Abstract
Anteaters belong to the Order Xenarthra / Family Myrmecophagidae and are the only members without teeth. There are three genera with four living species in the family Myrmecophagidae: Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater), Tamandua tetradactyla (southern lesser anteater), Tamandua mexicana (northern lesser anteater), and Cyclopes didactylus (silky anteater). The karyotypes of M. tridactyla (2n = 60), T. tetradactyla (2n = 54) and C. didactylus (2n = 64) have already been described. In the present paper, three female and two male specimens of giant anteater and one lesser anteater male were analyzed. The results indicate the existence of a new karyotype in the genus Tamandua, with 2n = 56 chromosomes, which can represent a new lesser anteater species. The karyotype of M. tridactyla was also described, supporting previous reports.
Highlights
The Order Xenarthra comprises three living groups: anteaters, armadillos and tree sloths. These animals are found from the south-central and southeastern United States to southern South America (Nowak, 1999; Wetzel, 1985). This order is composed of thirty living species, divided into four families: Dasypodidae, Myrmecophagidae, Bradypodidae, and Megalonychidae (Wetzel, 1985)
Distinct karyotypic patterns are established in this paper for the family Myrmecophagidae: Tamandua tetradactyla, with 2n = 54 chromosomes (Hsu, 1965; Hsu and Benirschke, 1969; Jorge et al, 1977), has the smallest number of chromosomes in the family Myrmecophagidae
Until 1975, the species T. tetradactyla was separated into two species: T. tetradactyla (Linné, 1758, in Wetzel, 1975) and T. longicaudata (Wagner, 1844, in Wetzel, 1975)
Summary
The Order Xenarthra comprises three living groups: anteaters, armadillos and tree sloths. These animals are found from the south-central and southeastern United States to southern South America (Nowak, 1999; Wetzel, 1985). This order is composed of thirty living species, divided into four families: Dasypodidae (armadillos), Myrmecophagidae (anteaters), Bradypodidae (three-toed sloths), and Megalonychidae (two-toed sloths) (Wetzel, 1985). The species Priodontes maximus (giant armadillo), Tolypeutes tricinctus (Brazilian three-banded armadillo), Bradypus torquatus (collared sloth) and Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater) are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). A viscous and adherent mucus is produced in the elongated sticky tongue, which helps to capture ants and termites (Naples, 1999)
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