to the genus of pygmy anteaters . It occurs mainly in Central America and northwestern South America west of the Andes . The animals are characterized by their yellow fur with only a weak back and belly stripe. They inhabit tropical rainforests and live nocturnal in trees. The main food consists of ants . The representative of the pygmy anteater was introduced in 1865, but was long considered a subspecies of Cyclopes didactylus . It was not recognized as an independent species again until 2017.

description

Habitus

The Central American pygmy anteater is a representative of the pygmy anteater. Two individuals from Nicaragua had a total length of 37.5 and 38.0 cm, of which the tail was 19.5 and 20 cm. Another 11 animals from the island of Barro Colorado in Panama were a total of 35.5 to 44.0 cm long, the tail measured 17.0 to 22.5 cm. The body weight varied from 155 to 275 g. In general, the tail is longer than the rest of the body, it becomes pointed towards the end and can be used as a pronging tail . The fur on the body, legs and tail is deep yellow, there are no gray tints. A stripe on the back is not a regular occurrence, but if it is present it is clearly visible. On the other hand, an abdominal stripe is seldom and appears to be washed out. In contrast to all other dwarf anteaters, the hair has a medullary canal. The ears measure between 7 and 11 mm. According to the other representatives of the dwarf anteaters, the hands end in two rays and the feet in four rays, the claws are strongly developed. The entire rear foot measures 30 to 35 mm in length.

Skull features

The skull becomes 44.4 mm long and at the cranium 22.5 to 22.7 mm wide. The length of the rostrum is about 13.9 mm. The forehead line is characteristically arched, while the base of the skull is concave. There is no indentation in the contact area between the nasal and frontal bones . The suture between the frontal and parietal bones has a triangular or trapezoidal shape. The two bone seams between the nasal bone and the upper jaw diverge towards the front, the seam between the frontal bone and the upper jaw is very short. The external ear canal opens forward. The wing bone does not cover the tympanic membrane .

distribution

As the only representative of the pygmy anteater, the Central American pygmy anteater occurs in both Central and South America . In Central America the distribution area extends to Mexico , here the southern states form the northern limit of the occurrence. In South America, the species occurs in Colombia and along the coast to Ecuador . The animals inhabit the lowlands as well as higher mountain areas, such as the valleys of the Andes . In Colombia Cyclopes dorsalis has been sighted at altitudes from 1300 to 1900 m. In the eastern lowlands of Central America, the animals seem to be confined to densely forested areas. An individual from Nicaragua has been observed at an altitude of 210 m above sea level, which is the highest distribution in the region.

Way of life

Central America pygmy anteater in the branches

Like all pygmy anteaters, the Central American pygmy anteater is arboreal , active at night and a strict insect eater specializing in ants . According to research on animals from Barro Colorado Island in Panama , the daily sleep duration is between 11.3 and 13.4 hours. They cling to lianas or curl up on branches below the treetops. Usually the same resting tree is not visited twice in a row. The activity begins about 15 minutes after sunset and lasts between three to one and a half hours before sunrise. There are only short breaks of about half an hour in length, but this does not happen regularly. During the activity phase, the animals climb slowly but continuously. When threatened, they stand up on their hind legs and hold the front legs with their large claws on the sides of their noses, partially covering their eyes. The position is held for up to a minute, and if the threat persists, they kick vigorously. For males, an area size of around 11 hectares was determined on Barro Colorado Island  , while females have much smaller at around 2.8 hectares. The territories of the males overlap with those of the females, and there is no overlap with their male counterparts. Like all anteaters, the Central American pygmy anteater is a specialized insect eater that has adapted to arboreal ants as their main source of food. More than two dozen different species are known to be prey, the most important of which are Crematogaster , Pseudomyrmex and Solenopsis . In search of food, the animals stop at almost every ant nest on their way. The daily distance covered amounts to 56 to 99 m. An animal relocated to the island moved within eight days within a radius of 148 m. An individual eats between 19.3 and 26.4 g daily, the water requirement is met mainly through food. Cyclopes dorsalis has an average body temperature of 31.5 ° C, which is significantly lower than typical for a higher mammal . The metabolism is also very low and is only 38% of the value that would be expected for a mammal of this size. In the activity phase, the metabolism increases three times compared to the rest phase. The gestation period lasts between 120 and 150 days. In Mexico, a female was seen with a cub on her back, the cub was 17 cm long and weighed 43 g.

