Calyptophractus retusus (Cingulata: Dasypodidae)

Abstract

Calyptophractus retusus (Burmeister, 1863), commonly called the greater fairy armadillo, is a small armadillo in a monotypic genus. It is a poorly known, fossorial species with a reduced eye and ear, fixed carapace and greatly enlarged foreclaws adapted for digging. The species is confined to the Chaco region of northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southern Bolivia where it is apparently locally distributed in areas with soft, sandy soils. The species is considered "Data Deficient" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.