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The Xenarthrans of Honduras: New Records, Main Threats, and Comments on Their Conservation Status

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The Xenarthrans of Honduras: New Records, Main Threats, and Comments on Their Conservation Status Edentata: in press Electronic version: ISSN 1852-9208 Print version: ISSN 1413-4411 http://www.xenarthrans.org The xenarthrans of Honduras: new records, main threats, and comments on their conservation status Manfredo A. Turcios-CascoA,1, Hefer D. Ávila-PalmaB, Marcio MartínezC, Eduardo J. Trejo-OrdoñezB, David E. Meza-FloresD, Franklin CastañedaE, Travis KingF, Daniel ThorntonF & Mariella SuperinaG A Departamento de Vida Silvestre, Instituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF), Brisas de Olancho, Francisco Morazán, Honduras B Escuela de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Boulevard Suyapa, Tegucigalpa, Honduras C Región Biosfera del Río Plátano, Instituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF), Marañones, Olancho, Honduras D Asociación de Investigación para el Desarrollo Ecológico y Socioeconómico (ASIDE), Barrio Las Delicias, El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras E Panthera, Col. Los Robles, Bloque L, 3415, Tegucigalpa, Honduras F Washington State University, School of the Environment, 1230 Webster Hall, Pullman, WA 99163, USA G Laboratorio de Medicina y Endocrinología de la Fauna Silvestre, IMBECU – CCT CONICET Mendoza – UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina 1 Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The Xenarthra are one of the least studied mammalian groups in Honduras. Their ecology, nat- ural history, and distribution in the country are poorly known. Here we compile and discuss, for the first time, the available information about the seven species of Xenarthra that occur in Honduras. We also present new distribution records and comment on their main threats. The lack of specific scientific studies, poaching, illegal traffic, cultural beliefs, and deforestation are among the main threats to xenarthrans in Honduras. Keywords: anteaters, armadillos, Central America, sloths, Xenarthra Los xenartros de Honduras: nuevos registros, principales amenazas y comentarios sobre su estado de conser- vación Resumen Xenarthra es uno de los grupos de mamíferos menos estudiados en Honduras, y de los que menos se sabe sobre su ecología, historia natural y distribución en el país. Aquí recopilamos y discutimos, por primera vez, la información disponible de cada una de las siete especies de Xenarthra que ocurren en Honduras. También presentamos nuevos registros de distribución y comentamos sobre las principales amenazas. La falta de estudios científicos, la cacería y el tráfico ilegal, creencias culturales y la deforesta- ción están entre algunas de las principales amenazas para los xenartros en Honduras. Palabras clave: armadillos, Centroamérica, hormigueros, perezosos, Xenarthra Brief summary of mammalogy in Honduras: has a population of some 9.02 million inhabitants How many Xenarthra species do we have? (INE, 2018). According to Duarte et al. (2014), 48% of the national territory of Honduras is covered by Honduras is the second largest country of the Central American isthmus (Hernández Oré forests and 27% are protected areas. Even though et al., 2016) (Fig. 1). Its territory includes an area of it is a biodiverse country, many ecosystems remain 112,492 km² (excluding the marine territory), and it poorly studied (e.g., dry forests, mangroves). Turcios-Casco, M. A. et al.: The xenarthrans of Honduras 17 The baseline for mammalian research in Hon- to 92.3% of all mammals known for Honduras by duras was established by Goodwin (1942) in his 1942. Most national and international universities, seminal work The mammals of Honduras. Goodwin governmental, and non-governmental entities have described 123 species of mammals within Hondu- concentrated their research efforts on large mam- ras based on 2,213 specimens that had been collect- mals, such as Cervidae, Felidae, Tapiridae, and ed primarily in the western and central region of Tayassuidae. However, taxa such as insectivores, the country by Cecil F. Underwood. Most species marsupials, rodents, and xenarthrans remain poor- were based on a small number of scattered records. ly studied. Except for bats, most of the information The lack of solid records from the entire extent of on small and medium-sized mammals is based on the country is still true; most of the available in- sporadic records obtained while studying large formation on the mammals of Honduras, exclud- mammals. ing large mammals, is based on technical reports, Xenarthrans remain particularly understud- incomplete inventories, or specimens in personal ied in Honduras. Goodwin (1942) mentioned five collections that are not easily accessible. The exact species: three anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus—now number of mammal species in Honduras is uncer- Cy. dorsalis, Miranda et al. (2018)—Myrmecophaga tain, as research has mainly focused on certain taxo- tridactyla, and Tamandua mexicana) and two ar- nomic groups. For example, recent studies revealed madillos (Cabassous centralis and Dasypus novem­ that Chiroptera alone includes 113 species (Tur- cinctus). Interestingly, Goodwin (1942) presented cios-Casco et al., 2020), a number that corresponds convincing evidence for the occurrence of only two Figure 1. Geographical location and land use coverage of Honduras. 