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Climatic Similarity of Extant and Extinct Dasypus Armadillos

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Abstract

The similar geographic distributions of an extinct (Dasypus bellus) and an extant (D. novemcinctus) armadillo species have long been of interest to scholars because of the unresolved phylogeny. The relationship between the two species has been investigated through morphological and phylogenetic studies, whereas the ecological perspective has been overlooked, the importance of which is more and more acknowledged in speciation events. Here, we used ecological niche models to study the climatic niche similarity of three species of Dasypus (D. bellus, D. novemcinctus, and D. kappleri) and provide new insights on the relationship among them. The climatic niche similarity was compared in two ways: hindcast of ecological niche models based on occurrences and climatic layers, and direct niche boundary comparison along bioclimatic axes. The fossil records of D. bellus were not predicted suitable by the ecological niche models of the two extant armadillos. The direct comparison of niche boundary showed that D. bellus lived in colder and relative dryer climates, with high temperature variation and low precipitation variation. Our results did not support the previously assumed ecological similarity of D. bellus and D. novemcinctus based on their geographic distributions and emphasized the possibility of a cold adapted characteristic of the life history of D. bellus.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Punidan D. Jeyasingh, Peter Pearman, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 501 LSW, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Xiao Feng & Monica Papeş

  2. Department of Biology, University of the Mato Grosso State, Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, CEP, 78690-000, Brazil

    Teresa Cristina S. Anacleto

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Feng, X., Anacleto, T.C.S. & Papeş, M. Climatic Similarity of Extant and Extinct Dasypus Armadillos. J Mammal Evol 24, 193–206 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-016-9336-y

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