Search

Population density is a key parameter in conservation, but remains a challenging metric to obtain for rare and cryptic species. We designed a camera trap array targeting the elusive giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), estimated densities using spatially explicit capture-recapture models, and compared these with estimates from a previous eight-year telemetry study in the area. Density from the six-month camera trap survey (7.69 individuals/100km2) is nearly identical to that from the intensive telemetry study (7.65 ind./100 km2). We recommend the use of systematic camera trap arrays, which are much less expensive and time consuming, to obtain insights on the population status of elusive species across the Neotropics and inform conservation. Resumo A densidade de populações é um parâmetro chave em conservação e ecologia, mas é uma métrica difícil de se obter para espécies raras e de hábitos crípticos. Nós desenhamos uma matriz de armadilhas fotográficas para capturar o elusivo tatu canastra (Priodontes maximus), estimamos sua densidade usando modelos de captura e recaptura espacialmente explícitos, e comparamos essa estimativa com àquela obtida em um estudo anterior de oito anos de telemetria realizado na mesma área. A densidade obtida através do levantamento por armadilhas fotográficas com duração de seis meses (7.69 indivíduos/100km2) é praticamente idêntica àquela obtida no estudo intensivo de telemetria (7.65 ind./100 km2). Nós recomendamos o uso de matrizes sistematizadas de armadilhas fotográficas, que possuem um menor custo financeiro e em termos de mão de obra, ao longo da região Neotropical para obter conhecimento sobre o status populacional de espécies elusivas e informar medidas de conservação.

The potential distribution of a cryptic, naturally rare large mammal, the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus, was explored in fragments of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (259,641 km2) Brazil. Watersheds (N = 344) throughout the state were surveyed for evidence of the species with 164 confirmed presences and 180 absences. A total of 144 independent presence points were used to model the current potential distribution of the species using the Maxent algorithm with 30 possible explanatory variables. Suitable and unsuitable areas, average patch size of suitable habitats and conversion rate of habitat from 1985 to 2018 were also calculated. Results highlight the severe fragmentation level of the suitable areas left for the giant armadillos, with suitable habitat patches (forest and savanna) surrounded by an agricultural matrix. Furthermore, only four suitable patches are larger than 100 km2 (132.63 ± 32.04 km2). Due to the species low population growth rate it is possible that individuals recorded are part of declining or functionally extinct populations. Further studies on the density and population trends of giant armadillos within this fragmented landscape will be key to understanding the potential long-term persistence of giant armadillos in the degraded Cerrado of MS.

Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792), Giant Armadillo Records. Recorded by opportunistic sightings (09° 07.632′S, 068°06.230′W) and hunting interviews. Identification. Its carapace is highly flexible, with 11–13 moveable bands. Hair is sparse. The body is dark brown, except for the head and tail and for a light-colored stripe around the edges of the body. The tail is long, narrow, and covered with small pentagonal scales (Carter et al. 2016)., Published as part of Oliveira, Marcela Alvares & Calouro, Armando Muniz, 2020, Medium-sized and large mammals of the Cazumbá-Iracema Extractivist Reserve, Acre, Brazil, pp. 127-136 in Check List 16 (1) on page 131, DOI: 10.15560/16.1.127, {"references":["Carter TS, Superina M, Leslie DMJ (2016) Priodontes maximus (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae). Mammalian Species 48 (932): 21 - 34. https: // doi. org / 10.1093 / mspecies / sew 002"]}

7. Giant Armadillo Priodontes maximus French: Tatou géant / German: Riesengurteltier / Spanish: Armadillo gigante Taxonomy. Dasypus maximus Kerr, 1792, “Cayenne,” French Guiana. This species is monotypic. Distribution. N & C South America E of the Andes, in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and N Argentina. Descriptive notes. Head-body 750-1000 mm, tail 400-500 mm, ear bH8— 60 mm, hindfoot 180-197 mm; weight 20-60 kg (up to 80 kg in captivity). The Giant Armadillo is the largest of all extant armadillo species, and males larger than females. Carapace is dark brown to black, with broad light-colored band around its lower part and 11-13 movable transverse bands. Claws are thick and powerful on forefeet, with greatly enlarged, sickle-shaped claw on third forefinger (up to 203 mm). The Giant Armadillo walks on soles of its hindfeet, but only tips of front claws are in contact with the ground. Females have two nipples. The Giant Armadillo has more teeth than any other species of armadillo and most other mammals. Average dental formula is 15/17 or 18/19, but it is highly variable and can reach up to 100 teeth or even more. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 50, FN = 76. Habitat. Undisturbed primary rainforest, dry forests, humid to dry lowland forests, and savannas up to elevations of ¢.500 m. Food and Feeding. The Giant Armadillo is mainly insectivorous, eating primarily ants and termites and occasionally other invertebrates (spiders, beetles, cockroaches, millipedes, and worms), small snakes, carrion, and rarely figs and other fruit. It obtains its food mainly by digging with its well-developed claws while standing on its large hindfeet and using its tail as a fifth limb for support. Breeding. Female Giant Armadillos give birth to one, exceptionally two, young per year. Offspring remain inside the burrow during most of the lactation period of 4-6 months. Females sometimes leave offspring inside the burrow and close the entrance to impede predator attacks. Activity patterns. The Giant Armadillo is highly fossorial and nocturnal, but daytime activity has been recorded inside burrows. Females with offspring may initiate their activity period around or shortly after sunset, earlier than other adults. Burrow entrances are semicircular, 41-47 cm wide, and 30-37 cm high. Burrows are often constructed in sloped terrain near water bodies or under active termite mounds. The Giant Armadillo can use the same burrow for several days (usually 1-2 but up to 17 days) and reuse old burrows. At least 26 other vertebrate species will use Giant Armadillo burrows. