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Notes on Food Habits of Armadillos Notes on Food Habits of Armadillos (Cingulata, Dasypodidae) and Anteaters (Pilosa, Myrmecophagidae) at Serra Da Capivara National Park (PiauÍ State, Brazil) Author(s): Vanderson Corrêa Vaz, Ricardo Tadeu Santori, Ana Maria Jansen, Ana Cláudia Delciellos and Paulo Sérgio D'Andrea Source: Edentata, 13():84-89. Published By: IUCN/SSC Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Specialist Group DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5537/020.013.0107 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.5537/020.013.0107 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Edentata 13 (2012): 84–89 Electronic version: ISSN 1852-9208 Print version: ISSN 1413-4411 http://www.xenarthrans.org SHORT COMMUNICATION Notes on food habits of armadillos (Cingulata, Dasypodidae) and anteaters (Pilosa, Myrmecophagidae) at Serra da Capivara National Park (Piauí State, Brazil) 9$1'(5621&255È$9$=йA5,&$5'27$'(86$1725,й%й¹$1$0$5,$-$16(1йC, ANA CLÁUDIA '(/&,(//26йD AND PAULO SÉRGIO D’ANDREAE A Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ, Av. Brasil 4365, 21040-360, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. B Núcleo de Pesquisa e Ensino de Ciências, Departamento de Ciências, Faculdade de Formação de Professores – Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Dr. Francisco Portela 1470, 24435-000, São Gonçalo, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]. C Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ, Av. Brasil 4365, 21040-360, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]. D Laboratório de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CP 68020, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]. 1 Corresponding author Abstract This is one of the few studies on food habits of armadillos and anteaters in the Caatinga, Brazil. Our aim was to describe food items found in fecal and stomach samples of six species (Dasypus novemcinctus, D. septemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Tamandua tetradactyla, Tolypeutes tricinctus) DWWKH6HUUDGD&DSLYDUD1DWLRQDO3DUN3LDXt6WDWH%UD]LO)RUPRVWVSHFLHVLQYHUWHEUDWHV²HVSHFLDOO\,VRS- tera and Hymenoptera – were the main food source. Seeds were found in samples of most species studied, including M. tridactyla and T. tetradactyla. Keywords: Caatinga, diet, feeding behavior, xenarthrans. Notas sobre os hábitos alimentares de tatus (Cingulata, Dasypodidae) e tamanduás (Pilosa, Myrmecophagidae) no Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara (Estado do Piauí, Brasil) Resumo (VWHpXPGRVSRXFRVHVWXGRVVREUHRVKiELWRVDOLPHQWDUHVGRVWDWXVHWDPDQGXiVQD&DDWLQJD Brasil. Nosso objetivo foi descrever os itens alimentares encontrados em amostras fecais e estomacais de seis espécies (Dasypus novemcinctus, D. septemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Tamandua tetradactyla, Tolypeutes tricinctus QR3DUTXH1DFLRQDOGD6HUUDGD&DSLYDUD3LDXt%UDVLO3DUDDPDLRULDGDV espécies, invertebrados – principalmente Isoptera e Hymenoptera – foram as principais fontes de alimen- to. Sementes foram encontradas em amostras da maioria das espécies estudadas, incluindo M. tridactyla e T. tetradactyla. Palavras-chave: Caatinga, comportamento alimentar, dieta, xenartros. 7KHRUGHUV&LQJXODWDDQG3LORVDLQFOXGHVSH- one whose distribution extends to North America FLHVLQJHQHUDDQGÀYHIDPLOLHV :LOVRQ 5HHGHU (Wetzel, 1982; Eisenberg & Redford, 1999; Gardner, 2005). These orders are distributed from the south- 2008). The large overlap in the range of these taxa ern United States of America to the southernmost is possible due to the great diversity of habits, rang- tip of Argentina (Gardner, 2008). Most species occur ing from fossorial to arboreal species and from car- LQ6RXWK$PHULFDÀYHLQ&HQWUDO$PHULFDDQGRQO\ nivorous-omnivorous to insectivorous food habits 84 Edentata 13: 84–89 (2012) (Redford, 1985a). Also, they are able to occupy a increasing the knowledge of the ecology of these wide range of habitats, from dryland to tropical rain- species at the Caatinga. forest (Wetzel, 1982; Bonato et al., 2008). Data on the 7KH6&13 ···²···6···² biology and ecology of these taxa, mostly on their ···: LV ORFDWHG LQ VRXWKHDVWHUQ 3LDXt 6WDWH foods habits, are yet scarce (McDonough & Loughry, Brazil, at the western limit of the semi-arid Caatinga 2008). Furthermore, studies on the diet of species biome. At approximately 