ISSN (impreso) 0326-1778 / ISSN (on-line) 1853-6581
HISTORIA NATURAL Tercera Serie Volumen 1 (2) 2011/113-118
RANGE EXTENSION AND FIRST RECORD OF Cryptonanus chacoensis (MAMMALIA, DIDELPHIMORPHIA, DIDELPHIDAE) IN WEST MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL
Extensión del rango distribucional y primer registro de Cryptonanus chacoensis (Mammalia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) en el Oeste del Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil
Agustín G. Martinelli, Mara L. F. Ferraz and Vicente P. A. Teixeira
Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas Llewellyn Ivor Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP/UFTM), BR-262, Km 784, Bairro Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brasil. [email protected]
HISTORIA NATURAL Tercera Serie Volumen 1 (2) 2011/101-112 113 Martinelli A. G., Ferraz m. l. f. and Teixeira v. p. a.
INTRODUCTION 1). Additional references cited C. agricolai in faunal lists of the Tocantins (Bezerra et al., The genus Cryptonanus Voss, Lunde, and 2009) and Mato Grosso do Sul (Cáceres et Jansa 2005 was recently erected to include al., 2008a, b, 2010) states. Moreover, Souza five small didelphid marsupials: C. agrico- et al. (2010) reported one specimen of Cryp- lai (Moojen, 1943), C. chacoensis (Tate, 1931), tonanus, tentatively assigned to C. agricolai, C. guahybae (Tate, 1931), C. ignitus (Díaz, in the Atlantic Forest, east of the Pernam- Flores, and Barquez, 2002), and C. undua- buco State. With regard to C. guahybae, it viensis (Tate, 1931), previously included was exclusively recognized for the Atlantic within the genus Gracilinanus Gardner and Forest biome from the Rio Grande do Sul Creighton 1989 (Voss et al., 2005). Among State (Voss et al., 2005) (Figure 1). Although them, C. agricolai, C. guahybae, and C. cha- C. chacoensis was not cited for Brazil by coensis occur in Brazil. C. agricolai was re- Voss et al. (2005), subsequent faunal lists ported in the Caatinga and the Cerrado reported this species in the Mato Grosso do biomes from Ceará, Goiás, and north of Mi- Sul State (e.g., Rossi et al., 2006, Cáceres et nas Gerais states (Voss et al., 2005) (Figure al., 2008a). Besides, Garder (2007, based on
Figure 1 - Map showing the distribution of Cryptonanus species and the town of Peirópolis with the new record of C. chacoensis. Locations points are based on Voss et al. (2005), Gardner (2007), Cáceres et al. (2008a, b, 2010), Bezerra et al. (2009), and Souza et al. (2010). Records of Crytonamus sp. from numerous localities from Uruguay (D´Elía and Martínez 2006) were omitted in the map. Abbreviations: AR, Argentina; BO, Bolivia; BR, Brazil; PA, Paraguay; UR, Uruguay.
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González et al., 1999) mentioned the pres- cies (e.g., Gardner, 2007; Geise and Astúa, ence of C. chacoensis in the Rio Grande do 2009). Sul State, close to the frontier with Uru- The C. chacoensis specimens reported guay (Figure 1). This latter record was con- here are housed at the Complexo Cultur- sidered as Cryptonanus sp. by D´Elía and al e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP/UFTM), Martínez (2006), which also cited C. sp. for Uberaba (MG), under the name CPP- the Mato Grosso do Sul, close to the fron- Eg: Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas tier with Bolivia. As was stated by Cáceres Llewellyn Ivor Price, Coleção Egagrópilas. et al. (2008a), the analyses on the taxonomy Voss and Jansa (2003) is followed for os- of Cryptonanus species by Voss et al. (2005) teological terminology; C, P, M refer to ca- did not include a considerable number of nine, premolar, and molar with super- or Brazilian specimens; consequently, de- subscript indicating upper and lower posi- tailed studies focused on the assignations tions, respectively. The material was com- and taxonomic component of this genus pared with specimens of small Didelphi- are pending in Brazil. nae deposited in the collection of the De- New marsupial remains collected from partment of Mastozoology of the MACN naturally disaggregated Barn Owl, Strigi- (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales formes, Tytonidae, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires, Ar- pellets, indicate the presence of Crypto- gentina) and with bibliographical sources. nanus chacoensis in the west of the Minas Gerais State (Brazil). This finding extends the geographical range of the species about RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 930 km northeast of Paraguay or about 800 km east from the putative record from With the exception of a fairly complete Mato Grosso do Sul State, and represents skull (CPP-Eg-001) with associated dentary the first record in the Cerrado of Minas and complete dentition (Figure 2), the re- Gerais State (Figure 1). The pellet material maining specimens consist of isolated up- was collected in 2010 from an abandoned per and lower jaws. The genus Cryptonanus old house (19°44’33” S, 47°44’32” W; 850 was recognized on the basis of the follow- m AMSL), in the rural town of Peirópolis, ing association of characters: 1) maxillopal- about 20 km west from the Uberaba city. atine fenestrae large; 2) maxillary fenestrae The locality is included within the Cer- absent (differing from Gracilinanus and Th- rado (Savanna) biome and is characterized ylamys species in which maxillary fenestrae by a seasonal and tropical climate with dry are present; Voss et al., 2005; Carmignotto winters and wet summers (Oliveira and and Monfort, 2006); 3) posterolateral palatal Marquis, 2002). The study area is strongly foramina not extending lingual to M4 pro- modified by agricultural activities with tocone; 4) absence of a secondary foramen small remnants of native vegetation which ovale (differing from mostGracilinanus and include open grasslands and dense arbore- Monodelphis species, among other small al woodlands. In addition to C. chacoensis, sized didelphids in which the secondary the other hitherto small-sized marsupial foramen ovale is present; Voss and Jansa, recognized from the pellets is Gracilinanus 2003); 5) C1 with one or two small accessory agilis (Burmeister, 1854), coinciding with cusps (differing from someThylamys species the known range distribution for this spe- and most specimens of Gracilinanus which
