Keyword: Northwestern Argentina

Las mulitas (Mammalia, Dasypodidae, Dasypus) del noroeste argentino fueron separadas en una especie particular, Dasypus mazzai Yepes, 1933. Revisores posteriores la sinonimizan a D. novemcinctus y atribuyen otros ejemplares a D. septemcinctus y D. hybridus. La obtención de nuevos ejemplares permitió su comparación con los ya conocidos y la realización de un análisis multivariado. Se concluye que el holotipo de D. mazzai corresponde a un ejemplar de D. novemcinctus pero que otros especímenes estudiados pertenecen a una nueva especie.

Specific identification of the “mulitas”, Dasypus L. (Mammalia, Dasypodidae), from northwestern Argentina, with a description of a new species. The purpose of this contribution is to establish the specific identity of the “mulitas” (Mammalia, Dasypodidae, Dasypus) from northwestern Argentina. They were regarded as an independent species, Dasypus mazzai, by Yepes (1933). Later Hamlett (1939) and Wetzel and Modolfi (1979) considered that the holotype was a young D. novemcinctus, so D. mazzai became a junior synonym of this species. Hamlett (1939) recognized that the paratype could be a different species but he didn’t nominate it. The holotype and paratype of D. mazzai were studied and compared with new specimens. Numerical techniques were used to analyze the variation observed. A cluster analysis (unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages, UPGMA) and an ordination method (Principal Coordinate Analysis, CCA) were performed. In each analysis the specimens studied appear well differentiated from other species of the genus. A new species, Dasypus yepesi n. sp., is thus described.