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Giant Armadillo is presumably solitary, except during breeding and while females rear their offspring. It is naturally rare where it occurs. It has a very patchy distribution. Home ranges vary regionally between 452 ha and 1500 ha. Home ranges of males and females often overlap. Densities range from 3-4 ind/100 km? in Brazil to 5-8 ind/100 km? in Colombia and 5-8-6-3 ind/100 km? in Bolivia. Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Giant Armadillo population has suffered a decline of at least 30% over the past 20 years and historically probably occurred to Cordoba and Santa Fe provinces (to ¢.31° S) in Argentina. It is hunted for meat throughout its distribution and is heavily affected by habitat loss and fragmentation through deforestation, land use change, and agriculture. Collection for museum specimens and illegal trafficking, either to keep the Giant Armadillo as a pet or to sell it as a “living fossil” on the black market, are also conservation threats. The Giant Armadillo has become locally extirpated in some areas, especially in its southern distribution. Therefore, it is listed in a threatened category in eight of the eleven countries in its distribution and may be extinct in Uruguay. Bibliography. Anacleto & Marinho-Filho (2001), Anacleto, Miranda et al. (2014), Aya-Cuero, Rodriguez-Bolanos & Superina (2017), Aya-Cuero, Superina & Rodriguez-Bolanos (2015), Carter (1983), Carter & Encarnacgao (1983), Carter et al. (2016), Ceresoli & Fernandez-Duque (2012), Desbiez & Kluyber (2013), Krieg (1929), Leite et al. (2004), Marinho-Filho et al. (2002), Noss et al. (2004), Pocock (1924), Redford (1985a), Silveira et al. (2009), Wallace & Painter (2013), Wetzel (1985b), Wetzel et al. (2008)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chlamyphoridae, pp. 48-71 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 69, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623975

Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) Giant Armadillo Dasypus maximus Kerr, 1792:112. Type locality ���Cayenne,��� French Guiana. Dasypus giganteus ��. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803:207. Type locality ���Le Paraguay ��� with reference to ��� Le Grand Tatou d���Azara, t. 2, p. 132;��� but based on specimen ���N˚. CCCCXIV. Individu qui servi de sujet pour la description pr��c��dente. ��� Dasypus gigas G. Cuvier, 1817:221. No type locality given; based on plate ���xlv��� [error for ���xli���], the ��� Autre Kabassou ��� of volume 10 of Buffon (Daubenton in Buffon 1763); Buffon wrote that ��� Le Kabassou ��� was the largest tatou and came from Cayenne, which is the type locality. D [asypus]. gigans Schmid, 1818:164. No type locality given. T [atus]. grandis Olfers, 1818:219. Type locality ��� Paraguay.��� Priodontes giganteus: Lesson, 1827:309. Name combination. D [asypus]. (P [riodontes].) Gigas: Voigt, 1831:261. Name combination. Priodontes gigas: Gray, 1843:120. Name combination. Priodon gigas: Owen, 1845:21. Name combination. Prionodontes gigas: Schinz, 1845:316. Name combination. Prionodos gigas: Gray, 1865:374. Name combination. Prionodon gigas: Gray, 1869:380. Name combination. Cheloniscus gigas: Fitzinger, 1871:227. Name combination. Priodontes maximus: O. Thomas, 1880:402. First use of current name combination. Priodon maximus: J. A. Allen, 1895:187. Name combination. D [asypus]. maximus Larra��aga, 1923:343. Type locality ���nemoribus septentrionalibus paraquarensibus;��� based on Azara���s (1802:110) ��� Maximo;��� a junior homonym and synonym of Dasypus maximus Kerr, 1792. Periodontes maximus: Altrichter, 2006:2729. Name combination. CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Context as for genus. Priodontes maximus is monotypic; synonymy was reformatted from Wetzel et al. (2008). NOMENCLATURAL NOTES. As noted by Wetzel et al. (2008), Kretzoi and Kretzoi (2000:204) designated Dasypus giganteus ��. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803, as the type species of Loricatus Desmarest, 1804, which relegated Priodontes F. Cuvier, 1825, to a synonym of Loricatus. Nevertheless, we followed Wetzel et al. (2008:153) who concluded that Loricatus niger Desmarest, 1804 (= Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758) was the valid type species of Loricatus, thus ���retain[ing] Priodontes as the valid generic name for P. maximus.��� Common names of P. maximus include giant armadillo and giant South American armadillo (English); tat�� carreta and tat�� gigante (Spanish); tatu-a���� and tatu canastra (Portuguese); gran tat�� de los bosques, priodonte, priodonte gigante (in Argentina); pejiche and pejichi (Bolivia); ja���ta (Yucuna tribe), jusa trueno and ocarro (Colombia); armadillo gigante, armadillo trueno, cutimbo, and tat�� gigante (Ecuador); carachupa gigante, carachupa maman, kint��ro, and yungunturu (Peru); cachicamo grande, cuspa, cuspa gigante, cuspa grande, and cusp��n (Venezuela); tatou-g��ant (French Guiana); tatu-guaz�� (Guarani); mowoor��mah (Guiana); granman-kapasi (Suriname); and el m��ximo napnalu, tatu-ass��, etopicnic lat��, carreta madre, and carachupa guazu (e.g., Superina and Aguiar 2006; Smith 2007; Trujillo and Superina 2013). DIAGNOSIS Priodontes maximus is by far the largest species of extant armadillos (Emmons and Feer 1997; Nowak 1991; Fig. 1). Its carapace extends only about halfway down its sides���seemingly draped on its back���whereas carapaces of other armadillos appear to wrap around their sides and flanks (Smith 2007). Head of P. maximus is relatively small compared with other species of armadillos and is somewhat domed with a long snout, narrow but blunt on the end, and with widely separated, small, and short ears (Fitzinger 1871; K��hlhorn 1939). Priodontes maximus and 4 species of naked-tailed armadillos (Cabassous) are in the tribe Priodontini (Wetzel et al. 2008), and only a naked-tailed armadillo could be confused for an immature P. maximus (Meritt 1985, 2006; Smith 2007; Trujillo