Myrmecophagidae, Gray, 1825
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.1206/00030090-417.1.1 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E587EC-FF97-FF90-7777-FDDF83E6FB64 |
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
scientific name |
Myrmecophagidae |
status |
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Three species of anteaters, the usual complement in intact Amazonian habitats, are found in the Yavarí-Ucayali interfluve: the pygmy anteater ( Cyclopes didactylus ), the giant anteater ( Myrmecophaga tridactyla ), and the tamandua ( Tamandua tetradactyla ). All are readily distinguished by obvious external characters ( Emmons, 1997), and their edentulous skulls are easily identified by nonoverlapping measurements and ratio variables (Wetzel, 1985a). Myrmecophaga and Tamandua are not currently known to be associated with any taxonomic problems, but molecular sequencing has revealed unexpectedly deep (Miocene) divergence within Cyclopes , which is currently thought to be monotypic. The genus Cyclopes is sometimes placed in its own family ( Cyclopedidae ; e.g., by Gardner, 2008), but the distinction seems phylogenetically pointless.
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