18 Edentata: in press Table 1. Common names for Xenarthra in Honduras, in Spanish and different indigenous languages. Source: Jones (1965), Marine- ros & Martínez (1998), SDGEPIAH (2015), and this work. Species Spanish Lenca Miskitu Pesh Tawahka Garífuna perezoso de tres dedos, Bradypus variegatus perico lerdo, camaleón, siwaiku pereza perezoso de dos dedos, Choloepus hoffmanni pereza, camaleón, siwaiku um perico lerdo serafín, perezocito, osito Cyclopes dorsalis likur wísurh del platanar, ceibita oso hormiguero, oso dánka- liwa, oso Myrmecophaga tridactyla caballo, hormiguero sisitan wingku tara corauya takálvas gaballu gigante tamandua, oso melero, oso hormiguero zegüe, zapu, Tamandua mexicana wingku kárkin pequeño, perico ligero, corca oso de colmena tumbo, tumbo armado, Cabassous centralis pitero de uña, cusuco patáwã tákan tákan lechoso cusuco, cusuco de taiirraa, tahira, pantan waá, Dasypus novemcinctus yagu úmika gasigamu nueve bandas, pitero ukmiktaira patáwã xenarthrans, D. novemcinctus and T. mexicana, while anteaters, armadillos, and sloths in the country, and he expected the other anteater and armadillo spe- comment on their conservation status. cies, but not sloths, to occur in the country. At that time, there were only anecdotal records of Brady­ Materials and methods pus variegatus and Choloepus hoffmanni in Honduras, which were officially recorded more than 50 years We screened books, articles, dissertations, and later (McCarthy et al., 1999), as discussed below. In theses found in academic research databases (e.g., Google Scholar) as well as technical reports from addition, there is evidence of extinct xenarthrans Honduran government agencies and NGOs for in Honduras (Jackson & Fernandez, 2005; Lucas, records of xenarthrans. We also queried online 2008; Ferreira & Feijó Ramos, 2011; Zúniga et al., databases such as Global Biodiversity Information Fa- 2019). cility (GBIF) (https://www.gbif.org), VertNet (http:// Hall (1981) considered six xenarthran species www.vertnet.org), Integrated Digitized Biocollec- as occurring in Honduras: B. variegatus, T. mexi­ tions (iDigBio) (https://www.idigbio.org), and iNat- cana, M. tridactyla, Cy. dorsalis, D. novemcinctus, and uralist (https://www.inaturalist.org) with the terms C. centralis, but no specific records were given for Bradypus, Cabassous, Choloepus, Cyclopes, Dasypus, the last two species. Marineros & Martínez (1998) Myrmecophaga, and Tamandua, and filtered the re- provided unconfirmed (and, in most cases, impre- sults by country to limit them to Honduras. We then cise) localities for most of the mammalian species verified all coordinates of the obtained records. The in the country, including all xenarthrans. No other following information was extracted for each indi- reviews on the distribution, systematics, and con- vidual record: species name, locality, municipali- servation status of the Xenarthra of Honduras have ty and department, year of record, basis of record, been published. and geographic coordinates (when available). We excluded records lacking precise information or The main objective of this work is to compile scientific evidence for species identification. When the available information on living xenarthrans in the verified coordinates did not match the descrip- Honduras and to discuss the main threats they are tion, we excluded the record from the map, but facing. We provide published and new localities of did include the written description of its location Turcios-Casco, M. A. et al.: The xenarthrans of Honduras 19 in the text. We also included records registered by iNaturalist hold a great potential for such analyses, us, either by camera trapping (Bushnell, Moultrie, provided the location data and identification are PANTHERA [V3, V4, and V5], Cuddeback, Reconyx, accurate. Browning units) or through direct observations, Bradypus variegatus (Fig. 2). As mentioned since 2010. Finally, we mapped all records per spe- above, Goodwin (1942) did not include this species cies; all those found in the literature were marked in the list of mammals of Honduras. A few years lat- as “previous”, and our unpublished records as “new”. er, Goodwin (1946) speculated that the distribution We determined the habitat types in which each spe- of Bradypus may extend to Patricia River (referring
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