NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Silky Anteater
Cyclopes didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Distribution of Cyclopes species. C. dorsalis in orange, C. ida in brown, C. didactylus in green, C. xinguensis in purple, C. thomasi in blue, C. rufus in yellow, C. catellus in red.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The common silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), also known as the pygmy anteater, is a species of anteater in the genus Cyclopes. It has nocturnal habits and appears to be completely arboreal; its hind feet are highly modified for climbing. It was formerly considered the only member of Cyclopes until a taxonomic review in 2017, including both molecular and morphological evidence, found that Cyclopes may actually comprise at least seven species.
Wikipedia contributors, Common silky anteater; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:46:42.271977+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cyclopes didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Silky Anteater
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Pilosa
- Family
- Cyclopedidae
- Genus
- Cyclopes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderPilosa Flower, 1883
- suborderVermilingua Illiger, 1811
- familyCyclopedidae Pocock, 1924
- genusCyclopes Gray, 1821
- speciesCyclopes didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cyclopes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cyclopes rufus Miranda, Casali, Perini, Machado & Santos, 2017 | CyclopedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cyclopes thomasi Miranda, Casali, Perini, Machado & Santos, 2017 | CyclopedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cyclopes catellus Thomas, 1928 | CyclopedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cyclopes dorsalis (Gray, 1865) | CyclopedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cyclopes xinguensis Miranda, Casali, Perini, Machado & Santos, 2017 | CyclopedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Myrmecophaga monodactyla Kerr, 1792 Kerr, 1792 | synonym |
| Myrmecophaga didactyla Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Myrmecophaga unicolor Desmarest, 1822 Desmarest, 1822 | synonym |
| Cyclopes didactylus melini Lönnberg, 1928 Lönnberg, 1928 | synonym |
| Cyclopes didactylus didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=624910 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32VDS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.