Cyclopes didactylus

– Least Concern

Taxonomy

Kingdom:

ANIMALIA

Phylum:

CHORDATA

Class:

MAMMALIA

Order:

PILOSA

Family:

CYCLOPEDIDAE

Scientific Name:

Cyclopes didactylus

Species Authority:

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name/s:

English

—

PYGMY ANTEATER, SILKY ANTEATER

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:

LC ver 3.1 (2001)

Year Assessed:

2006

Assessor/s:

Chiarello, A., Miranda, F., Samudio, R. & members of the Edentate Specialist Group

Evaluator/s:

Sechrest, W. (Global Mammal Assessment) & da Fonseca, G.A.B. & members of the Edentate Specialist Group

Justification:

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, its occurrence in a number of protected areas, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

History:

1996

Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range

Range Description:

This species ranges from México (Veracruz and Oaxaca) in the north (although absent from the Pacific coast of México), south into Colombia from where it ranges west of the Andes to southern Ecuador, and east of the Andes into Venezuela, Trinidad Island, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil (Acre State east to Alagoas State), and as far south as Bolivia (La Paz and Santa Cruz) (Gardner 2005). There is a disjunct population has been reported from the northern Atlantic Forest (Parabumca), however there have been no recent observations in Alagoas or adjacent States. The species has not been recorded from El Salvador and it is unclear if the species was ever present, especially as it does not occur in the Pacific coastal region of Mexico. It has been recorded from sea level up to 1,500 m.

Countries:

Native:

Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Peru; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; Venezuela

Population

Population:	It has been recorded at densities of 0.77 animals per hectare in Panama.
Population Trend:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:

This nocturnal and arboreal species occurs in semi-deciduous and evergreen tropical moist lowland and gallery forest, mangrove forest (Reid 1997), and cerrado (dry savanna habitat). It can be found in secondary forest habitat (Reid 1997). Adults are solitary. The females give birth to a single young up to twice annually (Reid 1997).

System:

Terrestrial

List of Habitats:

1.6	Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland
1.9	Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
2.2	Savanna - Moist

Threats

Threats:

There are no major threats. Although general deforestation is taking place over many parts of the range, it remains widespread in the Amazon basin and there are no major threats to its survival.

List of Threats:

0	No threats (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions:

The seemingly disjunct population in northeastern Brazil may be taxonomically distinct and needs further study (F. Miranda, pers. comm). This population is especially threatened by the almost total destruction of suitable forest habitat for sugarcane production.

List of Conservation Actions:

3.1	Research actions - Taxonomy (needed)
3.2	Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed)
3.3	Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed)
4.1	Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (needed)
4.4.2	Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Anderson, S. 1997. Mammals of Bolivia: Taxonomy and distribution. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. No. 231. New York.

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Eisenberg, J.F. 1989. Mammals of the Neotropics the Northern Neotropics, Volume 1. Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana. The University of Chicago Press. Chicago and London.

Eisenberg, J.F. and Redford, K.H. 1999. Mammals of the Neotropics. The Central Neotropics, Volume 3: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Emmons, L.H. and Feer, F. 1998. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, Second Edition. A Field Guide. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Engstrom, M., and Lim, B. 2000. Checklist of the mammals of Guyana. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.

Gardner, A.L. 1993. Order Xenarthra. In: D.E. Wilson & D.M. Reeder (eds) Mammal Species of the World: A taxonomic and geographic reference. Second Edition. pp: 63–68. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.

Gardner, A.L. 2005. Order Pilosa. In: D.E. Wilson & D.M. Reeder (eds) Mammal Species of the World: A taxonomic and geographic reference. Third Edition. pp: 100–103. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Hall, E.R. 1981. The Mammals of North America, Second Edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.

Lord, R.D. 2000. Mammals of Venezuela Armitano Editores, C.A., Caracas, Venezuela.

Pacheco, V., de Macedo, H., Vivar, E., Ascorra, C.F., Arana-Cardó, R. and Solari, S. 1995. Lista anotada de los mamíferos peruanos. Occasional Papers in Conservation Biology 2:1-35.

Reid, F.A. 1997. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. Oxford University Press, New York.

Tirira, D. 1999. Mamíferos del Ecuador. Publicación especial Nº 2, Museo de Zoología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.

Wetzel, R.M. 1982. Systematics, distribution, ecology, and conservation of South American edentates. In: M.A. Mares & H.H. Genoways (eds) Mammalian Biology in South America pp: 345–375. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.

Citation:	Chiarello, A., Miranda, F., Samudio, R. & members of the Edentate Specialist Group 2006. Cyclopes didactylus. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 30 August 2008.
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