Pitheciidae
Encyclopedia
The Pitheciidae are one of the five families
of New World monkey
s now recognised. Formerly they were included in the family Atelidae
. The family includes the titi
s, saki monkey
s and uakari
s. Most species are native to the Amazonia region of Brazil
, with some being found from Colombia
in the north to Bolivia
in the south.
s, ranging from 23 cm in head-body length, for the smaller titis, to 44-49 cm in the uakaris. They have medium to long fur, in a wide range of colors, often with contrasting patches, especially on the face.
They are diurnal and arboreal animals, found in tropical forests from low-lying swamp to mountain slopes. They are predominantly herbivorous
, eating mostly fruit and seeds, although some species will also eat a small number of insects. Sakis and uakaris have a diastema
between the canine and premolar
teeth, but the titis, which have unusually small canines for New World monkeys, do not. All species have the dental formula
:
Females give birth to a single young after a gestation
period of between four to six months, depending on species. The uakaris and bearded sakis are polygamous, living in groups of 8-30 individuals. Each group has multiple males, which establish a dominance hierarchy amongst themselves. The titis and Pithecia sakis, by contrast, are monogamous and live in much smaller family groups.
. Seven extinct genera known from the fossil record are placed in the subfamily Pitheciinae and extending the age of the family to the Miocene.
* Newly described species.
†Extinct taxa.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of New World monkey
New World monkey
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
s now recognised. Formerly they were included in the family Atelidae
Atelidae
Atelidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly and woolly spider monkeys...
. The family includes the titi
Titi
The titis, or titi monkeys, are the New World monkeys of the genus Callicebus. They are the only extant members of the Callicebinae subfamily, which also contains the extinct genera Xenothrix, Antillothrix, Paralouatta, Carlocebus, Homunculus, Lagonimico and possibly also Tremacebus.Titis live in...
s, saki monkey
Saki monkey
Sakis, or saki monkeys, are any of several New World monkeys of the genus Pithecia. They are closely related to the bearded sakis of genus Chiropotes.-Range:...
s and uakari
Uakari
Uakari is the common name for the New World monkeys of the genus Cacajao. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages....
s. Most species are native to the Amazonia region of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, with some being found from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in the north to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in the south.
Characteristics
Pithecids are small to medium monkeyMonkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, ranging from 23 cm in head-body length, for the smaller titis, to 44-49 cm in the uakaris. They have medium to long fur, in a wide range of colors, often with contrasting patches, especially on the face.
They are diurnal and arboreal animals, found in tropical forests from low-lying swamp to mountain slopes. They are predominantly herbivorous
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, eating mostly fruit and seeds, although some species will also eat a small number of insects. Sakis and uakaris have a diastema
Diastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
between the canine and premolar
Premolar
The premolar teeth or bicuspids are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant, making eight premolars total in the mouth. They have at least two cusps. Premolars can be considered as a 'transitional tooth' during chewing, or...
teeth, but the titis, which have unusually small canines for New World monkeys, do not. All species have the dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
:
Females give birth to a single young after a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of between four to six months, depending on species. The uakaris and bearded sakis are polygamous, living in groups of 8-30 individuals. Each group has multiple males, which establish a dominance hierarchy amongst themselves. The titis and Pithecia sakis, by contrast, are monogamous and live in much smaller family groups.
Classification
There are 43 currently recognized extant species of pithecid monkey, grouped into two subfamilies and four generaGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. Seven extinct genera known from the fossil record are placed in the subfamily Pitheciinae and extending the age of the family to the Miocene.
- Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris
- Subfamily Callicebinae
- Genus Callicebus
- White-eared TitiWhite-eared TitiThe white-eared titi, Callicebus donacophilus, also known as the Bolivian titi or Bolivian gray titi, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from eastern Bolivia and a small area of Brazil. The species has a range that extends east from the Manique River in Beni Department, Bolivia to...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) donacophilus - Rio Beni TitiRio Beni TitiRio Beni titi, Callicebus modestus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) modestus - Rio Mayo TitiRio Mayo TitiThe Rio Mayo titi, Callicebus oenanthe, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Peru.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) oenanthe - Ollala Brothers' TitiOllala Brothers' TitiThe Ollala Brothers' titi, Callicebus olallae, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) olallae - White-coated TitiWhite-coated TitiThe white-coated titi, Callicebus pallescens, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.-External links:*...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) pallescens - Baptista Lake TitiBaptista Lake TitiThe Baptista Lake titi, Callicebus baptista, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) baptista - Prince Bernhard's TitiPrince Bernhard's TitiPrince Bernhard's titi is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It was formally described in 2002 by Marc van Roosmalen and Russell Mittermeier, and named after Prince Bernard of the Netherlands. This titi has dark orange sideburns and chest, a reddish brown back, and a...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) bernhardi - Brown TitiBrown TitiThe brown titi, Callicebus brunneus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.-External links:*...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) brunneus - Ashy Black TitiAshy Black TitiThe ashy black titi, Callicebus cinerascens, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) cinerascens - Hoffmanns's TitiHoffmanns's TitiHoffmann's Titi, Callicebus hoffmannsi, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) hoffmannsi - Red-bellied TitiRed-bellied TitiThe red-bellied titi or dusky titi, Callicebus moloch, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It lives in forests and thickets....
, Callicebus (Callicebus) moloch - Barbara Brown's TitiBarbara Brown's TitiBarbara Brown's titi, Callicebus barbarabrownae, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey. This critically endangered species is endemic to the Caatinga in northeastern Brazil, and it is estimated that less than 250 mature individuals remain....
, Callicebus (Callicebus) barbarabrownae - Coimbra Filho's TitiCoimbra Filho's TitiCoimbra Filho's titi or just Coimbra's titi is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to forests in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Sergipe. It was first discovered by Shuji Kobayashi. It is considered one of the most endangered of all Neotropical primates. It is named after...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) coimbrai - Coastal Black-handed TitiCoastal Black-handed TitiThe coastal black-handed titi, Callicebus melanochir, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) melanochir - Black-fronted TitiBlack-fronted TitiThe black-fronted titi, Callicebus nigrifrons, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) nigrifrons - Atlantic TitiAtlantic TitiThe Atlantic titi or masked titi, Callicebus personatus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-Distribution and general features:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) personatus - Chestnut-bellied TitiChestnut-bellied TitiThe chestnut-bellied titi, Callicebus caligatus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) caligatus - Coppery TitiCoppery TitiThe coppery titi, Callicebus cupreus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in the Amazon of Brazil and Peru, and perhaps Bolivia.-External links:*...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) cupreus - Madidi Titi, Callicebus (Callicebus) aureipalatii
- White-tailed TitiWhite-tailed TitiThe white-tailed titi, Callicebus discolor, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) discolor - Hershkovitz's TitiHershkovitz's TitiHershkovitz's titi, Callicebus dubius, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. The common name is a reference to American zoologist Philip Hershkovitz....
, Callicebus (Callicebus) dubius - Ornate TitiOrnate TitiThe ornate titi, Callicebus ornatus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Colombia.-References:...
, Callicebus (Callicebus) ornatus - Stephen Nash's TitiStephen Nash's TitiStephen Nash's titi , also known as just Nash's titi or Stephen Nash's monkey, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to the eastern bank of the Purus River in Brazil. It was discovered by Marc van Roosmalen in 2001 when local fishermen brought specimens to his breeding center....
, Callicebus (Callicebus) stephennashi - Lucifer TitiLucifer TitiThe Lucifer titi, Callicebus lucifer, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru....
, Callicebus (Torquatus) lucifer - Black TitiBlack TitiThe black titi, Callicebus lugens, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela....
, Callicebus (Torquatus) lugens - Colombian Black-handed TitiColombian Black-handed TitiThe Colombian black-handed titi, Callicebus medemi, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Colombia.-References:...
, Callicebus (Torquatus) medemi - Rio Purus TitiRio Purus TitiThe Rio Purus titi, Callicebus purinus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil....
, Callicebus (Torquatus) purinus - Red-headed TitiRed-headed TitiThe red-headed titi, Callicebus regulus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil....
