Cyclopes didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Cyclopedidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 99-102 : 100-101

2.

Common Silky Anteater

Cyclopes didactylus

French: Myrmidon didactyle / German: Gemeiner Zwergameisenbar / Spanish: Oso hormiguero sedoso comun

Taxonomy. Myrmecophaga didactyla Linnaeus, 1758 , “America australi.” Restricted by O. Thomas in 1911 to Suriname .

Cyclopes didactylus lacks a holotype specimen. It is generally agreed that Linnaeus based his description on a plate by Albertus Seba (1734), although a specimen in the Museum Adolphi Friderici, described in a published catalog of the Sweden King’s collection, is also mentioned. F. R. Miranda and colleagues in 2017 reviewed the taxonomy of the genus Cyclopes using an integrative approach that combined morphological, morphometric, and molecular data and recognized seven full species based on morphology, size variation, and patterns of coloration. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Colombia, E & S Venezuela, Trinidad I, the Guianas, and N & NE Brazil.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.201-205 mm, tail 165-295 mm, ear 10-18 mm, hindfoot 30-50 mm; weight ¢.300 g. The Common Silky Anteater is the smallest extant anteater, and it can be easily identified based on external and cranial characteristics. General color of dorsum and venter is brownish yellow, with gray rump,

legs, and tail. Dorsal stripe is irregular but distinctive, with dorsal and ventral black stripes evident.

Habitat. Evergreen tropical, mangrove, and secondary forests. The north-eastern subpopulation of the Common Silky Anteater is restricted to tropical moist lowland forests in the Atlantic Forest biome. It has been observed in habitats of red mangrove ( Rhizophora , Rhizophoraceae ) and white mangrove ( Laguncularia , Combretaceae ).

Food and Feeding. The Common Silky Anteater is an opportunistic forager. Its diet consists almost entirely of ants. Studies indicate that they feed on species from the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae and the ant genera Camponotus, Crematogaster, Pheidole, Procryptocerus, Pseudomymex, Solenopsis, Zacryptocerus, and Coleoptera; coccinellid beetles are also eaten. No termites have been identified in any dietary study.

Breeding. Gestation lasts 120-150 days. Female Common Silky Anteaters normally give birth to single young once a year, usually in September-November. Young remain with their mothers until they are about three-quarters of hersize.

Activity patterns. The Common Silky Anteater is nocturnal and arboreal, and it very rarely descends to the ground. Most nocturnal activity and daytime resting sites are on or among small stems, vines, and lianas. It has a low metabolic rate, low body temperatures, and reduced ability to thermoregulate.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little information available, but population density has been estimated at 4-6-5-5 ind/km® on a mangrove swamp on Trinidad Island.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The disjunct “Northeastern Brazil subpopulation” of the Common Silky Anteater is classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Nevertheless, the recent separation of this taxon into seven different species makes reevaluation of their conservation status necessary. Small size and nocturnal and unobtrusive habits protect the Common Silky Anteater from extensive hunting, but it does suffer from habitat loss. Destruction and fragmentation of its habitat are advancing swiftly throughoutits distribution and might have caused local extinctions.

Bibliography. Best & Harada (1985), Bhagratty et al. (2013), Fonseca & Aguiar (2004), Gardner (2008), Hayssen et al. (2012), Miranda, Casali et al. (2017), Miranda, Meritt et al. (2014), Miranda, Veloso et al. (2009), Montgomery (1985b, 1985¢c), Thomas (1911b), Vesey-FitzGerald (1936).

Figures

1. Central American Silky Anteater (Cyclopes dorsalis), 2. Common Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), 3. Rio Negro Silky Anteater (Cyclopes ida), 4. Thomas's Silky Anteater (Cyclopes thomasi), 5. Red Silky Anteater (Cyclopes rufus), 6. Xingu Silky Anteater (Cyclopes xinguensis), 7. Amboro Silky Anteater (Cyclopes catellus)

Distribution. E Colombia, E & S Venezuela, Trinidad I, the Guianas, and N & NE Brazil.