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A group of armadillos that were originally thought to be one species may actually be four separate species, research has found.

The nine-banded armadillo, the official state small mammal of Texas, may actually consist of four different species, one of which is new to science, according to a new journal article Systematic Biology.

This marks the first new armadillo species discovered in 30 years and means the armadillo species found in the US has a new name.

Armadillos are small mammals with distinctive armor-like shells made of bony plates and covered with leathery skin that provides protection from predators. The Nine-Banded Battleship –Dasypus novemcinctus— believed to occur between the central US and Argentina, having expanded its range from South America into Central America and the US, as far north as Illinois and Nebraska.

Using DNA and museum samples, the researchers revealed that what was thought to be one species made up of different subspecies was actually four very similar but genetically different armadillo species.

“It was widely accepted that the nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, ranges from northern Argentina all the way to southern Illinois, but in recent years some scientists have put forward evidence that it is actually a multi-species complex,” study co-author Frédéric Delsuc, research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, said. said in a statement.

“By studying the DNA of armadillos from across this range, we’ve compiled a very detailed genomic analysis that makes us very confident that they are actually four species.”

The armadillo, found in the US, including Texas, has now been promoted to subspecies Dasypus novemcinctus mexicanus to a species in itself, Dasypus mexicanusor the Mexican long-nosed armadillo.

The new species—discovered in a region of northeastern South America known as the Guiana Shield—was previously a non-species subspecies and is now the newest species of armadillo, called the Guiana long-nosed armadillo, or Dasypus guianensis.

“With the new classification, the armadillo found in the United States should now be called the Mexican long-nosed armadillo,” co-author Anderson Feijo, assistant curator of mammals at the Field Museum of Chicago’s Negaunee Center for Integrative Studies, said in a statement. “The new species, the Guiana long-nosed armadillo, is the first armadillo described in 30 years.”

All four species look incredibly similar to each other, which is why scientists have not yet realized that they are genetically separated.

“They are almost impossible to distinguish in the field,” Delsuk said.

The discovery was made thanks to DNA analysis and a thorough study of the physical features of the armadillos in their range.

“Museums were crucial to the research,” Feijo said. “Most of the specimens were collected before all these DNA molecular techniques were available. So in addition to museum collections, which are valuable for the research that’s going on at the time the specimen is collected, it can be used in the future for things we can’t even predict.”

Knowing that there are four distinct species can help researchers in conservation efforts.

“Now that we know there are four different species, we can also expect that they have their own ecological requirements that may not be the same,” Feijo said. “Sometimes biologists move individuals from one area to another to repopulate. Because they are different species, with potentially different needs, they will not be able to integrate.

“This discovery completely changes the way we think about the conservation of these species and the way we think about how endangered they are.”

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