Madidi titi monkey

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Madidi titi
Plecturocebus aureipalatii.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Pitheciidae
Genus: Plecturocebus
Species:
P. aureipalatii
Binomial name
Plecturocebus aureipalatii
(Wallace, Gómez, A. M. Felton, & A. Felton, 2006) [2]
Synonyms

Callicebus aureipalatiiWallace, Gómez, A. M. Felton, & A. Felton, 2006 [2]

Contents

The Madidi titi monkey, also known as the GoldenPalace.com monkey or the golden palace monkey, is a titi, a kind of New World monkey, discovered in western Bolivia's Madidi National Park in 2004. [3] Its scientific name is Plecturocebus aureipalatii, [2] the specific epithet meaning "of the Golden Palace", in reference to GoldenPalace.com, an online casino which paid US$650,000 to have the species named after it, with benefits going toward the nonprofit organization that maintains the park where the titi was discovered. [3] [4]

Distribution

The species was discovered in low-lying lands of northwestern Bolivia, in the forest at the foot of the Andes. Studies indicate that it inhabits the western bank of the river Beni. The extension to the east and north of its range is not known. Preliminary studies indicate that the species is not endemic to Bolivia, with habitats that may extend to the south of Peru (at least to the Tambopata River). [1] [5]

Description

The Madidi titi has orange-brown fur, a characteristic golden crown, a white tip to its tail, and dark red hands and feet. Like other titis, it is monogamous, mating for life. A pair maintains a territory against rival pairs primarily through territorial calling. The male usually carries the infants until they can survive on their own.

Discovery

British biologist Robert Wallace of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bolivian biologist Humberto Gómez first spotted the monkey in 2000 when they were studying the animals of Madidi National Park. [6] [7] It became the first primate species to have been discovered in Bolivia in the last 60 years when it was given status as a new species in 2006 after years of studies. [7] [8] The field expedition team, consisting of Annika M. Felton, Adam Felton, and Ernesto Cáceres, were the first researchers to film and record this species, previously unknown to science. Rather than choosing a name themselves, Wallace, his team, and WCS auctioned off the naming rights to raise funds for FUNDESNAP (Fundación para el Desarrollo del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas), the nonprofit organization that maintains Madidi National Park. [3] The online casino GoldenPalace.com, one of over a dozen bidders, paid US$650,000 to have the species named after them. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitheciidae</span> Family of mammals

The Pitheciidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. Formerly, they were included in the family Atelidae. The family includes the titis, saki monkeys and uakaris. Most species are native to the Amazon region of Brazil, with some being found from Colombia in the north to Bolivia in the south.

GoldenPalace.com is an online casino that operates under a license granted by CIGA. They are known for their publicity stunts and large "bonuses" that had to be wagered up to fifty times before claiming. On several occasions, this led to controversy when the site refused to pay players seen to be only playing to claim the free money, and not for the entertainment value. One key incident led to the site's former software provider, Microgaming, terminating their agreement. This led GoldenPalace and its sister casinos to move to rival Playtech in 2003; since 2013, it uses provider IGSONLINE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titi monkey</span> Subfamily of New World monkeys

The titis, or titi monkeys, are New World monkeys of the subfamily Callicebinae, which contains three extant genera: Cheracebus, Callicebus, and Plecturocebus. This subfamily also contains the extinct genera Miocallicebus, Homunculus, and Carlocebus.

<i>Callicebus</i> Genus of New World monkeys

Callicebus is a genus of monkeys known as titi monkeys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-coated titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The white-coated titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hershkovitz's titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

Hershkovitz's titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. The common name is in reference to American zoologist Philip Hershkovitz, who described the species as Callicebus dubius in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-eared titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The white-eared titi monkey also known as the Bolivian titi or Bolivian gray titi, is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from eastern Bolivia and an area of western Brazil. The species has a range that extends east from the Manique River in Beni Department, Bolivia to southern Rondônia in Brazil. The southern end of its range includes forests around the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The brown titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is endemic to Brazil. It was originally described as Callicebus brunneus in 1842 and transferred to the newly erected genus Plecturocebus in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Bernhard's titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

Prince Bernhard's titi monkey, also called the zog-zog monkey, is a species of titi monkey in the genus Plecturocebus, first described in 2002. It is named after Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. They have varying coloration of gray, black, and agouti, with dark orange in certain regions. They are endemic to Brazil, found mostly in disturbed forest environments. While officially listed as least-concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they may, in fact, be at-risk due to human-caused deforestation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Beni titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

