Reddish dwarf anteater
| Reddish dwarf anteater | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cyclopes rufus | ||||||||||||
| Miranda , Casali , Perini , Machado & Santos , 2017 |
The reddish pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes rufus ) is a species of mammal belonging to the genus of pygmy anteaters . It occurs in southwestern Brazil . The animals stand out because of their reddish brown fur on their backs, characteristic stripes, as is typical for some other representatives of the dwarf anteaters, are not present. Information on the way of life is not available. The species was scientifically introduced in 2017. Previously, all pygmy anteaters were put into a species. However, genetic studies showed that the animals of southwestern Brazil had split off from the other pygmy anteaters at an early stage.
description
Habitus
The reddish dwarf anteater is a representative of the dwarf anteater, information on body size and body weight is not available. As with all other members of the genus, the tail length exceeds the dimensions of the rest of the body; it can be used as a grasping tail . The animals have two toes on their front feet and four on their hind feet. They are equipped with powerful claws. The back fur is strikingly reddish-brown, the belly, legs and tail are more yellowish in color. There are no characteristic stripes on the back and stomach along the center line of the body. This makes it easy to distinguish the species from other dwarf anteaters. Only the Rio Negro pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes ida ) from western Brazil and eastern Ecuador also has no stripes, but has a rather grayish tint. The Thomas pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes thomasi ), also widespread in southwestern Brazil, has gray legs and a tail, in addition to a reddish-brown body fur. As with most other dwarf anteaters, the hair does not have a medullary canal.
Skull features
Like the other dwarf anteaters, the reddish dwarf anteater also has a skull that is typically arched at the forehead line, while the base of the skull is clearly concave. There is no indentation in the transition from the forehead to the nasal bone . The bone sutures between the nasal bone and the upper jaw run largely parallel to one another. Furthermore, the suture between the frontal bone and the upper jaw is wide, while the frontal bone and the parietal bone have a trapezoidal shape at their contact area. The external auditory canal opens laterally at the base of the skull . The wing bone does not overlap the tympanic membrane .
distribution
The reddish pygmy anteater is endemic to South America . The range of the species includes the southwestern Brazil with parts of the western Amazon basin . The animals are mainly found on the sedge between the Rio Madeira and the Rio Aripuanã . The northern border of the inhabited area is probably reached on the Amazon , the southern border on the Rio Guaporé .
Way of life
No information is available on the way of life of the reddish dwarf anteater. In general, pygmy anteaters are solitary and nocturnal. They live on trees ( arboreal ) and feed mainly on state-forming insects ( myrmecophag ).
Systematics
|
Internal systematics of pygmy anteaters according to Miranda et al. 2017
No genetic data are yet available for Cyclopes catellus |
The reddish dwarf anteater is a species from the genus of dwarf anteaters ( Cyclopes ). According to molecular genetic studies from 2017, the genus consists of a total of seven species. It is currently the only member of the thus monotypical family of the Cyclopedidae within the suborder of the anteaters (Vermilingua). In addition, the family represents the sister group of the Myrmecophagidae , in which the other anteaters are united with the genera Myrmecophaga and Tamandua . The dwarf anteaters are the smallest representatives of the anteaters. They differ from all other anteaters with their behavior that is completely adapted to tree life. According to the genetic studies, the reddish dwarf anteater forms a common clade with the Thomas dwarf anteater , which stands opposite the other species of dwarf anteaters. The separation from the line with the other dwarf anteaters already took place in the Middle Miocene about 10.3 million years ago. The clade was split into the two sister species Cyclopes rufus and Cyclopes thomasi in the Upper Pliocene about 3.4 million years ago. It is assumed that both happened as a result of the stronger elevation of the Andes at that time. The resulting increase in sediment input into the western Amazon region supported the transformation of the then prevailing marshland into a drier forest area. The early genetic separation of the animals from southwestern Brazil had already been documented.
Originally, all pygmy anteaters were kept within one species, Cyclopes didactylus . Scientists saw the animals of southwestern Brazil mainly as representatives of the subspecies Cyclopes didactylus catellus , which Oldfield Thomas scientifically introduced in 1928 using animals from Bolivia . In addition to the genetic studies, numerous morphological studies were carried out in 2017 on specimens from the entire distribution area of the pygmy anteaters, which revealed a high degree of variability within the genus. Significant anatomical differences between the animals in the more southern distribution area could also be shown. According to these investigations, Cyclopes didactylus catellus is limited to Bolivia, the subspecies was subsequently raised to species status. For the animals of southwestern Brazil, the research team around Flávia R. Miranda saw the status as an independent species justified, which was supported not only by the external differences, but also by the early phylogenetic separation. The researchers chose Cyclopes rufus as the species name , the epithet is derived from the Latin word for “red” and refers to the characteristic color of the fur on the back. The holotype is a fully grown female animal from Porto Velho in the Brazilian state of Rondônia , the region represents the type locality.
Threat and protection
Currently, the IUCN does not differentiate between pygmy anteaters by species. The environmental protection organization regards the entire stock of the genus as "not endangered" ( least concern ). The deforestation of the tropical rainforests can have local effects on the individual populations .
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. 101) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Virginia Hayssen, Flávia Miranda and Bret Pasch: Cyclopes didactylus (Pilosa: Cyclopedidae). Mammalian Species 44 (1), 2012, pp. 51-58
- ↑ a b c d e f 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
- ↑ 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. 101) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
- ^ A b c 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
- 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
- ↑ Oldfield Thomas: The Godman Thomas expedition to Peru. VIII. On mammals obtained by Mr. Hendee at Pebas and Iquitos, upper Amazons. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 2, 1928, pp. 285-294
- ↑ Flávia Miranda and DA Meritt Jr .: Cyclopes didactylus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. e.T6019A47440020 ( [1] ), last accessed January 6, 2018