Tolypeutes matacus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CINGULATA	DASYPODIDAE

Scientific Name:

Tolypeutes matacus

Species Authority

Illiger, 1811

Infra-specific Authority:

(Desmarest, 1804)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Southern Three-banded Armadillo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Abba, A., Cuellar, E., Meritt, D., Porini, G., Superina, M. & Members of the IUCN SSC Edentate Specialist Group

Evaluator/s:

da Fonseca, G.A.B. (Edentate Red List Authority) & Berridge, R. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Listed as Near Threatened because this species is probably in significant decline (albeit at a rate of less than 30% over ten years) because of widespread habitat loss through much of its range, and because of exploitation for food, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable under criterion A2cd.

History:

2006	–	Near Threatened (IUCN 2006)
1996	–	Lower Risk/near threatened (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	It is found from eastern Bolivia and south-western Brazil, south through the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, to Argentina (Buenos Aires province). Two records from the 1800s on the coast of Argentina are based on a naturalist's report and may be doubtful. The species has been extirpated from southern parts of its range. It ranges from sea level up to 770 m asl (Argentina).
Countries:	Native: Argentina; Bolivia; Brazil; Paraguay

Population [top]

Population:	It is abundant in most xeric parts of the Paraguayan Chaco (Redford and Eisenberg 1992). It was recorded at densities of 1.9/km² in the Chaco (Cuellar 2002).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found in areas of dry vegetation within the Chaco. It has a slow reproductive rate; the females give birth to an average of 1.5 young annually.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is threatened by hunting for food; as it is not fossorial, it is easier to hunt than other armadillo species. It is also threatened by habitat destruction through conversion of suitable habitat to cultivated land; however, it is able to adapt to low levels of agricultural disturbance. This species is exported, and there is a high mortality of individuals during this export process.

Major Threat(s):

This species is threatened by hunting for food; as it is not fossorial, it is easier to hunt than other armadillo species. It is also threatened by habitat destruction through conversion of suitable habitat to cultivated land; however, it is able to adapt to low levels of agricultural disturbance. This species is exported, and there is a high mortality of individuals during this export process.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species has been recorded from a number of protected areas. There is a captive population in North America.

Conservation Actions:

This species has been recorded from a number of protected areas. There is a captive population in North America.

Citation:	IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 12 October 2008.
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