The silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) has previously been recognized to be a single species divided into several sub-species. But a new genetic analysis, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, suggests that this enigmatic mammal is not one species, but seven separate ones.
The silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus). Image credit: Quinten Questel / CC BY-SA 3.0.
Silky anteaters belong to the genus Cyclopes in the family Cyclopedidae.
They are the smallest extant anteaters, with a body length of about 14 inches (35 cm), a tail length of 8 inches (20 cm) and a weight of about 300 g.
These creatures inhabit the tropical forests of South and Central America towards southern Mexico.
They have exclusively arboreal and nocturnal habits, resting in a curled ball during the day in the shade of vines or the tree canopy. They probably feed predominantly on ants, as no termites have so far been identified as food items.
Adult silky anteaters are solitary; the home range of a male overlaps the home range of three females. The females give birth to a single young once per year, usually in September/October.
The new study combines genetic and anatomical data to review the classification of silky anteaters.
Lead author Dr. Flávia Miranda, a researcher with the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, and co-authors analyzed 33 samples of DNA and examined more than 280 specimens of this rare mammal in museums worldwide.
“We examined a total of 287 specimens of Cyclopes, including skins and skulls, housed in 20 natural history collections and 33 samples for molecular analyses,” they said.
“Based on evidence provided by molecular phylogenetics using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, allied with coalescent species delimitation analyses, diagnostic characters of the skull, color patterns and structures of pelage, we suggest that the genus Cyclopes comprises at least seven species.”
Besides the common silky anteater, the team revalidated three species from previous studies:
(i) Ida’s silky anteater (Cyclopes ida), from the north of the Amazon River and left margin of the Negro River;
(ii) Central American silky anteater (Cyclopes dorsalis), from Central America and Pacific coast of northern South America;
(iii) Yungus silky anteater (Cyclopes catellus), from the Yungas of Bolivia.
Additionally, three other species were described as new:
(iv) Thomas’ silky anteater (Cyclopes thomasi);
(v) Xingu silky anteater (Cyclopes xinguensis), from the Xingu River in Brazil;
(vi) red silky anteater (Cyclopes rufus), from Rondonia, also in Brazil.
“We spent many months during 19 expeditions along South America over 10 years, searching for the little anteater,” Dr. Miranda said.
“Intensive museum and laboratory efforts were also fundamental for the discovery.”
“Although silky anteaters in general are still widespread in the Amazon region, many of the new species may be under heavy pressure from deforestation, mining, and agriculture, among other threats,” Dr. Miranda said.
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Flávia R. Miranda et al. Taxonomic review of the genus Cyclopes Gray, 1821 (Xenarthra: Pilosa), with the revalidation and description of new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, published online December 11, 2017; doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx079