and Superina 2013). Adult size is diagnostic: P. maximus, headbody length> 700 mm, greatest length of skull> 170 mm and Cabassous, head���body length Cabassous implies, their tails lack scutes and ���may or may not have visible scales,��� whereas the tail of P. maximus is ���armored with articulating bony scutes��� (Wetzel 1985a:15). P. maximus has more upper and lower teeth (about 18/19) that are more laterally flattened and broader than those in species of Cabassous (about 9/8���Wetzel 1985a, 1985b). GENERAL CHARACTERS An adult male Priodontes maximus can weigh up to 60 kg (80 kg in captivity), but average adult weight is about 30 kg (Nowak 1991; Redford and Eisenberg 1992; Smith 2007; Wetzel et al. 2008). Sexual dimorphism of P. maximus was reported for 7 of 14 body measurements of 5 males and 2 females from Emas National Park, Brazil: males were larger than females in weight, total length, head���body length, tail length, and circumferences of head, neck, and thorax (Silveira et al. 2009). Carapace of P. maximus is divided into transverse bands of small plates; 3���4 plates on the back of the neck and the central 11���13 plates are quite flexible (Nowak 1991; Wetzel et al. 2008). Pelage of P. maximus is limited to a few beige hairs between the plates. Color is dark brown to black dorsally, with a broad lightcolored band around the lower part of the carapace (Fig. 2). An individual P. maximus can be identified by the scale pattern on its carapace, particularly where dark and light scales meet, and the number of light and dark scales in each band (Noss et al. 2004; Fig. 2). Head shield of P. maximus is oval and does not expand between eyes. Tail is about 500 mm (Wetzel et al. 2008) and covered with small, closely set, rounded plates that are not arranged in rows (Wetzel 1985a, 1985b). Priodontes maximus can balance itself on its large hind feet, with its tail forming a stable tripod while digging (Nowak 1991). Simultaneous use of forefeet permits a P. maximus to excavate a hole quickly to escape (Milne et al. 2009). Unlike smaller armadillos, P. maximus cannot enclose itself into a tight ball within its carapace, so it rarely attempts to do so. Claws on forefeet are thick and powerful; claw on the 3rd forefinger is greatly enlarged, well developed, and sickle-shaped, measuring up to 20.3 cm along the curve���the largest claw of any living mammal (Fitzinger 1871; Smith 2007). DISTRIBUTION Priodontes maximus is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and east of the Andes in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru (Meritt 1973; Emmons and Feer 1997; Vaz 2003; Anacleto et al. 2006, 2014; Zapata- R��os et al. 2006; Smith 2007; Meritt 2008; Wetzel et al. 2008; Srbek-Araujo et al. 2009; Porfirio et al. 2012; Zimbres et al. 2012; Fig. 3). In Argentina, P. maximus is probably limited to the northern provinces of Salta, Formosa, Chaco, and Santiago del Estero, as far south as 31��S (Torres and Jayat 2010); further south, temperatures are too cold (McNab 1980). Presence of P. maximus in the Argentinian provinces of C��rdoba, Santa Fe, and Misiones is uncertain (Parera 2002; Massoia et al. 2006), in part because records from C��rdoba are old; new surveys are needed in these provinces (Abba et al. 2012). Although the distribution of P. maximus extends over a large area of South America, it occurs in low-density, discontinuous populations in most areas (Cabrera 1957; Meritt 2006; see ���Conservation��� section). FOSSIL RECORD Ancestral lineages within Cingulata diverged from sloths and anteaters close to the Cretaceous���Paleogene transition about 66 million years ago, and armadillos diversified thereafter in the early to middle Eocene and beyond (Kurt��n 1972; Engelmann 1985; Delsuc et al. 2001, 2002; Croft et al. 2007; Vizca��no et al. 2008; Vizca��no and Bargo 2014; Delsuc et al. 2016). Armored species in the order Cingulata traditionally were placed in 2 extinct families, Pampatheriidae and Glyptodontidae (both were browsers and grazers), and 1 extant family, Dasypodidae (primarily insect-eaters���Fernicola et al. 2008). New phylogenetic evidence concludes that there are 1 extinct family, Pampatheriidae, and 2 extant families, Dasypodidae (dasypodines) and Chlamyphoridae (traditionally including euphractines, chlamyphorines, and tolypeutines) that diverged about 42 million years ago (Gibb et al. 2015; Delsuc et al. 2016). Extinct glyptodonts and pampatheres had been thought to represent a monophyletic clade, sister to dasypodines (Engelmann 1985; Gaudin and Wible 2006); however, new evidence places glyptodonts as a subfamily within Chlamyphoridae (Euphractinae + Glyptodontinae + Chlamyphorinae + Tolypeutinae [including Priodontes]��� Delsuc et al. 2016). Fossil record of Cingulata is rich, with ��� 65 genera of extinct glyptodonts and ��� 35 genera of armadillos and pampatheres (Fernicola et al. 2008). During the Pleistocene, some North American pampatheres evolved in Florida: for example, Holmesina septentrionalis (Simpson 1930) from H. floridanus (Edmund 1985). At least 2 species of giant glyptodont persisted as part of the North American megafauna through the late Pleistocene: Glyptotherium cylindricum as far north as Sonora, Mexico (Ram��rez-Cruz and Montellano-Ballesteros 2014) and G. floridanum in Hunt County, Texas (Gillette and Ray 1981). They may have become extinct because of climate change or human hunting (Cione et al. 2009). Armadillo fossils from the late Paleocene were found in Patagonia, and many species of armadillos, ranging from insecteaters to plant-eaters, were present in South America by the early to middle Eocene (Kurt��n 1972; Delsuc et al. 2016). In the Neogene, some cingulates became large, and by the Pliocene and Pleistocene, species of Pampatherium were the size of rhinoceroses (Kurt��n 1972; Edmund 1985). Glyptodonts arose in the Eocene and diversified greatly in the Miocene and Pliocene; some glyptodonts were gigantic reaching 4 m in length, with their nearly fused plates resulting in their ���inflexible structure��� and common name ���mammalian tortoise��� (Kurt��n 1972:178��� 179). Despite substantial differences in size, comparisons of ���deep and superficial cortexes��� of the osteoderm support close phylogenetic relationships among pampatheres, glyptodonts, and tolypeutine