Six New Tiny Anteater Species FoundHiding in Plain Sight

[Judi Lynn]

Tree-dwelling and nocturnal, silky anteaters of Central and South America have often eluded scientists—until now.



By Jason G. Goldman
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 11, 2017

The first clue was the fur.

While studying silky anteaters in Brazil, biologist Flávia Miranda "began to see differences between the colors of the population of the Amazon and the Atlantic forest," she recalls.

There was just one recognized species—Cyclopes didactylus—but she wondered if these little-known tree-dwellers might qualify as two separate species.

Miranda, of Brazil's Federal University of Minas Gerais, and colleagues went on 10 expeditions in Brazil and Suriname in search of silky anteaters over a decade, as well as scoured natural history museums for additional biological samples. (Read how new Amazon species are discovered every other day.)

More:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/anteaters-animals-brazil-new-species/

Science:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/122854859

[Judi Lynn]

1. Brazilian researchers uncover six new species of silky anteater

December 11, 2017

In a recent study published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, a team of Brazilian researchers discovered six new species of silky anteater, a mammal that lives in tropical rain forests of the Amazon region and Central America.

The new study combines genetic and anatomical data to review the classification of silky anteaters. Led by former Dr. Flávia Miranda, the team of researchers analyzed 33 samples of DNA and examined more than 280 specimens of this rare mammal in museums worldwide. The researchers discovered that what was formerly considered a single species Cyclopes didactylus is actually much more diverse genetically than previously thought. Cyclopes didactylus is in fact comprised of at least seven different species.

Besides Cyclopes didactylus, the common silky anteater, from the northern South America and northeastern Brazil, researchers revalidated three species from previous studies: Ida's silky anteater (Cyclopes ida), from the north of the Amazon River and left margin of the Negro River; Central American silky anteater (Cyclopes dorsalis), from Central America and Pacific coast of northern South America; and the Yungus silky anteater (Cyclopes catellus), from the Yungas of Bolivia.

Additionally, three other species were described as new, including Thomas' silky anteater (Cyclopes thomasi), in honor of Oldfield Thomas, a British naturalist who contributed to the knowledge about silky anteaters in the past. The two other new species are the Xingu silky anteater (Cyclopes xinguensis), from the Xingu River in Brazil, and the red silky anteater (Cyclopes rufus), from Rondonia, also in Brazil, and with a fiery red coloration.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-12-brazilian-uncover-species-silky-anteater.html#jCp