Northern spherical armadillo

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Northern spherical armadillo
Northern spherical armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus)

Northern spherical armadillo ( Tolypeutes tricinctus )

Systematics
Order : Armored siderails (Cingulata)
without rank: Armadillos (Dasypoda)
Family : Chlamyphoridae
Subfamily : Tolypeutinae
Genre : Ball armadillos ( Tolypeutes )
Type : Northern spherical armadillo
Scientific name
Tolypeutes tricinctus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Northern banded armadillo or Brazilian whitetail armadillo or whitetail banded armadillo ( Tolypeutes tricinctus ) is a mammal from the group of armadillos (Dasypoda), which is endemic in Brazil is widespread. It is the rarest type of armadillo and lives mainly in the Caatinga region in the northeast of the country. Until the end of the 1980s the species was considered extinct, today it is classified as endangered.

features

The northern spherical armadillo is on average slightly larger than its southern relative, the southern spherical armadillo ( Tolypeutes matacus ) and reaches a head-trunk length of 32 to 39 cm (average 35.7 cm), plus a 5 cm long, relatively immobile Tail that is comparatively slightly shorter than that of the southern form. The weight is given as 1.1 to 1.6 kg, field observations suggest that the males are slightly larger than the females. In principle, it is similar in physique to the southern spherical armadillo and also has a clearly rounded back armor, which is divided into a front and a rear section by three flexible straps and extends down to the legs. The most striking difference can be seen on the front feet, which consist of five clawed toes and not four as in the southern spherical armadillo.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area of ​​the northern spherical armadillo

The main distribution area of ​​the northern spherical armadillo is the Caatinga region in northeastern Brazil , an arid landscape mostly characterized by thorny bushes and trees with less than 500 mm of annual rainfall. But it also occurs in the south adjoining Cerrado landscapes, which in turn consist of bushy savannah vegetation and deciduous trees. Occasionally animals have also been observed in areas further north, for example from the state of Maranhão . Here it occurs in habitats with mosaic-like vegetation consisting of thorn bush savannahs and babassu palms . Overall, the occurrence of the northern spherical armadillo is fragmented, the size of the distribution area is given as about 937,000 km². In particular, there is a lack of information on the north-eastern distribution limits. In areas with a high population , the density is estimated at around 1.2 individuals per square kilometer. However, it is likely to decrease significantly in areas with high hunting pressure.

Way of life

Territorial behavior

Construction of the Northern Globular Armadillo. Above: Burrow with a plant-covered entrance (left) and an animal leaving the burrow (right); below: digging individual (left) and completed construction (right)
Curled up northern spherical armadillo

Due to its rarity, the northern spherical armadillo is only sparsely observed in the wild, data on its way of life are therefore rather rare. The armadillo is largely nocturnal; the greatest activities are divided into two phases, on the one hand between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and on the other between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Like its southern cousin and in contrast to numerous other armadillos, the northern armadillo is not a good grave and therefore seldom digs holes in the ground for food or as a shelter. According to studies of four individuals from northeastern Brazil, however, burial activities are more frequent than previously assumed. The burrows dug by the animals have an average height of 10.5 cm, a width of 14 cm and a depth of 43.5 cm. Usually the entrances are covered with leaf waste. Presumably, the burrows serve more for thermoregulation and the rearing of the offspring than a primary protection against predators . In addition, the northern spherical armadillo retreats to rest under fallen leaves or in burrows dug by other animal species, such as the six-banded armadillo ( Euphractus sexcinctus ). But it does not create shallow depressions or nests made of plant materials. The individual individuals use action spaces which, according to studies at Jaborandi in the Brazilian state of Bahia, are an average of 122 ha, and in males can be up to 238 ha. The males' areas of activity overlap with those of the females, and also with those of other males of different ages. In the latter case, however, the overlaps are rather marginal. Similar to the southern species, the armadillo can curl up into an almost closed ball when in danger.

nutrition

The northern spherical armadillo feeds mainly on insects , which it ingests from the surface of the ground. Further food components are also fruits.

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproductive behavior, but male representatives seem to enter a mating competition during the rut of the female, which is attributed to the sexual dimorphism of the species. Young animals are usually born singular and are similar to the parent animals, but have a softer shell and claws as well as closed eyes and auricles.

Parasites

Detected external parasites include ticks of the genus Amblyomma .

