Abstract
Previous studies have suggested species- and individual-specific morphologies of cephalic shields of three-banded armadillos (Tolypeutes spp.). Central cephalic scutes would form discrete lines; the first two posterior lines being composed of one scute (1-1) in Tolypeutes matacus and one followed by two scutes (1-2) in Tolypeutes tricinctus. However, conclusions were limited to a few specimens and the T. tricinctus pattern was later observed in T. matacus. Here, we assessed the potential use of the morphology of the cephalic shield as a species diagnostic trait and individual natural mark in three-banded armadillos by quantifying their patterns in museum (n = 71) and field (n = 82) specimens. In total, 93% of T. matacus and 88% of T. tricinctus specimens presented the respective species’ character states. All specimens could be individualized based on a visual comparison of their cephalic shields. Our findings show that the morphology of cephalic shields is a species diagnostic trait and an individual natural mark in three-banded armadillos. Therefore, we add an accessible character for species diagnosis in Tolypeutes and provide an alternative to artificial marks that presents virtually no associated cost and damage to animal welfare and can be reliably applied in ecological and participatory science projects.
Funding source: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Award Identifier / Grant number: #1575316, 88882.184251/2018-01, 88887.199565/2018-00
Funding source: American Museum of Natural History
Funding source: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Award Identifier / Grant number: 141189/2007-0, 201129/2015-9, 301289/2019-0
Funding source: Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC)/Phoenix Zoo Conservation & Science Grant Program
Funding source: Neotropical Grassland Conservancy
Funding source: Idea Wild
Funding source: Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2018PB0040, 2021PB0021
Funding source: Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul
Award Identifier / Grant number: 006/2015, 23/200.715/2013
Funding source: Rufford Foundation
Funding source: Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2019QZKK0402, 2019QZKK0501
Acknowledgments
Adriana Bocchiglieri acknowledges Jatobá Ranch and M. J. Silva (Zoology Department/UnB) for logistical support and fieldwork collaborators. Nina Attias thanks the Rufford Foundation, Embrapa Pantanal, and Fundect (Project Pronex – 006/2015) for financial support; Idea Wild and Neotropical Grassland Conservancy for equipment donation; and Capes (number 1575316) and Fundect (process 23/200.715/2013) for the scholarships awarded. We acknowledge the Teak Resources Co. for granting access to Duas Lagoas ranch and providing logistics support during fieldwork, A. Canena and S. Pimentel for field assistance, and G. Soresini for performing veterinary procedures in T. matacus. Rodolfo A. Magalhães acknowledges the companies Statkraft and Azurit for providing logistical support during fieldwork in the Sumidouro community and the field assistants Cosme, Lourisvaldo, and Olavo for their help with field activities. We are grateful to the following curators and collection managers for the permission to examine specimens in their respective collections: Mario de Vivo and Juliana Gualda-Barros (MZUSP); João Alves de Oliveira and Sérgio Maia Vaz (MN); José de Sousa e Silva Jr. (MPEG); Jader Marinho-Filho (UNB); Robert Voss and Eileen Westwig (AMNH); David Flores and Sergio Lucero (MACN); Monica Díaz and Rubén Barquez (CML); Isabel Gamarra de Fox (MNHNP).
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Author contributions: Conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, resources, validation, writing – review & editing: Adriana Bocchiglieri, Anderson Feijó, Flávio H. G. Rodrigues, Liana M. M. de Sena, Nina Attias, Rodolfo A. Magalhães. Data curation, investigation: Adriana Bocchiglieri, Anderson Feijó, Liana M. M. de Sena, Nina Attias, Rodolfo A. Magalhães. Formal analysis, software, visualization: Anderson Feijó, Rodolfo A. Magalhães. Project administration: Rodolfo A. Magalhães, Flávio H. G. Rodrigues. Supervision: Flávio H. G. Rodrigues. Writing – original draft: Rodolfo A. Magalhães.
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Research funding: This work was supported by the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC)/Phoenix Zoo Conservation & Science Grant Program; Rufford Foundation; Idea Wild; Neotropical Grassland Conservancy; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (grant nos.: 88887.199565/2018-00; 88882.184251/2018-01; #1575316); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (grant nos.: 141189/2007-0; 201129/2015-9; 301289/2019-0); Fundect (grant no.: 006/2015); the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (grant nos.: 2019QZKK0402 and 2019QZKK0501); the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (grant nos.: 2018PB0040/2021PB0021); AMNH Grants Program (Collection Study); Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (Fundect) (grant no.: 23/200.715/2013).
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Research ethics: All Tolypeutes captures and handling were authorized by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (licenses #14376-1, #39872-3, and #53500-4) and approved either by the ethics committees of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (process 570/2013) or the Federal University of Minas Gerais (process 35/2019).
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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Supplementary Material
The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2022-0022).
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