, Callicebus (Torquatus) regulus - Collared TitiCollared TitiThe collared titi, Callicebus torquatus, is a species or a closely related complex of species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America.- Taxonomy :...
, Callicebus (Torquatus) torquatus
- White-eared Titi
- Genus Callicebus
- Subfamily PitheciinaePitheciinaePitheciinae is a subfamily of the New World monkey family Pitheciidae. It contains three genera and 9 species. Pitheciines are forest dwellers from northern and central South America, east of the Andes....
- Genus CacajaoUakariUakari is the common name for the New World monkeys of the genus Cacajao. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages....
- Black-headed UakariBlack-headed UakariThe black-headed uakari , also known as the golden-backed black uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae...
, Cacajao melanocephalus - Bald UakariBald UakariThe bald uakari or bald-headed uakari is a small New World monkey with a very short tail, red face, a bald head, and long coat...
, Cacajao calvus - Aracá Uakari, Cacajao ayresii*
- Neblina UakariNeblina UakariThe Neblina uakari is a newly described species of monkey from the far northwest Brazilian Amazon and adjacent southern Venezuela. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland and described together with the more easternly distributed Aracá Uakari in 2008...
, Cacajao hosomi*
- Black-headed Uakari
- Genus †Carlocebus
- †Carlocebus carmenensis
- †Carlocebus intermedius
- Genus †Cebupithecia
- †Cebupithecia sarmientoi
- Genus Chiropotes
- Black Bearded SakiBlack Bearded SakiThe Black bearded saki is a species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey. This critically endangered species is endemic to the far eastern Amazon in Brazil, it being restricted to a relatively small region from the Tocantins River in Pará east to around the Grajaú River in Maranhão...
, Chiropotes satanas - Red-backed Bearded SakiRed-backed Bearded SakiThe Red-backed bearded saki, Chiropotes chiropotes, is a species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found north of the Amazon River and east of the Branco River in Brazil and the Guianas. It is possible the scientific name C...
, Chiropotes chiropotes - Brown-backed Bearded SakiBrown-backed Bearded SakiThe Brown-backed bearded saki, Chiropotes israelita, is a species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to the Amazon in north-western Brazil and southern Venezuela. It is possible the correct scientific name for this species is C...
, Chiropotes israelita - Uta Hick's Bearded SakiUta Hick's Bearded SakiUta Hick's bearded saki, Chiropotes utahicki, is an endangered species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to Brazil, where restricted to the Amazon between the Xingu and Tocantins Rivers. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the more easternly C. satanas, but its back...
, Chiropotes utahickae - White-nosed SakiWhite-nosed SakiThe white-nosed saki, Chiropotes albinasus, is an endangered species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey, endemic to the south-central Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Both its scientific and common name were caused by the authors working from specimens, where the skin on and around the nose...
, Chiropotes albinasus
- Black Bearded Saki
- Genus †Homunculus
- †Homunculus patagonicus
- Genus †Nuciruptor
- †Nuciruptor rubricae
- Genus †Paralouatta
- †Paralouatta marianae
- Genus Pithecia
- White-faced SakiWhite-faced SakiThe white-faced saki , also known as the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and Timbuktu...
, Pithecia pithecia - Monk SakiMonk SakiThe monk saki, Pithecia monachus, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It lives in forested areas. It can grow up to be 37–48 cm long and weigh about 1.5-3 kilograms, approximately the same as a large...
, Pithecia monachus - Rio Tapajós SakiRio Tapajós SakiThe Rio Tapajós saki is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru....
, Pithecia irrorata - Equatorial SakiEquatorial SakiThe equatorial saki, Pithecia aequatorialis, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.-References:...
, Pithecia aequatorialis - White-footed SakiWhite-footed SakiThe white-footed saki is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil....
, Pithecia albicans
- White-faced Saki
- Genus †Proteropithecia
- †Proteropithecia neuquenensis
- Genus †Soriacebus
- †Soriacebus ameghinorum
- †Soriacebus adrianae
- Genus Cacajao
- Subfamily Callicebinae
†Extinct taxa.