armadillos, including P. maximus (Wolf et al. 2012:388). Priodontes does not have a documented fossil record (de Paula-Couto 1979; McKenna and Bell 1997; Wetzel et al. 2008), but the extinct dasypodid Eutatus had species as large as P. maximus (e.g., E. seguini). They were less fossorial than P. maximus and herbivorous (Vizca��no et al. 2003). E. seguini and the large glyptodont Doedicurus clavicaudatus were common in the late Pliocene to the early Holocene in South America and found at 7,000- to 7,500-year-old archaeological sites in Argentina, confirming early use of cingulates as food by human hunter-gatherers (Fidalgo et al. 1986; Politis and Guti��rrez 1998). FORM AND FUNCTION Skull of an adult Priodontes maximus is ��� 180 mm (Fig. 4). P. maximus can have as many as 100 teeth, the greatest number of teeth of any terrestrial mammal (Ungar 2010). The teeth are hypselodont (shallow-rooted, high-crowned, and ever-growing), have a thin outer layer of acellular cementum (Green and Kalthoff 2015), and lack enamel. All teeth are molariform but not easily differentiated as premolars and molars (Ungar 2010); they are small, with thin blades, twice as long anteroposteriorly as wide, numbering 15���26 per row (Fitzinger 1871; K��hlhorn 1939; Wetzel 1985b). Teeth are not replaced, and toothrows do not articulate and play little role in catching, grasping, or chewing prey (K��hlhorn 1939). Tongue of P. maximus is long and vermiform, which is an adaptation to a diet of small insects; tongue of a recently dead Priodontes was 16 cm (K��hlhorn 1939). Salivary glands of Priodontes extend from under the neck to the sternum; location of submaxillary glands differs from that in other mammals because of the large size and slender head of Priodontes (K��hlhorn 1939). Billet et al. (2015) described the shape of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear of P. maximus; unlike other morphological evidence, bony labyrinth characteristics did not support a Priodontes���Cabassous clade (Billet et al. 2015). Limb measurements related to interspecific differences in digging abilities of armadillos have been assessed; those of P. maximus include (mm �� SD): maximum humeral length, 119.8 �� 4.3; ulnar length, 132 �� 6.4; olecranon length, 64.9 �� 8.8; and rear leg length, 85.5 �� 6.5 (Vizca��no and Milne 2002:tables 2 and 3; Milne et al. 2009)���slightly smaller lengths were provided by Vizca��no et al. (1999). Aside from the small and highly fossorial pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), an index of fossorial ability (i.e., length of olecranon process divided by difference between ulnar length and olecranon length) was highest for P. maximus (101.17 �� 34.5) and other species in the tribe Priodontini (92.86 �� 6.04���Vizca��no and Milne 2002). P. maximus walks on the tips of its strongly developed 3rd claws on its forefeet. Worn surfaces of claws suggest that, in contrast to Tolypeutes, P. maximus slides rather than stalks on its forehands (Krieg 1961). Sperm shapes are unique among 4 groups of extant armadillos. P. maximus and the related southern naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous unicinctus) group together by their sperm shapes: heads are large, long, and frontally wide, with extremely thin profiles and overall paddle shapes (Cetica et al. 1993; Cetica and Merani 2008). Other characteristics of sperm of both species include sperm head lengths of 13.2���18.0 ��m (with acrosomes occupying 74���75% of total sperm head length), sperm head widths of 11.6���16.0 ��m, and total sperm lengths of 79.9��� 98.0 ��m (Cetica and Merani 2008). The pelletized feces of P. maximus are dry and firm, with mean widths of 14.7 mm �� 1.7 SD, mean lengths of 22.7 mm �� 3.0 SD, and mean weights of 2.8 g �� 0.9 SD (Anacleto 2007). Slow and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep patterns and electrical activity of flexor muscles in the neck of P. maximus are typical of mammalian patterns (Affanni et al. 1972). ONTOGENY AND REPRODUCTION A female Priodontes maximus has 2 mammae (Fitzinger 1871); extrudes a watery, bloody fluid from her vulva during estrus (T. S. Carter, in litt.); has 1 (sometimes 2) young per year (Krieg 1929); and lactates for 4���6 months (Neris et al. 2002). Other reports on basic reproductive characteristics of P. maximus seem to be incorrect. According to Merrett (1983), sexual maturity of male and female P. maximus is reached at 9���12 months, gestation is about 4 months, offspring are born with a body mass of 113 g, and weaning occurs at 4���6 weeks. Although these reproductive data have been widely cited, they are likely inaccurate for an armadillo species with the mass of P. maximus, and they cannot be substantiated in other scientific literature or from captive records because P. maximus has never reproduced in captivity (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015). Other armadillo species with similar litter size have birth weights of 6���7% of adult body mass (Superina and Loughry 2012); a neonatal P. maximus is therefore expected to have a body mass of 1.9���3.5 kg (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015). Generation length has been estimated at 6���10 years (Fonseca and Aguiar 2004) and 7 years (Anacleto et al. 2014), but both are very rough estimates given the lack of life-history data for P. maximus. Information on the duration of lactation provided by Neris et al. (2002) is uncertain because it seems to be based on anecdotal reports from indigenous tribes (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015). Nevertheless, it coincides with camera-trap photographs of a juvenile P. maximus estimated at 4���5 months of age that was repeatedly observed with its mother; several photographs taken 3 months later at an estimated age of 7���8 months showed the same individual without its mother, suggesting that weaning had occurred (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015). Parental care behavior was observed in another juvenile estimated at 7���8 months of age that shared the burrow with its mother but sometimes explored the surroundings alone (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015; Fig. 5). The female emerged from the burrow, inspected the environment by sniffing in bipedal posture, introduced its snout into