130,000 ha in size, it is the are essential to understanding their ecological role largest protected area located in the Caatinga do- in the ecosystem and their geographic distribution main. It is also one of the most important archaeologi- (McDonough & Loughry, 2008). cal sites in South America (Emperaire, 1989). Annual According to Redford (1985a), armadillos can average precipitation is 645.7 mm (±248.3 mm) (me- be divided into four groups following food habits teorological stations of São Raimundo Nonato and of the species: I) the carnivore-omnivores, including 6mR -RmR GR 3LDXt PXQLFLSDOLWLHV ZLWK WKH UDLQ\ the genera Zaedyus, Euphractus, and Chaetophractus; period occurring from November to April. Annual II) the generalist fossorial insectivores, represented average temperature is 28.02 ºC (±1.0 °C) (INMET - by the genera Chlamyphorus and Calyptophractus; Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia). III) the terrestrial generalist insectivores, mainly the 7KH6&13LVVLWXDWHGDWWKHVRXWKHUQOLPLWRIWKH species of Dasypus; and IV) the specialist insectivores VHGLPHQWDU\ EDVLQ RI WKH 3DUQDtED ULYHUDQG WKHUH (specialized in ants and termites), which include the are no perennial rivers in the area. Water sources genera Cabassous, Tolypeutes, and Priodontes. Food DUHFRQFHQWUDWHGLQWKH´ERTXHLU}HVµ PRLVWDUHDV preference of armadillos is for termites and ants, but 7KH ÁRUD RI WKH 6&13 LV FKDUDFWHUL]HG E\ SK\VL- when these items are scarce, armadillos are able to ological and morphological adaptations to the xeric feed on some other arthropods, or even fruits, tubers conditions typical of deciduous dry vegetation. In and small vertebrates, depending on their availabil- RQH RI WKH IHZ H[LVWLQJ VWXGLHV RQ WKH ÁRUD RI WKH ity (Greegor, 1985; Redford, 1985a, b; Wirtz et al., 6&13VSHFLHVZHUHUHFRUGHG /HPRV 7KH 1985; Smith & Redford, 1990; Bolkovic et al., 1995; families Caesalpiniaceae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Anacleto & Marinho-Filho, 2001; Anacleto, 2007). Bignoniaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Myrtaceae made up 46% of the recorded species (Lemos, 2004). Anteaters were described as the only truly myr- mecophagous Xenarthra species and, according to Carcasses of armadillos and anteaters were ob- Montgomery (1985a, b), the main difference among WDLQHGIURPURDGNLOOVDQGSRDFKHGDQLPDOVFRQÀVFDW- the four extant species is the ratio of ingested ants to HGLQ6&13E\UDQJHUVRIWKH,QVWLWXWR%UDVLOHLURGR termites. His studies suggest Cyclopes is strictly ar- 0HLR$PELHQWHHGRV5HFXUVRV1DWXUDLV5HQRYiYHLV boreal and feeds exclusively on ants. Furthermore, (IBAMA), between March 1998 and March 2001. he observed that Tamandua has terrestrial and arbo- We collected data from carcasses of D. novemcinctus real habits and feeds on termites and ants. The ra- (N = 14), D. septemcinctus (N = 2), E. sexcinctus (N = 3), tio of ants to termites in its diet varies according to T. tricinctus (N = 3), M. tridactyla (N = 1), and T. tetra- prey availability. Recently, the consumption of fruits dactyla (N = 8). Carcasses were kept frozen at -20 ºC in wild Tamandua mexicana was described by Brown until analysis. (2011). The terrestrial Myrmecophaga feeds mainly From the available carcasses, we analyzed six- on ants, but does not exclude termites from its diet teen fecal and six stomach samples of armadillos, while actively searching for its preferred food item DQG IRXU VWRPDFK FRQWHQWV DQG ÀYH IHFHV RI DQW- (Montgomery, 1985a; Redford, 1986; Medri et al., eaters (TĆćđĊ ͕). Stomach contents and feces were 2003). kept in bottles with water to dissolve the material Located in the Caatinga biome in the semi-arid and prevent their contamination by fungi. Samples northeastern Brazilian region, the Serra da Capivara were washed under running tap water through a 2 1DWLRQDO 3DUN 6&13 KDV D KLJK VSHFLHV ULFKQHVV sieve with mesh screen of 1.0 mm . The material re- of armadillos and anteaters: Cabassous unicinctus tained on the sieve was placed in a glass contain- (Linnaeus, 1758), Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, HUÀOOHGZLWKDVROXWLRQRIZDWHUDQGGHWHUJHQWWR 1758, D. septemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758, Euphractus separate soil particles from plant and animal ma- sexcinctus (Linnaeus, 1758), Tolypeutes tricinctus terial. Afterwards, the contents were air dried and (Linnaeus,
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