Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862

Feijó, Anderson & Cordeiro-Estrela, Pedro, 2016, Taxonomic revision of the Dasypus kappleri complex, with revalidations of Dasypus pastasae (Thomas, 1901) and Dasypus beniensis Lönnberg, 1942 (Cingulata, Dasypodidae), Zootaxa 4170 (2), pp. 271-297 : 280-281

Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862

Das[ypus]. Peba : Burmeister, 1848: 199. Not Dasypus peba Desmarest, 1822 (= Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 ) Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862:20 (original description)

Dasypus pentadactylus Peters, 1864:179

Lectotype. Krauss (1862) listed four specimens of Dasypus kappleri (one adult male, one adult female, and two juvenile skulls ). Wetzel & Mondolfi (1979) selected the adult female specimen SMN 285 (Stuttgart Museum) as the lectotype of Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862 ( Figure 6 and 7 ).

Type locality. “Aus den Urwäldern des Marowiniflusses in Surinam.” Husson (1978) suggested that Krauss (1862) described this species probably from “the neighborhood of Albina, near the mouth of Marowijne river, Surinam.”

Etymology. Krauss named this species to honor August Kappler, a German naturalist who dedicated part of his life to studying the fauna of Suriname and also collected part of the type series of Dasypus kappleri .

Diagnosis. Dasypus kappleri can be recognized externally by its unique pattern of smooth, flattened, and uniform scales on the pelvic shield, with the central and peripheral scales at the same level, as well as by keeled scales on the proximal tail rings. Cranially, D. kappleri has a prominent lateral palatine crest raised above the bony surface, and its posterior terminus is conspicuously swollen; the posterior border of the palatine is straight and exhibits a rectangular and prominent tentorial process of the parietals.

Distribution. Dasypus kappleri occurs in French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and eastern Venezuela; in Brazil, it is found east of the Rio Negro-Rio Branco and north of the lower Amazon River ( Figure 8 ). This entire region is known as the Guiana shield or Guiana subregion of Amazonia .

Measurements. Dasypus kappleri is intermediate in skull size compared to D. pastasae and D. beniensis , except for the APL, ML, PIB, AML and HM, in which it is slightly larger than the other species (see Table 4 ).

Remarks. Two pregnant females, each with two fetuses, were collected in 18 and 19 January of 1969 from the Rio Grande , Bolivar, Venezuela ( EBRG 1415 and 1416).

Specimens examined (locality numbers as in Figure 8 ). BRAZIL: 3 ( MN 20581 ), 4 ( MPEG 7128 ), 5 ( MZUSP 19967 ), 6 ( MZUSP 24798 ), 7 ( MPEG 7127 ), 10 ( MPEG 8907 ), 12 ( MPEG 12591 ), 13 ( INPA 303 ), 14 ( MN 26917, MN 26931, MPEG 22130 , MPEG 22131 ). FRENCH GUIANA: 28 ( AMNH 267011 ). GUYANA: 29 ( AMNH 48132 ), 30 ( AMNH 48131 , AMNH 48222 , AMNH 64118 , AMNH 64119 ). VENEZUELA: 39 ( EBRG 3180 ), 40 ( EBRG 1417 ), 41 ( EBRG 1691 ), 45 ( EBRG 17555 ), 46 ( EBRG 1415 , EBRG 1416 , EBRG 1490 , EBRG 1491 , EBRG 231 , EBRG 570 , EBRG 582 , EBRG 604 ); and photographs of the lectotype ( SMN 285).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Lectotype of Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862 (adult female—SMN 285). Photo: Stefan Merker.

FIGURE 7. Dorsal, ventral and lateral view of the skull and lateral view of mandible of the lectotype of Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862 (SMN 285).

FIGURE 8. Distribution of Dasypus kappleri Krauss, 1862. Yellow circle marks the type locality. Gray shading represents the moist broadleaf forest (Amazon biome) from north of South America. Dotted lines are the main rivers.