the burrow entrance, and finally allowed its offspring to leave the burrow. The offspring then stood on its hind feet and supported its fore claws on its mother���s back for 2���5 min, a behavior that could be observed several times per day and may be interpreted as play behavior (Aya-Cuero et al. 2015). Adult P. maximus are presumably solitary most of the year, except during breeding and while a female rears her youngof-the-year. Videos of a wild female and her relatively young offspring emerging from a burrow (http://news.mongabay. com/2013/0219-hance-giant-armadillo-baby.html, accessed 27 August 2015) were filmed in February 2013 in Brazil. Next to nothing is known about sexual behavior of P. maximus, but recently a camera-trap image showed 2 adults apparently copulating, with the male mounting the female from the rear (photograph by Rachel Berzins, Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Guyana; http://www.une-saison-en-guyane. com/article/faune/piegage-photo-de-loncfs-sur-le-centre-spatial-guyanais/, accessed 6 November 2015). Camera-trap videos from Colombia show a female P. maximus digging for 30 min to open the entrance of an existing burrow and an offspring emerging (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q76K-txuWCo, accessed 19 October 2015). Aya-Cuero et al. (2015) hypothesized that the female left its offspring inside the burrow and closed the entrance to impede predator attacks. ECOLOGY Population characteristics. ���Little is known about population characteristics of Priodontes maximus. It has a widespread, discontinuous distribution and has never been numerous (Cabrera 1957; Meritt 2006). There are no longevity records of, Published as part of Carter, Tracy S., Superina, Mariella & Leslie, David M., 2016, Priodontes maximus (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae), pp. 21-34 in Mammalian Species 48 (932) on pages 22-30, DOI: 10.1093/mspecies/sew002, http://zenodo.org/record/4573372, {"references":["KERR, R. 1792. The animal kingdom or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus. class I. Mammalia: contain a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of Mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young; being a translation of that part of the Systema Naturae, as lately published, with great improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen, together with numerous additions from more recent zoological writers, and illustrated with copperplates. A. Strahan, T. Cadell, and W. Creech, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.","CUVIER, G. 1817. Le regne animal distribue d'apres son organisation: pour servir de base a l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction a l'anatomie comparee. Deterville, Paris, France.","BUFFON, G. L. le Clerc. 1763. Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere, avec la description du cabinet du Roi. L'Imprimerie Royale, Paris, France.","OLFERS, I. von. 1818. Bemerkungen zu Illiger's Ueberblick der Saugethiere, nach ihrer Vertheilung uber die Welttheile, rucksichtlich der Sudamericanischen Arten (Species). Pp. 192 - 237 in Journal von Brasilien, oder vermischte Nachrichten aus Brasilien, auf wissenschaftlichen Reisen gesammelt (W. L. Eschwege, ed.). Verlage des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs, Weimar, Germany.","LESSON, R. P. 1827. Manuel de mammalogie ou histoire naturelle des mammiferes. Roret, Paris, France.","GRAY, J. E. 1843. List of the specimens of Mammalia in the collection of the British Museum. British Museum (Natural History), London, United Kingdom.","OWEN, R. 1845. Odontography or, a treatise on the comparative anatomy of the teeth; their physiological relations, mode of development, and microscopic structure, in the invertebrate animal. Hippolyte Bailliere, London, United Kingdom.","GRAY, J. E. 1865. Revision of the genera and species of entomophagus Edentata, founded on the examination of the specimens in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1865: 359 - 386.","GRAY, J. E. 1869. Catalogue of carnivores, pachydermatous, and edentate Mammalia in the British Museum. British Museum (Natural History), London, United Kingdom.","FITZINGER, L. J. 1871. Die naturliche Familie der Gurteltiere (Dasypodes). I. Abtheilung. Sitzungsberichte der Mathematisch- Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 64: 209 - 276.","ALLEN, J. A. 1895. On the names of mammals given by Kerr in his \" Animal Kingdom, \" published in 1792. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 7: 179 - 192.","LARRANAGA, D. A. 1923. Escritos. Instituto Historico y Geografico del Uruguay, Montevideo 2: 1 - 512.","AZARA, F. de. 1802. Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los quadrupedos del Paraguay y Rio de la Plata. La Imprinta de la Viuda de Ibarra, Madrid, Spain 2: 2 (unnumbered), x + 1 - 328.","ALTRICHTER, M. 2006. Wildlife in the life of local people of the semi-arid Chaco. Biodiversity and Conservation 15: 2719 - 2736.","KRETZOI, M., AND M. KRETZOI. 2000. Fossilium catalogus. I: Animalia. Index generum et subgenerum mammalium. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands.","DESMAREST, A. G. 1804. Tatou (Dasypus), famille et genre de quadrupedes de l'ordre des Edentes, ayant pour caracteres: des dents molaires seulement; le corps couvert de tests ou de bandes ecailleuses, formant une cuirasse. Pp. 428 - 436 in Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquee aux arts, principalement a l'agriculture et a l'economie rurale et domestique: par une societe de naturalistes et d'agriculteurs: avec des figures tirees des trois regnes de la nature. Deterville, Paris, France.","CUVIER, F. 1825. Des dents de mammiferes, considerees comme caracteres zoologiques. F. G. Levrault, Paris, France.","LINNAEUS, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae, Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Sweden.","NOWAK, R. M. 1991. Walker's mammals of the world. 5 th ed. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.","KUHLHORN, F. 1939. Beziehungen zwischen Ernahrungsweise und Bau des Kauapparates bei einigen Gurteltier- und Ameisenbarenarten. Morphologisches Jahrbuch 84: 55 - 85.","MERITT, D. A., Jr. 1985. Naked-tailed armadillos, Cabassous sp. Pp. 389 - 391 in The evolution and ecology of armadillos, sloths, and vermilinguas (G. G. Montgomery, ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C.","MERITT, D. A., Jr. 2006. Research questions on the behavior and ecology of the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). Edentata 7: 30 - 33.","NOSS, A. J., R. PENA, AND D. I. RUMIZ. 