Texas’ state mammal gets a new name

A group of armadillos originally thought to be a single species may actually be four separate species, research has revealed.

The nine-banded armadillo, the small state mammal of Texas, may actually be made up of four distinct species, one of which is new to science, according to a new journal paper. Systematic biology.

This marks the first new species of armadillo discovered in 30 years and means that the armadillo species found in the US has a new name.

Armadillos are small mammals with special armor-like shells made of bony plates and covered with leathery skin, providing protection from predators. Nine-banded armadillo-Dasypus novemcinctus– thought to be found between the central United States and Argentina, having expanded its range from South America to Central America and the US, as far north as Illinois and Nebraska.

Using DNA and museum samples, researchers have discovered that what was thought to be a single species made up of different subspecies is actually four very similar but genetically distinct armadillo species.

“It was widely accepted that the nine-generation armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, ranges from northern Argentina to southern Illinois, but in recent years, some scientists have presented evidence that this is actually a complex of many different species,” study co-author Frédéric Delsuc, a research director at the National Center for Scientific Research ( CNRS) in France, it said in a statement.

“By studying armadillo DNA from across this range, we’ve put together a very detailed genomic analysis that makes us very confident that they are actually four species.”

The armadillo found in the US, including Texas, has now been promoted from the subspecies Dasypus novemcinctus mexicanus for a separate species, Dasypus mexicanusor the Mexican long-nosed armadillo.

The new species – found in a region of northeastern South America known as the Guiana Shield – was not previously a subspecies and is now the newest species of armadillo, called the Guiana long-nosed armadillo, or Dasypus guianensis.

“With the new classification, the armadillo found in the United States should now be called the Mexican long-nosed armadillo,” the statement said. “The new species, the Guiana long-nosed armadillo, is the first armadillo described in 30 years.”

The four species look remarkably similar to each other, which is why scientists hadn’t yet realized they were genetically separate.

“They’re almost impossible to spot on the field,” Delsuc said.

The discovery was made thanks to DNA analysis and an in-depth investigation of the physical features of armadillos across their range.

“Museums were crucial to the study,” Feijó said. “Most specimens were collected before all these molecular DNA techniques were available. So, in addition to museum collections being valuable for research that is being done at the time a specimen is collected, it can be used in the future for things we can’t even predict”.

Knowing that there are four distinct species can help researchers in conservation efforts.

“Now that we know there are four different species, we can also expect that they have their own ecological requirements that may not be the same,” said Feijó. “Sometimes, biologists bring individuals from one area to another to repopulate. Since they are different species, with potentially different needs, they will not be able to integrate.

“This discovery completely changes the way we think about the conservation of these species and the way we think about how threatened they are.”

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