New Records of Bradypus torquatus (Pilosa: Bradypodidae) from Southern Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

One of the main threats to the survival of the endangered maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) is its relatively restricted geographic range, especially in comparison with the other mainland species of the genus (Aguiar and Fonseca, 2008; Chiarello, 2008). This range is basically restricted to the coastal Atlantic Forest between eastern Rio de Janeiro and southern Sergipe (Fonseca and Aguiar, 2004; Lara-Ruiz and Chiarello, 2005), and thus also coincides with the region of Brazil with the longest history of European colonization and deforestation (Dean, 1995). Furthermore, there is some evidence of the existence of three geographically and genetically distinct populations in Bahia, Esp�rito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro (Lara-Ruiz et al., 2008) which may even represent separate taxa (Fonseca and Aguiar, 2004).