2004. Camera trapping Priodontes maximus in the dry forests of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Endangered Species Update 21: 43 - 52.","MILNE, N., S. F. VIZCAINO, AND J. C. FERNICOLA. 2009. A 3 D geometric morphometric analysis of digging ability in the extant and fossil cingulate humerus. Journal of Zoology (London) 278: 48 - 56.","MERITT, D. A., Jr. 1973. Observations on the status of the giant armadillo, Priodontes giganteus, in Paraguay. Zoologica: Scientific Contributions of the New York Zoological Society 58: 103.","ANACLETO, T. C. S., J. A. F. D INIZ- FILHO, AND M. V. C. V ITAL. 2006. Estimating potential geographic ranges of armadillos (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) in Brazil under niche-based models. Mammalia 70: 202 - 213.","ANACLETO, T. C. S., F. MIRANDA, I. MEDRI, E. CUELLAR, A. M. ABBA, AND M. SUPERINA. 2014. Priodontes maximus. International Union for Conservation and Nature, Red List of Threatened Species, version 2014.3. www. iucnredlist. org. Accessed 7 January 2015.","MERITT, D. A., Jr. 2008. Xenarthrans of the Paraguayan Chaco. Pp. 294 - 299 in The biology of Xenarthra (S. F. Vizcaino and W. J. Loughry, eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville.","PORFIRIO, G. E. O., ET AL. 2012. New records of giant armadillo Priodontes maximus (Cingulata: Dasypodidae) at Serra do Amolar, Pantanal of Brazil. Edentata 13: 72 - 75.","MCNAB, B. K. 1980. Energetics and the limits to a temperate distribution in armadillos. Journal of Mammalogy 61: 606 - 627.","PARERA, A. 2002. Los mamiferos de la Argentina y la region austral de Sudamerica. El Ateneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.","MASSOIA, E., J. C. CHEBEZ, AND A. B OSSO. 2006. Los mamiferos silvestres de la provincia de Misiones, Argentina. Edicion de los autores, Buenos Aires, Argentina.","ABBA, A. M., M. F. TOGNELLI, V. P. SEITZ, J. B. BENDER, AND S. F. VIZCAINO. 2012. Distribution of extant xenarthrans (Mammalia: Xenarthra) in Argentina using species distribution models. Mammalia 76: 123 - 136.","CABRERA, A. 1957. Catalogo de los mamiferos de America del Sur. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales \" Bernardino Rivadavia \" 4: 1 - 732.","KURTEN, B. 1972. The age of mammals. Columbia University Press, New York.","ENGELMANN, G. F. 1985. The phylogeny of the Xenarthra. Pp. 51 - 64 in The evolution and ecology of armadillos, sloths, and vermilinguas (G. G. Montgomery, ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C.","DELSUC, F., M. CATZEFLIS, M. J. STANHOPE, AND E. J. P. DOUZERY. 2001. The evolution of armadillos, anteaters, and sloths depicted by nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenetics: implications for the status of the enigmatic fossil Eurotamandua. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B. Biological Sciences 268: 1605 - 1615.","DELSUC, F., ET AL. 2002. Molecular phylogeny of living xenarthrans and the impact of character and taxon sampling on the placental tree rooting. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19: 1656 - 1671.","CROFT, D. A., J. L. FLYNN, AND A. R. WYSS. 2007. A new basal glyptodontid and other Xenarthra of the early Miocene Chucal fauna, northern Chile. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27: 781 - 797.","DELSUC, F., ET AL. 2016. The phylogenetic affinities of the extinct glyptodonts. Current Biology Magazine 26: R 155 - R 156.","GIBB, G. C., ET AL. 2015. Shotgun mitogenomics provides a reference phylogenetic framework and timescale for living xenarthrans. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33: 621 - 642.","FERNICOLA, J. C., S. F. VIZCAINO, AND R. A. FARINA. 2008. The evolution of armored xenarthrans and a phylogeny of the glyptodonts. Pp. 79 - 85 in The biology of the Xenarthra (S. F. Vizcaino and W. J. Loughry, eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville.","EDMUND, G. 1985. The fossil giant armadillos of North America (Pampatheriinae, Xenarthra = Edentata). Pp. 83 - 93 in The evolution and ecology of armadillos, sloths, and vermilinguas (G. G. Montgomery, ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C.","CIONE, A. L., E. P. TONNI, AND L. SOIBELZON. 2009. Did humans cause the late Pleistocene-early Holocene mammalian extinctions in South America in a context of shrinking open areas. Pp. 125 - 144 in American megafaunal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene (G. Haynes, ed.). Springer, New York.","FIDALGO, F., R. O. GENTILE, AND H. A. CORREA. 1986. Geologia y geomorfologia en la Cuenca del Arroyo Tapalque. Provincia de Buenos Aires, Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas (CIC) Inf 30: 1 - 73.","BILLET, G., L. HAUTIER, AND R. LEBRUN. 2015. Morphological diversity of the bony labyrinth (inner ear) in extant Xenarthrans and its relation to phylogeny. Journal of Mammalogy 96: 658 - 672.","KRIEG, H. 1961. Das Verhalten der Gurteltiere (Dasypodidae). Pp. 24 - 31 in Handbuch der Zoologie, Band 8, Lieferung 27 (J. G. Helmcke, H. von Lengerken, and D. Starck, eds.). Walter de Gruyter & Company, Berlin, Germany.","CETICA, P. D., J. C. SASSAROLI, M. S. MERANI, AND A. SOLARI. 1993. Comparative spermatology in Dasypodidae (Priodontes maximus, Chaetophractus villosus & Dasypus hybridus). Biocell: International Journal of Biology 18: 89 - 103.","ANACLETO, T. C. S. 2007. Food habits of four armadillo species in the Cerrado area, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Zoological Studies 46: 529 - 537.","AFFANNI, J. M., E. LISOGORSKY, AND A. M. SCARAVILLI. 1972. Sleep in the giant South American armadillo Priodontes giganteus (Edentata, Mammalia). Experientia 28: 1046 - 1047.","KRIEG, H. 1929. Biologische Reisestudien in Sudamerika. IX: Gurteltiere. Zeitschrift fur Morphologie und Oekologie der Tiere 14: 166 - 190.","NERIS, N., F. COLMAN, E. OVELAR, N. SUKIGARA, AND N. ISHII. 