Tolypeutes tricinctus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chlamyphoridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 48-71 : 71

12.

Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo

Tolypeutes tricinctus

French: Tatou du Brésil / German: Nordliches Kugelgurteltier / Spanish: Tatu bola

Taxonomy. Dasypus tricinctus Linnaeus, 1758 ,

“in India orientali.” Corrected by C. C. Sanborn in 1930 to Pernambuco, Brazil. This species is monotypic.

Distribution. NE Brazil (from Maranhao E to Rio Grande do Norte and S to extreme NE Goias and extreme NW Minas Gerais states).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 230-250 mm, tail 50-70 mm, ear ¢.23 mm,

hindfoot c¢.45 mm; weight 1.1-8 kg. Carapace of the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is rigid, dome-shaped, generally sandy yellow to brown, and not completely attached to body, with 2-4 movable transverse bands. It can roll itself into a ball when it feels threatened. Ears are large and somewhat flattened with roughened edge;tail is short and triangular. Forefeet have five toes. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo walks on soles of hindfeet, and only tips of front claws are in contact with the ground.

Habitat. Mainly endemic to semi-arid arboreal and scrub caatinga, with a few records from bush savanna of cerrado.

Food and Feeding. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is insectivorous, eating mainly ants, termites, beetles, and other insects but also some plant material.

Breeding. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo produces one, rarely two, young per litter. Gestation length is not known, but it is expected to be c.114 days as in the Southern Three-banded Armadillo (7. matacus ).

Activity patterns. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is mainly nocturnal. Two activity peaks have been observed: 14:00-18:00 h and 20:00-23:00 h. It is not as fossorial as other armadillo species. It primarily uses small burrows, either dug byitself or other species, or it rests in straw nests and shallow depressions covered with leaflitter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is mainly solitary. Several males can pursue a single female during the breeding season. It has a unique defense mechanism: when threatened, it can curl up into a compact ball that is so tight that it cannot be opened by predators. Unlike other chlamyphorids, the carapace of the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is only partially attached to the body, which allowsit to tuck away its legs when rolling up. Short, triangular tail and head shield lie side by side and completely cover the opening when an individual is curled up. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is rare and has a patchy distribution; density can be relatively high in some restricted areas, except near human-populated places. Mean home range size is 122 ha and is significantly larger in adult males than in females. Home ranges of males and females, as well as of adult males of varying age, can overlap. Density of 1-2 ind/km?* has been estimated in cerrado habitat; it is expected to be considerably lower in areas with hunting pressure.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1988 in a few scattered localities. Population size has been significantly reduced over the past decades, and local extinctions have occurred. It is threatened by intense hunting for food and reduction and modification of suitable habitat. It is now mainly restricted to protected areas and places with undisturbed habitat and low human densities. In the latter,it occurs at low densities and is especially threatened by conversion of its natural habitat to sugar cane and soybean plantations. A conservation action plan for the Brazilian Threebanded Armadillo and the Southern Three-banded Armadillo is in place in Brazil.

Bibliography. Attias et al. (2016), Bocchiglieri (2010), Guimaraes (1997), ICMBio (2015), Marinho-Filho, Guimaraes et al. (1997), Marinho-Filho, Rodrigues & Juarez (2002), Pocock (1924), Sanborn (1930), Santos etal. (1994), Tabarelli & Silva (2002), Vaz et al. (2012), Wetzel (1985b), Wetzel et al. (2008).

Figures

1. Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus), 2. Screaming Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus), 3. Large Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus), 4. Pichi (Zaedyus pichuy), 5. Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), 6. Greater Fairy Armadillo (Calyptophractus retusus), 7. Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus), 8. Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo (Cabassous centralis), 9. Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo (Cabassous unicinctus), 10. Greater Naked-tailed Armadillo (Cabassous tatouay), 11. Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo (Cabassous chacoensis), 12. Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus), 13. Southern Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus)

Distribution. NE Brazil (from Maranhao E to Rio Grande do Norte and S to extreme NE Goias and extreme NW Minas Gerais states).