Systematics

Internal systematics of the armadillos according to Gibb et al. 2015
  Dasypoda  
  Dasypodidae  

 Dasypus


  Chlamyphoridae  
  Euphractinae  

 Euphractus


   

 Chaetophractus


   

 Zaedyus




   
  Chlamyphorinae  

 Chlamyphorus


   

 Calyptophractus



  Tolypeutinae  

 Priodontes


   
  Tolypeutes  

 Tolypeutes tricinctus


   

 Tolypeutes matacus



   

 Cabassous 







Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

The northern spherical armadillo is a species from the genus of spherical armadillos ( Tolypeutes ), which also includes the southern spherical armadillo ( Tolypeutes matacus ). The common feature of the genus is the ability to completely curl up into a ball in case of danger. Both species are referred to the group of armadillos (Dasypoda) and to the family of Chlamyphoridae . Within the family, the genus Tolypeutes forms its own subfamily ( Tolypeutinae ), which also includes the giant armadillo ( Priodontes ) and the bare- tailed armadillo ( Cabassous ). The subfamily is a sister taxon to the Chlamyphorinae , which include the two species of girdle . In a somewhat more distant family relationship, the find Euphractinae with the bristle armadillos ( Chaetophractus ) and the six-banded armadillo ( Euphractus ). According to molecular genetic studies, the separation of the Chlamyphorinae and the Tolypeutinae took place in the Oligocene 33 million years ago, from the early Miocene onwards the Tolypeutinae began to differentiate more strongly. The genus Tolypeutes can be detected for the first time in the Old Pleistocene and occurs here with the species Tolypeutes pampaeus .

Rediscovery

Historical drawing of a northern spherical armadillo from 1902

The species was first described in 1758 by Linnaeus as Dasypus tricinctus . Due to heavy hunting, the northern spherical armadillo was brought to the brink of extinction in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1980s, the species was known to science only through six museum exhibits with an exact description of its origin. The last evidence of living specimens was in 1958 in the Alto Jaguaribe region in the state of Ceará and around Barreiras in Bahia . A scientific survey in Bahia from 1964 to 1968 concluded that the species was extremely rare due to overhunting. Since then, the northern spherical armadillo has been considered lost or extinct. The first indications that individual populations may have survived include two burned back armor that members of the WWF and the Brazilian Fundacão Biodiversitas found in locals in the Caatinga region in 1988 Canudos market bought. There the scientists were able to locate five live animals (two females and three males) and bring them to the University of Minas Gerais . The males, however, had various injuries and died quickly, but one of the females gave birth to a young there. An immediately started search in the area around Canudos, where the animals are said to have been caught two days before the confiscation, initially did not provide any evidence. In the same year, several free-living individuals were observed for the first time during an ornithological study in Bahia on the Fazenda Formoso , two years later further sightings took place during the same study on the Fazenda Boa Vista , both sites are in the Caatinga region. There were further indications from the state of Maranhão in 1990/91 , but no living animal was discovered during an expedition. In the period from 1992 to 1993, scientists also observed animals in the wild on the 100 km² Fazenda Jatobá , and from 1995 to 1996 on the 70 km² Rio Pratudão Fazenda . Both localities are private forest properties in the Cerrado landscape on the border between the states of Bahia and Goiás . During this time, 40 animals were caught, tagged and released. Overall, additional clear evidence of the northern spherical armadillo came from around half a dozen localities from the year 2000, all of which are in the central and southwestern parts of the distribution area.

Threat and protection

The northern puffer armadillo is classified by the IUCN as vulnerable (“endangered”) due to its now highly fragmented distribution area and the small population size, but no information is available on the size of the total population. The armadillo is still heavily hunted today, and the habitat is endangered by the expansion of sugar cane and soybean plantations . Protected areas are in the Serra da Capivara and Serra das Confusões national parks in the state of Piauí . In the areas with the densest population, however, no protected areas are designated.