2002. Guia de mamiferos medianos y grandes del Paraguay: distribucion, tendencia poblacional y utilizacion. Secretaria del Ambiente (SEAM), Asuncion, Paraguay.","MERRETT, P. K. 1983. Edentates: project for city and guilds animal management course. Zoological Trust of Guernsey, Guernsey, United Kingdom.","CARTER, T. 1985. Armadillos of Brazil. National Geographic Society Research Reports 20: 101 - 107.","CIVITA, R. 1970. Para salvar a pele, transformos-a em couraca. Os Bichos 9: 73.","BOLKOVIC, M. L., S. M. CAZIANI, AND J. J. PROTOMASTRO. 1995. Food habits of the three-banded armadillo (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) in the dry chaco, Argentina. Journal of Mammalogy 76: 1199 - 1204.","KUHLHORN, F. 1938. Das Riesengurteltier (Priodontes giganteus E. Geoffr.) als Anpassungsform. Der Zoologische Garten NF 10: 107 - 114.","KUHLHORN, F. 1952. Termitenfeinde. Natur und Volk 82: 4953.","BARRETO, M., P. BARRETO, AND A. D'ALESSANDRO. 1985. Colombian armadillos: stomach contents and infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Journal of Mammalogy 66: 188 - 193.","AZARA, F. de. 1801. Essais sur l'histoire naturelle des quadrupedes de la Province du Paraguay. Tome Second. Charles Pougens, Paris, France.","MCNAB, B. K. 1985. Energetics, population biology, and distribution of xenarthrans, living and extinct. Pp. 219 - 232 in The evolution and ecology of armadillos, sloths, and vermilinguas (G. G. Montgomery, ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C.","DINIZ, L., E. COSTA, AND P. OLIVEIRA. 1997. Clinical disorders in armadillos (Dasypodidae, Edentata) in captivity. Zentralblatt furVeterinarmedizin B 44: 577 - 582.","MIRANDA, F. R., R. H. F. TEIXEIRA, G. S. GAZETA, N. M. SERRA- FREIRE, AND M. AMORIM. 2010. Presence of Amblyomma cajennense in wild giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) of the Pantanal Matogrossense, Brazil. Edentata 11: 73 - 75.","BOTELHO, J. R., P. M. LINARDI, AND C. D. DA ENCARNACAO. 1989. Interrelacoes entre Acari Ixodidae e hospedeiros Edentata da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 84: 61 - 64.","LEEUWENBERG, F. 1997. Edentata as a food resource: subsistence hunting by Xavante Indians, Brazil. Edentata 3: 4 - 5.","DE SOUZA- MAZUREK, T. PEDRINHO, X. FELICIANO, W. HILARIO, S. GERONCIO, AND E. MARCELO. 2000. Subsistence hunting among the Waimiri Atroari Indians in central Amazonia, Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation 9: 579 - 596.","FALZONE, M. P., R. O. ZALAZAR, G. G. GACHEN, M. A. GAUBECA, AND A. G. PALMERIO. 2013. Immovilizacion quimica de tres tatu carreta (Priodontes maximus) en cautiverio. Edentata 14: 66 - 69.","CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA. 2015. Appendices. www. cites. org / eng / app / index. php. Accessed 31 July 2015.","MERITT, D. A., Jr. 1976. The nutrition of edentates. International Zoo Yearbook 16: 38 - 46.","CULLY, W. 1939. Day and night in the life of an armadillo. Bulletin of the New York Zoological Society 1939: 180 - 182.","OSTENRATH, F. 1974. Haltung von Riesengurteltieren (Priodontes giganteus) im Zoo Duisburg. Zeitschrift des Kolner Zoo 17: 145 - 146.","DELSUC, F., M. J. STANHOPE, AND E. J. P. DOUZERY. 2003. Molecular systematics of armadillos (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae): contribution of maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28: 261 - 275.","DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR. 1976. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Endangered status for 159 taxa of animals. Federal Register 40: 24062 - 24067.","PORINI, G. 2001. Tatu carreta (Priodontes maximus) in Argentina. Edentata 4: 9 - 14.","CHIARELLO, A. 2000. Influencia da caca ilegal sobre mamiferos e aves das matas de tabuleiro do norte do estado do Espirito Santo. Boletim do Museu de Biologia Mello Leitao (N. Ser.) 11 / 12: 229 - 247.","PACHECO, V. 2002. Mamiferos del Peru. Pp. 503 - 549 in Diversidad y conservacion de los mamiferos neotropicales (G. Ceballos and J. A. Simonetti, eds.). Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (CONABIO-UNAM), Mexico City, D. F., Mexico.","INSTITUTO CHICO MENDES DE CONSERVACAO DA BIODIVERSIDADE. 2015. Especies Ameacadas - Lista 2014. http: // www. icmbio. gov. br / portal / biodiversidade / fauna-brasileira / lista-de-especies. html. Accessed 17 August 2015.","ARITA, H., J. ROBINSON, AND K. REDFORD. 1990. Rarity in Neotropical forest mammals and its ecological correlates. Conservation Biology 4: 181 - 191.","LOUGHRY, W. J., M. SUPERINA, C. M. MCDONOUGH, AND A. M. ABBA. 2015. Research on armadillos: a review and prospectus. Journal of Mammalogy 96: 635 - 644."]}

The diel of the giant armadillo - Priodontes maximus (Kerr,1792) - was studied in the field at Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, through 82 samples collected at foraging excavations and 25 fecal samples. In both types of sample the most common item was insects (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) and, in less quantity, plant fragments and orhers invertebrates (Aranae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). These data suggest the giant armadillo is a specialist on insects with an opportunistic foraging strategy.

O nictemeral do tatu gigante - Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) - foi estudada no campo, na Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brasil, através de 82 amostras coletadas em escavações de forrageamento e 25 amostras de fezes. Em ambos os tipos de amostra do item mais comum foi a insetos (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) e, em menor quantidade, fragmentos vegetais e orhers invertebrados (Araneae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). Estes dados sugerem o tatu-canastra é um especialista em insetos com uma estratégia de forrageamento oportunista. _______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The diel of the giant armadillo - Priodontes maximus (Kerr,1792) - was studied in the field at Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, through 82 samples collected at foraging excavations and 25 fecal samples. In both types of sample the most common item was insects (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) and, in less quantity, plant fragments and orhers invertebrates (Aranae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). These data suggest the giant armadillo is a specialist on insects with an opportunistic foraging strategy.

Giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) are one of the most endangered mammals in the Gran Chaco. They are largely nocturnal, highly fossorial and solitary, characteristics that have limited the understanding of their behavior and ecology. We report on the results of a study of the structure of 32 giant armadillo burrows in 25,000 ha of semi-arid forest owned by Toba aborigines of Formosa, Argentina. Burrow entrances were on average 43 cm wide and 36 cm high and more likely to be facing west (24) than east (8). Los tatú carreta (Priodontes maximus) son uno de los mamíferos en mayor peligro de extinción del Gran Chaco. Son animales principalmente nocturnos, fosoriales y solitarios, características que han limitado el conocimiento sobre su comportamiento y ecología. Presentamos en este trabajo los resultados de un estudio para caracterizar la estructura de 32 cuevas de tatú carreta en 25,000 ha de bosques semi-áridos propiedad de comunidades Toba de Formosa, Argentina. Las entradas de las cuevas eran, en promedio, de 43 cm de ancho y 36 cm de alto, y estaban más frecuentemente orientadas hacia el oeste (24) que hacia el este (8). Fil: Ceresoli, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina Fil: Fernandez Duque, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos

Se recopilan los datos de distribución de Priodontes maximus en el Paraguay y se aportan nuevos registros de la Región Occidental del país. En la región Oriental, el último ejemplar con datos de referencia es de 1979, por lo que su presencia en dicha zona del país debe ser confirmada. Se analizan los factores que afectan la conservación de la especie, entre los que se destaca la pérdida y fragmentación del hábitat, con más de 700.000 hectáreas modificadas en el Chaco Paraguayo entre los años 2010-2012. Asimismo, se discute el efecto de la caza furtiva y se registra, por primera vez para el país, daños del tatú carreta a infraestructuras agropecuarias para el almacenamiento de agua, lo cual puede afectar la valoración de la especie. La tolerancia de P. maximus en tierras privadas y el desarrollo de estrategias articuladas entre instituciones ambientales, pobladores locales y productores se convierte en los grandes desafíos para la conservación de la especie. We collected data about the distribution of Priodontes maximus in Paraguay with new locality records in the western region of the country. In eastern region, the last scientific record is from 1979, so its presence in that area needs to be confirmed. We analyzed factors affecting the conservation of the species, standing out habitat loss and fragmentation, with over 700,000 hectares modified in the Chaco between the years 2010-2012. We discussed the effect of illegal poaching and provided the first recorded for the country of damage caused by giant armadillo to rural infrastructure for water storage. This situation may raise a change in the values assigned to the species. The tolerance of P. maximus on private lands and the development of strategies articulated between environmental institutions, local people and farmers becomes a big challenge for the conservation of the species.

The diel of the giant armadillo - Priodontes maximus (Kerr,1792) - was studied in the field at Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, through 82 samples collected at foraging excavations and 25 fecal samples. In both types of sample the most common item was insects (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) and, in less quantity, plant fragments and orhers invertebrates (Aranae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). These data suggest the giant armadillo is a specialist on insects with an opportunistic foraging strategy.

The diel of the giant armadillo - Priodontes maximus (Kerr,1792) - was studied in the field at Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, through 82 samples collected at foraging excavations and 25 fecal samples. In both types of sample the most common item was insects (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) and, in less quantity, plant fragments and orhers invertebrates (Aranae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). These data suggest the giant armadillo is a specialist on insects with an opportunistic foraging strategy.

Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792). In Linnaeus, Anim. Kingdom, p. 112. TYPE LOCALITY: French Guiana, "Cayenne." DISTRIBUTION: South America east of the Andes from N Venezuela and the Guianas south to Paraguay and N Argentina. STATUS: CITES - Appendix I; U.S. ESA - Endangered; IUCN - Vulnerable as P. giganteus. SYNONYMS: giganteus G. Fischer, 1814; gigas G. Cuvier, 1817; grandis Olfers, 1818., Published as part of Alfred L. Gardner, 1993, Order Xenarthra, pp. 63-68 in Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London :Smithsonian Institution Press on page 67, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7353136, {"references":["Cuvier, G. [Baron]. 1817. Le regne animal distribue d'apres son organisation, pour servir de base a l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction a l'anatomie comparee. vol. 1. Les mammiferes. Deterville, Paris, 540 pp.","Olfers, I. von. 1818. Bemerkungen zu Illiger's Ueberblick der Saugthiere nach ihrer Vertheilung uber die Welttheile, rucksichtich der Sudamericanischen Arten (Species). Abhandlung X in W. L. von Eschwege, Journal von Brasilien, odor vermischte Nachrichten aus Brasilien, auf wissenschaftlichen Reisen gesammelt. Heft 2 in F. Bertuch (ed.), Neue Bibliothek der wichtigsten Reisebeschreibungen zur Erweiterung der Erd- und Volkerkunde, Band 15: 192 - 237. Weimar."]}

Priodontes maximus Kerr, 1792. Anim. Kingdom, p. 112. TYPE LOCALITY: French Guiana, Cayenne. DISTRIBUTION: South America east of the Andes, from Venezuela to Guianas and Colombia, south to Salta, Formosa, Misiones and Chaco (N. Argentina). COMMENT: Includes giganteus; see Thomas, 1880, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1880:402; Allen, 1895, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 7: 187; Hershkovitz, 1959, J. Mammal., 40:350; Wetzel and Lovett, 1974, Univ. Conn. Occ. Pap. Biol. Sei. Ser., 2:209; Handley, 1976, Brigham Young Univ. Sei. Bull., 20(5): 44. PROTECTED STATUS: CITES - Appendix I as P. giganteus (=tnaximus). U.S. ESA - Endangered as P. maximus (^ giganteus). ISIS NUMBER: 5301407003007001001 as P. giganteus., Published as part of James H. Honacki, Kenneth E. Kinman & James W. Koeppl, 1982, Order Edentata, pp. 52-57 in Mammal Species of the World (1 st Edition), Lawrence, Kansas, USA :Alien Press, Inc. & The Association of Systematics Collections on page 56, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7352995, {"references":["Handley, C. O., Jr. 1976. Mammals of the Smithsonian Venezuelan Project. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series, 20: 1 - 91."]}