Chaetophractus nationi

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:

Chaetophractus nationi

Species Authority

Fitzinger, 1871

Infra-specific Authority:

(Thomas, 1894)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Andean Hairy Armadillo, Bolivian Hairy Armadillo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable A2d ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Abba, A., Gomez, H. & 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 Vulnerable as this species is suspected to have experienced a decline exceeding 30% over the last 10 years, largely due to high rates of exploitation.

History:

2006	–	Vulnerable (IUCN 2006)
1996	–	Vulnerable (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is found in the puna habitat of Bolivia and the altiplano of Chile. In Bolivia it has been recorded from the departments of Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosí and La Paz (Gardner 2005). It has not been recorded from Argentina or Peru. Its distribution is poorly known, as it is often confused with Chaetophractus vellerosus. It is found up to 3,500 m asl.
Countries:	Native: Bolivia; Chile

Population [top]

Population:	Peredo (1999) estimated a total population of 13,000 individuals.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species inhabits high altitude grasslands, where it lives in burrows and is a powerful digger. There is little other ecological information available.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is intensively harvested commercially for its meat and carapace, including for charangos (musical instrument) and also handicrafts. Cáceres (1995) estimated 2000 individuals harvested each year. It is being harvested to such a degree that hunters are now taking C. villosus to compensate for shortfalls in this species. It also suffers habitat loss from sand excavation for concrete production (Peredo 1999).

Major Threat(s):

This species is intensively harvested commercially for its meat and carapace, including for charangos (musical instrument) and also handicrafts. Cáceres (1995) estimated 2000 individuals harvested each year. It is being harvested to such a degree that hunters are now taking C. villosus to compensate for shortfalls in this species. It also suffers habitat loss from sand excavation for concrete production (Peredo 1999).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is listed on Appendix II of CITES. It is found in one protected area in Bolivia (Sajama National Park); it does not occur in any protected areas in Argentina. Further systematic studies for this species are needed, most specifically, to determine if it is a distinct species, or a high-altitude subspecies of Chaetophractus vellerosus.

Conservation Actions:

This species is listed on Appendix II of CITES. It is found in one protected area in Bolivia (Sajama National Park); it does not occur in any protected areas in Argentina. Further systematic studies for this species are needed, most specifically, to determine if it is a distinct species, or a high-altitude subspecies of Chaetophractus vellerosus.

Citation:	IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 11 October 2008.
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