Systematics

Internal systematics of pygmy anteaters according to Miranda et al. 2017
  Cyclopes  


 Cyclopes rufus


   

 Cyclopes thomasi



   

 Cyclopes ida


   

 Cyclopes xinguensis


   

 Cyclopes dorsalis


   

 Cyclopes didactylus






Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

No genetic data are yet available for Cyclopes catellus

John Edward Gray

The Central America pygmy anteater is a species of the genus of the pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes ). According to molecular genetic studies from 2017, this consists of a total of seven species. The genus in turn forms the only recent member of the thus monotypical family of Cyclopedidae within the suborder of the anteaters (Vermilingua). The family represents the sister taxon of the Myrmecophagidae , which include the other anteaters with the genera Myrmecophaga and Tamandua . The pygmy anteaters are the smallest representatives of the anteaters, they have completely adapted to a tree life. According to the molecular genetic analyzes, the closest relative of the Central American pygmy anteater can be regarded as the common pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes didactylus ), which occurs in northeastern South America. The two lines were separated in the Pliocene around 3 million years ago. It is believed that the Andes' last unfolding phase influenced speciation. The close relationship between the pygmy anteaters of northeastern and northwestern South America could also be reproduced in other genetic studies.

The first description of Cyclopes dorsalis was carried out by John Edward Gray in 1865. Gray used those names Cyclothurus dorsalis , which Cyclothurus an old synonym name for Cyclopes represents that he had introduced himself 1825th He set Cyclopes dorsalis from Cyclopes didactylus by the yellow coat color. Gray indicated Costa Rica as the type region . The first, now correct use of the name as Cyclopes dorsalis goes back to Outram Bangs from 1902. Two years earlier, Oldfield Thomas had already referred the form to Cyclopes . In his opinion, however, it was a subspecies of Cyclopes didactylus , a view that Édouard Louis Trouessart put forward in 1899 . In 1902 Thomas named another subspecies from Ecuador and Colombia with Cyclopes didactylus eva , which is generally a little darker in color. For the Central American area, Ned Hollister also established Cyclopes mexicanus in 1914 . He described the shape as ocher to light yellow and provided with a narrow back and belly stripe. The animals used for this came from Oaxaca in Mexico . In 1940 Ingo Krumbiegel saw all representatives of the pygmy anteaters as subspecies of Cyclopes dorsalis and downgraded Cyclopes mexicanus . All three representatives, Cyclopes dorsalis , Cyclopes didactylus eva and Cyclopes mexicanus , were considered as subspecies of the "dwarf anteater" Cyclopes didactylus , especially in the second half of the 20th century . The molecular genetic study from 2017 raised Cyclopes dorsalis back to species status and regards the other two forms as synonyms. However, the authors of the study regard this only as a temporary measure, as too few specimens from Central America were available to them for their genetic studies. According to the scientists, especially the pygmy anteaters in this region as far as South America west of the Andes need a more intensive examination. Morphological analyzes carried out at the same time, however, show similarities between the animals from Central America and the north-west of South America.

Threat and protection

The Central American pygmy anteater is not currently covered by the IUCN . The environmental protection organization sees no endangerment for the entire population of dwarf anteaters and classifies them as “not endangered” ( least concern ). However, the deforestation of the tropical rainforests can have local effects on the individual populations . Cyclopes dorsalis is sometimes kept as a pet. The species is represented in several nature reserves, including in Mexico in the Parque Estatal Agua Blanca , in Honduras in the Biosphere Reserve Río Plátano and in Colombia in the Parque Nacional Natural Selva de Florencia .

