New records from the western distribution for Cabassous tatouay (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae) and the first occurrence record for the Pantanal wetland biome

Abstract

The greater naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous tatouay) is the largest armadillo in the Cabassous genus. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by its large body size and large ears with granular edges that extend above the top of the head. The presence of C. tatouay in some regions of Brazil and in some Brazilian biomes, such as the Pantanal wetland, was not previously confirmed. This paper presents 12 new records of C. tatouay obtained by camera traps (n = 7), direct observations (n = 1), and roadkills (n = 4) in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil. However, two camera trap records were only 14 minutes apart and could potentially represent the same individual. Photographic records are compared with C. squamicaudis to highlight important characteristics that differentiate the species. Finally, these records of C. tatouay extend its range to western Brazil and for the first time into the Pantanal wetland near the transition to the Cerrado savanna.

New species of Delicata (Molineidae: Anoplostrongylinae) parasite of Cabassous tatouay (Desmarest, 1804) from the Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…It is the largest species of the genus, measuring approximately 48 cm (head-body length) and weighing approximately 4.8 kg (5,6). In Brazil, it occurs in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pampas, and Pantanal near the transition to the Cerrado savanna (4,7). They are solitary and insectivorous (8, 9), feeding on terrestrial ants and termites (10,11).…”