Distribution of armadillos in Colombia, with an analysis of ecoregions and protected areas inhabited

Abstract

The Cingulata is an ancient order of mammals restricted to the Americas that includes 20 extant armadillo species. Only limited information is available about the six species that occur in Colombia. The objective of the present study was to update their distribution, determine which ecoregions they inhabit, and assess the proportion of their range contained within protected areas. Records were compiled from the literature (theses, scientific articles, books, congress abstracts, environmental impact studies), scientific collections, databases, research institutions, authorities, and independent researchers. A total of 1389 records were validated and mapped. The resulting range maps were compared with those of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and overlaid with maps of protected areas and of terrestrial ecoregions. Armadillos occur in nearly the entire country. The range of Dasypus sabanicola, Cabassous unicinctus, and C. centralis is larger, and that of D. kappleri smaller, than previously thought. Only one ecoregion, the Cordillera Oriental montane forest, is inhabited by all six species, but it represents a low proportion of their range. Five species occur in the Llanos, Apure-Villavicencio dry forests, and Negro-Branco moist forests, with the Llanos being the primary ecoregion for the Near Threatened D. sabanicola. The proportion of the species range lying within protected areas is low in all species, and as low as 3.4% in the case of D. sabanicola, which is clearly insufficient to protect its populations. Complementary strategies are needed to ensure the long-term conservation of the armadillos of Colombia.