literature

  • Flávia R. Miranda, Daniel M. Casali, Fernando A. Perini, Fabio A. Machado and Fabrício R. Santos: Taxonomic review of the genus Cyclopes Gray, 1821 (Xenarthra: Pilosa), with the revalidation and description of new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 20, 2017, pp. 1–35 doi: 10.1093 / zoolinnean / zlx079
  • Flávia R. Miranda: Cyclopedidae (Silky anteaters). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 92-102 (p. 100) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Hugh H, Genoways and Robert M. Timm The Xenarthrans of Nicaragua. Mastozoologia Neotropical 10 (2), 2003, pp. 231-253
  2. ^ A b Virginia Hayssen, Flávia Miranda and Bret Pasch: Cyclopes didactylus (Pilosa: Cyclopedidae). Mammalian Species 44 (1), 2012, pp. 51-58
  3. ↑ George G. Goodwin: Mammals of Honduras. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 79, 1942, pp. 107-195
  4. ↑ a b c d e Flávia R. Miranda, Daniel M. Casali, Fernando A. Perini, Fabio A. Machado and Fabrício R. Santos: Taxonomic review of the genus Cyclopes Gray, 1821 (Xenarthra: Pilosa), with the revalidation and description of new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 20, 2017, pp. 1-35
  5. ↑ a b c Flávia R. Miranda: Cyclopedidae (Silky anteaters). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 92-102 (p. 100) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
  6. ↑ a b c Rodrigo García-Morales, Coral Jazvel Pacheco-Figueroa, Juan de Dios Valdez-Leal, ElíasJosé Gordillo-Chávez, Juan Manuel Koller-González, Norma Patricia Rojas Pérez and Gregorio Martinez-Alvarez: Nuevos registros de Cyclopes didactylus : Cyclopedidae) en Tabasco, México. Edentata 18, 2017, 62–67
  7. ↑ a b c Julio Chacón P., Javier Racero-Casarrubia and Elkin Rodríguez-Ortiz: Nuevos registros de Cyclopes didactylus Linnaeus, 1758 para Colombia. Edentata 14, 2013, pp. 78-84
  8. ^ Josselyn Van Tyne: Notes on the Habits of Cyclopes Dorsalis. Journal of Mammalogy 10 (4), 1929, p. 314
  9. ↑ Flávio HG Rodrigues, Ísis M. Medri, Guilherme HB de Miranda, Constança Camilo-Alves and Guilherme Mourão: Anteater behavior and ecology. In: Sergio F. Vizcaíno and WJ Loughry (eds.): The biology of the Xenarthra. University Press of Florida, Gainsville, 2008, pp. 257-268
  10. ^ Robin C. Best and Ana Y. Harada :: Food Habits of the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) in the Central Amazon. Journal of Mammalogy 66 (4), 1985, pp. 780-781
  11. ^ ME Sunquist and GG Montgomery: Activity Pattern of a Translocated Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus). Journal of Mammalogy 54 (3), 1973, p. 782
  12. ↑ Kenneth A. Nagy and G. Gene Montgomery: Field metabolic rate, water flux and food consumption by free-living silky anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus) in Panama. Edentata 13, 2012, pp. 61-65
  13. ^ A b Alfred L. Gardner: Suborder Vermilingua Illiger, 1811. in: Alfred L. Gardner (Ed.): Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats. University of Chicago Press, 2008, pp. 168-178
  14. Jump up ↑ Raphael Teodoro Franciscani Coimbra, Flávia Regina Miranda, Camila Clozato Lara, Marco Antônio Alves Schetino and Fabrício Rodrigues dos Santos: Phylogeographic history of South American populations of the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus (Pilosa: Cyclopedidae). Genetics and Molecular Biology 40 (1), 2017, pp. 40-49 doi: 10.1590 / 1678-4685-GMB-2016-0040
  15. ↑ John Edward Gray: Revision of the genera and species of entomophagous Edentata, founded on the examination of the specimens in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 33, 1865, pp. 359-385 ( [1] )
  16. ↑ Outram Bangs: Chiriqui Mammalia. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 39, 1902, pp. 17–51 ( [2] )
  17. ↑ Oldfield Thomas: Descriptions of new rodents from western South America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 6, 1999, pp. 294–302 ( [3] )
  18. ^ Édouard Louis Trouessart: Catalogus mammalium tam viventium quam fossilium (1898–1899). Tillodontia, Ungulata, Sirenia, Cetacea, Edentata, Marsupialia, Allotheria, Monotremata. Appendix (Addenda et Corrigenda). Tomus II . Berlin, 1899, pp. 1–1469 (p. 1121) ( [4] )
  19. ↑ Oldfield Thomas: New forms of Saimiri, Oryzomys, Phyllotis, Coendou, and Cyclopes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10, 1902, pp. 246–250 ( [5] )
  20. ^ Ned Hollister: New mammals from Costa Rica and Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 27, 1914, pp. 209-210 ( [6] )
  21. ↑ Ingo Krumbiegel: The mammals of the South America expeditions Prof. Dr. War. 2. Anteaters. Zoologischer Anzeiger 131, 1940, pp. 161-188
  22. ↑ Flávia Miranda and DA Meritt Jr .: Cyclopes didactylus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. e.T6019A47440020 ( [7] ), last accessed on January 6, 2018
  23. ↑ Christy M. McCain: First Evidence of the Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Honduras. The Southwestern Naturalist 46 (2), 2001, pp. 252-254