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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.26.762017

Note on a Small Chlamyphoridae (Xenarthra, Cingulata) from the Amazon, Brazil

Chahud, A.
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Abstract

The Awa-Guaja are one of the last hunter-gatherer peoples in the world and live in Indigenous reserves in northwestern Maranhao, Brazil. The Guaja Ethnographic Collection consists of animal remains found during excavations of the community s refuse areas, conducted between 1987 and 1990. This study presents a taxonomic reassessment of a small Cingulata specimen from this collection. The specimen, previously identified as Euphractus sexcinctus, consists of a complete right femur whose taxonomic identity was reevaluated through comparative morphological and metric analyses using specimens from scientific collections and data from the specialized literature. The results revealed that the femur is smaller than those observed in individuals of E. sexcinctus and exhibits a combination of anatomical features resembling those found in the genera Chaetophractus, Cabassous, and Euphractus. Despite these similarities, the observed morphological differences do not allow a reliable identification at the genus level. Therefore, the specimen was provisionally assigned to the family Chlamyphoridae, and its identification was retained at the family level.

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Chahud, A.. 2026-10-29. Note on a Small Chlamyphoridae (Xenarthra, Cingulata) from the Amazon, Brazil. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.26.762017

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