literature

  • Mariella Superina and Agustín Manuel Abba: Chlamyphoridae (Chlamyphorid armadillos). 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. 48-71 (p. 71) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kent H. Redford: The Edentates of Cerrado. Edentata 1, 1994, pp. 4-10
  2. ↑ a b c d e Ilmar B. Santos, Gustavo AB da Fonseca, Sôia E. Rigueira and Ricardo B. Machado: The rediscovery of Brazilian Three-banded armadillo and notes on its conservation status. Edentata 1, 1994, pp. 11-15
  3. ↑ a b c d e Mariella Superina and Agustín Manuel Abba: Chlamyphoridae (Chlamyphorid armadillos). 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. 48-71 (p. 71) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
  4. ↑ Teresa Cristina S. Anacleto, Jose´ Alexandre, F. Diniz-Filho and Marcos Vinı´cius C. Vital: Estimating potential geographic ranges of armadillos (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) in Brazil under niche-based models. Mammalia 70 (3/4), 2006, pp. 202-213
  5. ^ Tadeu Gomes de Oliveira, Rafael Gomes GerudeI, José de Sousa and Silva Júnior: Unexpected mammalian records in the state of Maranhão. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Ciências Naturais 2 (2), 2007, pp. 23–32
  6. ↑ a b c d M. Superina and AM Abba: Tolypeutes tricinctus. In: IUCN 2012: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. ( [1] ), last accessed on October 6, 2016
  7. ↑ M. Superina and AM Abba: Tolypeutes tricinctus. Edentata 11 (2), 2010, p. 176
  8. ↑ a b Anderson Feijó, Guilherme ST Garbino, Bruno ATP Campos, Patrício A. Rocha, Stephen F. Ferrari and Alfredo Langguth: Distribution of Tolypeutes Illiger, 1811 (Xenarthra: Cingulata) with Comments on Its Biogeography and Conservation. Zoological Science 32: 2015, pp. 77-87
  9. ↑ Nina Attias, Flávia R. Miranda, Liana MM Sena, Walfrido M. Tomas and Guilherme M. Mourão: Yes, they can! Three-banded armadillos Tolypeutes sp. (Cingulata: Dasypodidae) dig their own burrows. Zoologia 33 (4), 2016, p. E20160035 doi: 10.1590 / S1984-4689zool-20160035
  10. ↑ Onildo João Marini Filho and Marques Marilia Guimarães: Comportamento sex de Tatu-Bola (Tolypeutes tricinctus, Dasypodidae). Edentata 11 (1), 2010, pp. 76-77
  11. ↑ Thiago Fernandes Martins, Flávia Regina Miranda, Alexandre Martins Costa Lopes, Samuel Portela and Marcelo Bahia Labruna: Ticks parasitizing free-ranging armadillos in the caatinga biome, Brazil. Edentata, 2020
  12. ↑ a b Gillian C. Gibb, Fabien L. Condamine, Melanie Kuch, Jacob Enk, Nadia Moraes-Barros, Mariella Superina, Hendrik N. Poinar and Frédéric Delsuc: Shotgun Mitogenomics Provides a Reference Phylogenetic Framework and Timescale for Living Xenarthrans. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33 (3), 2015, pp. 621-642
  13. ↑ Maren Möller-Krull, Frédéric Delsuc, Gennady Churakov, Claudia Marker, Mariella Superina, Jürgen Brosius, Emmanuel JP Douzery and Jürgen Schmitz: Retroposed Elements and Their Flanking Regions Resolve the Evolutionary History of Xenarthran Mammals (Armadillos, Anteaters and Sloths). Molecular Biology and Evolution 24, 2007, pp. 2573-2582
  14. ↑ Frederic Delsuc, Mariella Superina, Marie-Ka Tilak, Emmanuel JP Douzery and Alexandre Hassanin: Molecular phylogenetics unveils the ancient evolutionary origins of the enigmatic fairy armadillos. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62, 2012, 673-680
  15. ^ Paulina E. Nabel, Alberto Cione and Eduardo P. Tonni: Environmental changes in the Pampean area of ​​Argentina at the Matuyama – Brunhes (C1r – C1n) Chrons boundary. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 162, 2000, pp. 403-412
  16. ↑ JM Cardoso da Silva and DC Oren: Observations on the habitat and distribution of the Brazilian three-banded armadillo Tolypeutes tricinctus, a threatened Caatinga endemic. Mammalia 57 (1), 1993, pp. 149-151
  17. ^ Tadeus Gomes de Oliveira: The Brazilian three-banded armadillo Tolypeuters trcinctus in Maranhão. Edentata 2, 1995, pp. 18-19
  18. ↑ Jader Marinho-Filho, Marilía Marques Guimarães, Marcelo Lima Reis, Flávio H. Guimarães Rodrigues, Osvaldo Torres and Guilherme de Almerida: The discovery of the Brazilian three-banded armadillo in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. Edentata 3, 1997, pp. 11-13
  19. ↑ M. Superina and AM Abba: Tolypeutes tricinctus. Edentata 11 (2), 2010, pp. 176-177

Web links

Commons : Tolypeutes tricinctus  - collection of images, videos and audio files