Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, 1758 . Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1:34.

TYPE LOCALITY: West Indies .

DISTRIBUTION: S. Atlantic and Caribbean coasts from Virginia (U.S.A.) and West Indies to Sergipe (formerly to Espirito Santo), (Brazil); Orinoco and Magdalena river systems.

COMMENT: Includes latirostris; see Hatt, 1934, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 66:533-566. Range appears disjunct N. and S. of Amazon estuaries, where inunguis occurs; see Domning, 1981, Biol. Conserv., 19:85-97. Reviewed by Husar, 1978, Mamm. Species, 93:1- 5. Type locality restricted by Thomas, 1911, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1911: 132.

PROTECTED STATUS: CITES - Appendix I and U.S. ESA - Endangered.

ISIS NUMBER: 5301417002001002001.