of Cricket Armadillo (Dasypus novemucinctus) There are actually four different species, including a previously undescribed endemic species. Guiana ShieldAccording to a new study.
Guiana Navajo Armadillo (Dasypus guianensisImage courtesy of Quentin Martinez, https://quentinmartinez.fr.
Armadillos are New World placental mammals. CingulataAlong with anteaters and sloths, they form part of a superclade that dates back 100 million years ago. Xenomorphs.
The cricket armadillo The most widely distributed xenarthropod species Across the Americas.
Recent studies suggest that it consists of four distinct lineages whose taxonomic status is unclear.
“It has been widely believed that the cricket armadillo ranges from northern Argentina to southern Illinois, but in recent years some scientists have presented evidence that it is in fact a complex of several different species,” said Dr. Frédéric Delschuk, research director at the CNRS.
“By studying the DNA of armadillos across their range, we were able to perform a very detailed genomic analysis and become convinced that there are in fact four different species of armadillos.”
“Under the new classification, armadillos found in the United States should be called Mexican long-legged armadillos,” added Dr Anderson Feijo, a researcher at the Field Museum.
“In addition, a new species of Guiana Navajo armadillo (Dasypus guianensis) is the first armadillo described in the past 30 years.
In this study, the researchers analyzed the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Dasypus Armadillos were sampled throughout their range.
A combination of genetic data and physical characteristics led them to conclude that cricket armadillos are actually four genetically distinct species.
Thus, some subspecies within this species have come to be recognized as species in their own right.
The armadillo found in Mexico and the United States was formerly a subspecies of Mexican wolfnow just Mexican wolf: Mexican long-legged armadillo.
Subspecies Window StratusThe species that inhabits the central part of its range is now a distinct species, and its original name was Novemucinctas Currently limited to South America.
Meanwhile, the data showed that another branch of the armadillo phylogenetic tree did not belong to any of these three existing groups.
The area of ​​northeastern South America known as the Guiana Shield is home to the newest armadillo species. Dasypus guianensis.
The new armadillo is slightly larger than the other three species, has a hairless shell, a robust domed skull and additional bones in its spine.
Overall, however, to the untrained eye, these four species appear very similar.
“It's nearly impossible to tell in the field,” Dr Delsac said.
a paper The findings were published in the journal. Systematic biology.
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Mathilde Barthes othersExon capture museomics deciphers a cricket armadillo species complex and identifies a new species endemic to the Guiana Shield. Systematic biologyPublished online June 22, 2024, doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syae027
Source: www.sci.news