HISTORIA NATURAL Tercera Serie Volumen 1 (2) 2011/113-118 HISTORIA NATURAL Tercera Serie Volumen 1 (2) 2011/113-118 115 Martinelli A. G., Ferraz m. l. f. and Teixeira v. p. a. have C1 without accessory cusps; Voss et al., The additional fragmentary remains 2005); 6) P2 distinctly shorter than P3 (being (CPP-Eg-002-012) were included in this ge- P2 sub-equal to P3 in Gracilinanus or taller nus due to the presence of features 1, 2, 5, than P3 in Chacodelphis; Voss et al., 2004; Teta and 6. Based on the absence of an incom- and Pardiñas, 2007); 7) incomplete anterior plete anterior cingulum on M3 (differing 3 cingulum on M ; and 8) procumbent C1, from other Cryptonanus species) and size with small posterior accessory cusp (Voss (based on upper molar length measure- et al., 2005). ments; Voss et al., 2005), the new material
Figure 2 - Partial skull of Cryptonanus chacoensis (CPP-Eg-001) from Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A, ventral view of the skull; B, detail of the right C and P1-M1 in labial view; C, detail of the right P3-M4 in ventral view; D, detail of the left secondary foramen ovale region in posteroventral view. Scale bar equals 5 mm in A and 2 mm in B-C.
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is assigned to Cryptonanus chacoensis. The km east from the Peirópolis locality. De- specimen figured has all teeth erupted be- spite both species share a similar size and ing considered an adult specimen (Class several osteological cranial features (Voss et G4 sensu Nievelt and Smith, 2005). In oth- al., 2005), the presence of an incomplete an- er smaller specimens (i.e., M4 not totally terior cingulum on the M3 in the specimens erupted) the condition of an incomplete cin- from Peirópolis suggests their assignation gulum on M3 is also observed. At present, to C. chacoensis. This species is sympatric the differences betweenC. chacoensis and C. at least with Gracilinanus agilis in the stud- agricolai with C. guahybae are based on ex- ied locality. The presence of C. chacoensis ternal morphology features and in the fact in Triângulo Mineiro also suggests a more that the latter species is geographically re- continuous distribution north to the fron- stricted to the Atlantic Forest of Rio Grande tier of Paraguay and Argentina, where sev- do Sul State (Voss et al., 2005), reasons to eral reports were recognized (see Voss et al., be aware at the moment of classifying spe- 2005: Figure 7; Gardner 2007: Map 15). cies based only upon isolated osteological The diversity and natural history of Cryp- remains. In addition, the material reported tonanus species are still poorly understood here differs from C. unduaviensis in hav- resulting frequently in ambiguous assigna- ing a smaller molar row length (<5.4 mm; tions and possibly obscures a higher diver- Voss et al., 2005). C. chacoensis and C. ignitus sity than previously thought (see Cáceres weakly differentiate from each other, being et al., 2008a: 323). As such, new records the coloration pelage a putative feature to and localities for these small didelphid distinguish both species (Voss et al., 2005). marsupials would be useful to a better un- At present, the latter species is listed as ex- derstanding of their taxonomy and natural tinct in the IUCN (Díaz and Barquez, 2008) history in Brazil. and the only known specimen is from Yuto locality, Jujuy Province, Argentina (Díaz et al., 2002). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Cryptonanus chacoensis records are well known from Paraguay, southern Bolivia, We thank A.P. Camignotto and A.M. northern Argentina (Voss et al., 2005; Gard- Forasiepi for suggestions on the Ms, D. ner, 2007), and putative citations are known Astúa and A.P. Carmignotto for helping us from Mato Grosso do Sul State (e.g., Rossi et with bibliography sources, and D. Flores al., 2006; Cáceres et al., 2008a) and possibly for permitting the access to the MACN south of the Rio Grande do Sul State (Gard- collection to AGM. Finally, we thank the ner, 2007); consequently, the occurrence of reviewer M. Mares, two anonymous re- C. chacoensis in the Triângulo Mineiro re- viewers, and the Editors F. Agnolin and S. gion, west of Minas Gerais State, consider- Bogan for comments that improved the Ms. ably extends the geographic range of this The conclusions of this contribution are species. In addition, this is the first Brazil- totally responsibility of the authors. This ian record of C. chacoensis in the Cerrado of contribution is supported by the CNPq and Minas Gerais State. The other species, C. FAPEMIG (Brazil). We dedicate the present agricolai was recorded in the Minas Gerais note to the memory of the Argentinean nat- State from the Lagoa Santa locality (north uralist Juan Carlos Chebez due to his great to the Belo Horizonte city) that is about 400 contributions to zoology and conservation.
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