Black-fronted titi monkey

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Black-fronted titi [1]
Callicebus nigrifrons Minas Gerais.jpg
Black-fronted titi in Prados, Brazil
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Pitheciidae
Genus: Callicebus
Species:
C. nigrifrons
Binomial name
Callicebus nigrifrons
(Spix, 1823)
Black-fronted Titi area.png
Black-fronted titi range

The black-fronted titi monkey (Callicebus nigrifrons) is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey.

Contents

The black-fronted titi is a small diurnal primate. [3] The body of this primate is covered in grey to brown fur with black fur concentrated around the face, the tail is slightly orange in color. [4] [5] Body weight ranges from 1–2 kilograms (2.2–4.4 lb) and the head-body length is around 270–450 millimeters (11–18 in). [4] This species does not exhibit sexual dimorphism. [5] Members of this species can live up to 12 years of age in captivity. [6]

Habitat and distribution

The black-fronted titi is endemic to the Atlantic forest region of Brazil [7] [8] [4] and has a home range averaging 20 hectares (49 acres). [8] The black-fronted titi is arboreal and prefers the middle to upper canopy of the forest. [5] However, it will move to the forest floor at times to forage, travel, and play. [9] Play behavior on the forest floor has been documented between black-fronted titis and marmosets in Brazil. [10]

Ecology

Diet

The diet of the black-fronted titi is frugivorous and they forage in dense vegetation. [5] They are also known to eat leaves, seeds, invertebrates, and flowers. [7] [11] [8] Due to their highly frugivorous diet, they play a key role in seed dispersion. [12]

Predation

Predators of the black-fronted titi include the harpy eagle, owls, hawks, falcons, tayra, jaguarundi, ocelot, margay, oncilla, pumas, jaguars, large snakes, and other, larger primates (such as howler monkeys). [5] [3] Black-fronted titis are particularly vulnerable to harpy eagle attacks when they move to the upper portion of the canopy to sunbathe on cold mornings. [5] After detecting a raptor, black-fronted titis alert the surrounding area quickly through alarm calls before hiding. [5]

Behaviour

Black-fronted titi pair Parque das aguas , Sao Lourenco, MG, Brasil 04.jpg
Black-fronted titi pair

The black-fronted titi is socially monogamous [13] [5] [4] and is typically found in a group of two to six individuals, which includes the adult pair and their offspring. [9] [4] Females give birth to one offspring per year, usually in July or August. [14] Parental care and social activities with the offspring are carried out by the male of this species, while the female only provides milk. [14] Both males and females disperse from their natal group at three years of age. [9]

The black-fronted titi is territorial and will defend territories, food resources, and mates with loud calls individually or in duets or choruses. [8] [9] Loud calls are used for within and between group communication and have a high amplitude and a low frequency which allows them to be heard over long distances. [15] Loud calls are broadcast at dawn and when titis see or hear another group. [8] When confronted by a predator, duets and choruses can last up to two hours, with group members alternating between soft and loud calls. [16] There are no sex differences in calling behavior during predator interactions, both males and females will call. [5] The black-fronted titi can produce calls which encode the predator type (aerial or terrestrial) and predator location to nearby conspecifics. [17]

Characteristic of the Callicebinae subfamily, black-fronted titis can be observed with interwoven tails, a behavior thought to reinforce pair bonds and strengthen social relationships. [18] [19] [20]

Conservation

The black-fronted titi is classified as near threatened by the IUCN due to extensive habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and an estimated population decline of more than 20% in the past 24 years. [9] Small, isolated populations are common due to fragmentation and in some areas this has led to the species going locally extinct. [4] Noise pollution can also negatively impact this species. One study found that noise from mining operations restricted the black-fronted titis long-distance communication due to the overlap in frequency between mining noise and loud calls, this is significant for a species that relies heavily on vocal communication in social interactions. [8]

