Resumo

PEREIRA JUNIOR, Hélio Rubens Jacintho; JORGE, Wilham  e  COSTA, Maria Elvira Loyola Teixeira da. Chromosome study of Anteaters (Myrmecophagideae, Xenarthra): a preliminary report. Genet. Mol. Biol. [online]. 2004, vol.27, n.3, pp. 391-394. ISSN 1415-4757.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1415-47572004000300014.

Anteaters belong to the Order Xenarthra / Family Myrmecophagidae and are the only members without teeth. There are three genera with four living species in the family Myrmecophagidae: Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater), Tamandua tetradactyla (southern lesser anteater), Tamandua mexicana (northern lesser anteater), and Cyclopes didactylus (silky anteater). The karyotypes of M. tridactyla (2n = 60), T. tetradactyla (2n = 54) and C. didactylus (2n = 64) have already been described. In the present paper, three female and two male specimens of giant anteater and one lesser anteater male were analyzed. The results indicate the existence of a new karyotype in the genus Tamandua, with 2n = 56 chromosomes, which can represent a new lesser anteater species. The karyotype of M. tridactyla was also described, supporting previous reports.

Palavras-chave : Anteater; chromosomes; Myrmecophagidae.