Rio Beni titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Mayo titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The Rio Mayo titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Peru. The Rio Mayo titi, was thought previously to have a small range of origin in the Alto Mayo valley, but research has proven that the range extends southward and reaches the Huayamba River, as well as Bajo Mayo. It had been classified as vulnerable but due to major habitat loss and restricted living space, it is now classified as Critically Endangered. In October 2012, it was included in The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates list. An increase in deforestation is leading to the decrease in available living space for this titi monkey, forcing it to live in sympatry with another species of Callicebus. Yet in some areas, such drastic deforestation has resulted in extremely high population density. The Rio Mayo titi is better adapted to moderately populated areas, thus overpopulation negatively impacts the species. The forests the Rio Mayo titi lives in are being destroyed for agricultural purposes, leaving little forest for the monkeys. They were only seen a few times and featured in museums until 2003 when more research was done on them. In order for this species to survive, their forests need to be protected to avoid overpopulation. Different conservation groups are working to help P. oenanthe survive. Neotropical Primate Conservation, Proyecto Mono Tocón and Amazónicos para la Amazonia are working in the more southern areas to protect the monkey. The Rio Mayo titi is a fairly inconspicuous creature, making observation and research difficult to obtain. Therefore, the traditional use of transect observation to monitor the monkey's population, is less effective. Instead, other methods of calculating the titi monkey's density in certain areas have been taken, such as research into the species-specific calls endemic to a certain area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madidi National Park</span> National park in Bolivia

Madidi is a national park at the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. It was established in 1995, and possesses a total land area of 18,958km². Together with the nearby protected areas Manuripi-Heath and Apolobamba and the Manu Biosphere Reserve (Peru), Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caquetá titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The Caquetá titi monkey, also known as the red-bearded titi or the bushy-bearded titi, is a species of titi monkey endemic to Colombia found in the Department of Caquetá region. Taxonomically, it is a member of the "Callicebus cupreus group", following Shunsuke Kobayashi's Callicebus grouping. It was first described by Thomas Defler, Marta Bueno and Javier Garcia in 2010. It is highly endangered due to habitat fragmentation and a small population.

Milton's titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from southern Amazon rainforest, Brazil. It was named after the Brazilian primatologist Milton Thiago de Mello. Milton's titi was discovered in 2011 by Julio César Dalponte, and recognized as a new species in 2014.

<i>Primate Conservation</i> (journal) Academic journal

Primate Conservation is a journal published by the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Primate Specialist Group about the world's primates. First published as a mimeographed newsletter in 1981, the journal today publishes conservation research and papers on primate species, particularly status surveys and studies on distribution and ecology. Besides these regular papers, the journal has also been a significant place for primatologists to publish descriptions of new primate species in Primate Conservation.

<i>Plecturocebus</i> Genus of New World monkeys

Plecturocebus is one of three genera of titi monkeys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toppin's titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

Toppin's titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urubamba brown titi monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The Urubamba brown titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Peru.

References

  1. 1 2 Wallace, R.B.; Vermeer, J.; Mollinedo, J.M.; Mittermeier, R.A. (2021). "Plecturocebus aureipalatii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T136815A192452943. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136815A192452943.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Byrne, Hazel; Rylands, Anthony B.; Carneiro, Jeferson C.; Alfaro, Jessica W. Lynch; Bertuol, Fabricio; da Silva, Maria N. F.; Messias, Mariluce; Groves, Colin P.; Mittermeier, Russell A. (1 March 2016). "Phylogenetic relationships of the New World titi monkeys (Callicebus): first appraisal of taxonomy based on molecular evidence". Frontiers in Zoology. 13: 10. doi: 10.1186/s12983-016-0142-4 . ISSN   1742-9994. PMC   4774130 . PMID   26937245.
  3. 1 2 3 "Madidi Titi Monkey". Wildlife Conservation Society . Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Internet casino buys monkey naming rights". MSNBC . Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  5. van der Speld, R. F.; Bello, R.; Hebard, L. (2017). "Activity budget and ranging of a group of Madidi titis (Plecturocebus aureipalatii) in Reserva Ecologica Taricaya, with preliminary notes on diet composition, habitat usage and additional sightings" (PDF). Neotropical Primates. 23 (2): 33–40.
  6. Henry Fountain (8 February 2005). "Have Your Very Own Species, for a Price". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 Ricardo Herrera Farell (May 2005). "BOL-71: El Aureipalatii: Bautizaron al Callicebus del Madidi" (in Spanish). Biodiversity Reporting Award. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  8. Wallace, Robert B.; Gómez, Humberto; Felton, Annika; Felton, Adam M. (2006). "On a New Species of Titi Monkey, Genus Callicebus Thomas (Primates, Pitheciidae), from Western Bolivia with Preliminary Notes on Distribution and Abundance" (PDF). Primate Conservation. 20: 36. doi:10.1896/0898-6207.20.1.29. S2CID   22884522. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012.