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 144. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Jerusalinsky, L.; de Melo, F.R.; Mittermeier, R.A.; Quadros, S.; Rylands, A.B. (2020). "Callicebus nigrifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T39943A17973667. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T39943A17973667.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 Caselli, Christini B.; Gestich, Carla C.; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B. (1 August 2017). "Sleeping above the enemy: Sleeping site choice by black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons )" . American Journal of Primatology. 79 (10): e22688. doi:10.1002/ajp.22688. ISSN   0275-2565. PMID   28763579. S2CID   3863454.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 dos Santos, Glênio Pereira; Galvão, Cristiane; Young, Robert J. (5 February 2012). "The diet of wild black-fronted titi monkeys Callicebus nigrifrons during a bamboo masting year" . Primates. 53 (3): 265–272. doi:10.1007/s10329-012-0295-5. ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   22311072. S2CID   16700262.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cäsar, Cristiane (2012). Anti-predator behaviour of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons). University of St Andrews. OCLC   806194348.
  6. Berthet, Mélissa; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Duvot, Guilhem; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Cäsar, Cristiane; Bicca-Marques, Júlio Cèsar (5 October 2021). "Dramatic decline in a titi monkey population after the 2016–2018 sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in Brazil". American Journal of Primatology. 83 (12): e23335. doi:10.1002/ajp.23335. hdl: 10023/26129 . ISSN   0275-2565. PMID   34609763. S2CID   238356438.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  7. 1 2 Caselli, Christini Barbosa; Setz, Eleonore Zulnara Freire (23 August 2011). "Feeding ecology and activity pattern of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons) in a semideciduous tropical forest of southern Brazil" . Primates. 52 (4): 351–359. doi:10.1007/s10329-011-0266-2. ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   21861115. S2CID   23317950.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Duarte, M. H. L.; Kaizer, M. C.; Young, R. J.; Rodrigues, M.; Sousa-Lima, R. S. (11 September 2017). "Mining noise affects loud call structures and emission patterns of wild black-fronted titi monkeys" . Primates. 59 (1): 89–97. doi:10.1007/s10329-017-0629-4. ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   28894994. S2CID   22866221.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Berthet, Mélissa; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Duvot, Guilhem; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Cäsar, Cristiane; Bicca-Marques, Júlio Cèsar (5 October 2021). "Dramatic decline in a titi monkey population after the 2016–2018 sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in Brazil". American Journal of Primatology. 83 (12): e23335. doi:10.1002/ajp.23335. hdl: 10023/26129 . ISSN   0275-2565. PMID   34609763. S2CID   238356438.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  10. Souza-Alves, João Pedro; Mourthe, Italo; Hilário, Renato R.; Bicca-Marques, Júlio César; Rehg, Jennifer; Gestich, Carla C.; Acero-Murcia, Adriana C.; Adret, Patrice; Aquino, Rolando; Berthet, Mélissa; Bowler, Mark (1 October 2019). "Terrestrial Behavior in Titi Monkeys (Callicebus, Cheracebus, and Plecturocebus): Potential Correlates, Patterns, and Differences between Genera". International Journal of Primatology. 40 (4): 553–572. doi:10.1007/s10764-019-00105-x. hdl: 10923/19198 . ISSN   1573-8604. S2CID   201671105.
  11. Nagy-Reis, Mariana B.; Setz, Eleonore Z. F. (2 August 2016). "Foraging strategies of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons) in relation to food availability in a seasonal tropical forest". Primates. 58 (1): 149–158. doi: 10.1007/s10329-016-0556-9 . ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   27485746. S2CID   20019302.
  12. Gestich, Carla Cristina; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B.; Caselli, Christini Barbosa (October 2019). "From dropping to dropping: The contribution of a small primate to seed dispersal in Atlantic Forest" . Acta Oecologica. 100 103464. Bibcode:2019AcO...10003464G. doi:10.1016/j.actao.2019.103464. ISSN   1146-609X. S2CID   202854598.
  13. Souza-Alves, João Pedro; Caselli, Christini B.; Gestich, Carla C.; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B. (20 February 2019). "Should I store, or should I sync? The breeding strategy of two small Neotropical primates under predictable resource availability" . Primates. 60 (2): 113–118. doi:10.1007/s10329-019-00716-1. ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   30788624. S2CID   67788608.
  14. 1 2 Cäsar, Cristiane; Young, Robert John (16 October 2007). "A case of adoption in a wild group of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons)" . Primates. 49 (2): 146–148. doi:10.1007/s10329-007-0066-x. ISSN   0032-8332. PMID   17938856. S2CID   11927244.
  15. Caselli, Christini; Mennill, Daniel; Bicca-Marques, Júlio César; Setz, Eleonore (3 March 2014). "Vocal behavior of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons): Acoustic properties and behavioral contexts of loud calls" . American Journal of Primatology. 76 (8): 788–800. doi:10.1002/ajp.22270. PMID   24591251. S2CID   24816221.
  16. Narbona Sabaté, Lara; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Dezecache, Guillaume; Cäsar, Cristiane; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Berthet, Mélissa (9 January 2022). "Animal linguistics in the making: the Urgency Principle and titi monkeys' alarm system". Ethology Ecology & Evolution. 34 (3): 378–394. Bibcode:2022EtEcE..34..378N. doi:10.1080/03949370.2021.2015452. hdl: 10023/26711 . ISSN   0394-9370. S2CID   248421107.
  17. Cäsar, Cristiane; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Young, Robert J.; Byrne, Richard W. (23 October 2013). "Titi monkey call sequences vary with predator location and type". Biology Letters. 9 (5): 20130535. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0535. PMC   3971693 . PMID   24004492.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  18. Moynihan, M. (1966). "Communication in the Titi monkey, Callicebus" . Journal of Zoology. 150 (1): 77–127. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1966.tb02999.x. ISSN   1469-7998.
  19. "Titi monkey". Smithsonian's National Zoo. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  20. Bezerra, BM; Ferrari, S; Boyle, SA; Veiga, LM (August 2009). "Pitheciine Action Group Newsletter" (PDF). p. 13. Retrieved 9 February 2022.