Callicebus coimbrai, Kobayashi & Langguth, 1999

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Phitheciidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 432-483 : 471-472

31.

Coimbra-Filho’s Titi

Callicebus coimbrai

French: Titi de Coimbra / German: Coimbra-Filho-Springaffe / Spanish: Titi de Coimbra

Other common names: Coimbra Filho's Titi Monkey, Coimbra’s Titi

Taxonomy. Callicebus coimbrai Kobayashi & Langguth, 1999 ,

Santana dos Frades, municipality of Pacatuba, Sergipe, Brazil (10° 32’ S, 36° 41° W).

C. coombrai is a member of the personatus species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Brazil, in the coastal Atlantic Forest of Sergipe State (S of the Rio Sao Francisco) and NE Bahia State (N of the Rio Paraguacu), the W limit coincides with the Atlantic Forest-Caatinga transition zone, known locally as the “Agreste.” Recent surveys have identified a lacuna between the distributions of Coimbra-Filho’s Titi and the neighboring Blond Titi (C. barbarabrownae ) in Sergipe and N Bahia that coincides with the Agreste, although there may be a zone ofcontact with the Blond Titi and the Southern Bahian Tit ( C. melanochir ) in the S extreme ofits range in the region of the Rio Paraguacu. Otherwise, Coimbra-Filho’s Titi appears to be allopatric with other titis.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 34.7-36 cm (females, n = 5), tail 45.3-48.4 cm (females, n = 5); weight 1030-1300 g (females, n = 5); no measurements available for males. Adult male and female Coimbra-Filho’s Titis are indistinguishable in size and coloration. Their bodies are buffy, with paler undersides and transversal striping patterns on their upper backs. Tail is orange. Face, hands, and feet are blackish, and forehead, crown, and ears are black. Sideburns, cheeks, and back of head are pale bufty to whitish.

Habitat. Primary and disturbed evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, including small fragments, at elevations from close to sea level to 200-300 m. The Atlantic Forest in this region is typical in its species composition, but it is relatively low in stature, with a canopy rarely exceeding 15 m in height, especially in coastal regions. Seasonality is marked, with a dry season of some seven months and annual rainfall of 1400-1600 mm. Coimbra-Filho’s Titi appears to be relatively tolerant of habitat disturbance and can be found in small, isolated fragments (less than 10 ha). It is, however, absent from most forest fragments in the typically anthropogenic landscape of the region.

Food and Feeding. Coimbra-Filho’s Titi is primarily frugivorous. Its diet is supplemented with leaves, seeds, flowers, and some animal prey (arthropods). In Sergipe, the diet of one study group over a 12month period was made up of 61% fruit, 22% leaves, 10% seeds, 4% flowers, and 3% insects. Feeding on fruit declined during the dry season, and it became a comparatively minor dietary item in some months, when leaves predominated.

Breeding. Adult Coimbra-Filho’s Titis form monogamous pairs, with the male participating actively in parental care primarily by transporting the infant. Females give birth to a single infant after a gestation of ¢.5 months. A twin birth was observed in one study group in Sergipe. Breeding appears to be seasonal, with births occurring in the early dry season, which coincides with the austral spring/summer (October—January) in this region of eastern Brazil. Males carry dependent infants (including the twins) throughout the daily activity period, except when the female nurses them.

Activity patterns. Coimbra-Filho’s Titi is diurnal and arboreal. It may goto the ground to cross gaps between forest patches or to retrieve food items, but otherwise it spends most of its time in the middle to lower forest canopy. A characteristic of the behavior of titis 1s the antiphonal vocal duet performed by the breeding pair (occasionally with the participation of other group members). These duets typically occur at daybreak but also during other parts of the day, especially in response to the vocalizations of neighboring groups or during encounters between groups. During the rest of the day, individuals move slowly and purposefully through the forest, making little noise except for soft chirrups and whistles, and they are difficult to locate or monitor. Duets were relatively rare at one site in Sergipe, possibly due to low density. Duets were very frequent at a second site with a high population density. While they normally initiate activity at or near daybreak (except on rainy days), Coimbra-Filho’s Titis typically retire to a sleeping tree well before sunset, often more than one hour before nightfall. This may be part of an anti-predator strategy. They typically sleep in relatively tall trees but not necessarily in dense vegetation, sometimes sleeping on relatively exposed branches. Individuals in one study group invariably slept in trees of a single species, Licania littoralis ( Chrysobalanaceae ), during two years, although a second group roosted in trees of a number ofdifferent species with no apparent preference.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Coimbra-Filho’s Titi is essentially quadrupedal, typically moving slowly along smallto medium-sized horizontal branches in the middle canopy of the forest. They often leap across small gaps in the vegetation or from one branch to another. Home ranges oftwo study groups in Sergipe were c.9 ha and c.14 ha. Like othertitis, Coimbra-Filho’s Titis live in small family groups of an adult pair and their immature offspring, with up to six members. Their social system is maintained by systematic emigration of maturing offspring, resulting from intolerance of adults (females and males) to other adults of the same sex. In one study group, however, a dispersed male returned to its natal group about one year afterit emigrated and, despite initial antagonism from the resident male, it was eventually reintegrated into the group.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Coimbra-Filho’s Titi is fully protected by Brazilian Law. It is threatened mainly by the loss of habitat, which is increasingly fragmented. Less than 10% of its original habitat remains standing, and isolated fragments of remaining habitat rarely cover more than a few hundred hectares. Itis rarely hunted due to its small size. Little of the remaining habitat is officially protected, although Mata do JuncoState Wildlife Refuge in Sergipe was established with the specific aim of protecting remaining populations of Coimbra-Filho’s Titi.

Bibliography. Beltrao-Mendes et al. (2011), Ferrari et al. (2013), Jerusalinsky, Oliveira et al. (2006), Jerusalinsky, Souza-Alves et al. (2012), Kobayashi & Langguth (1999), Norconk (2011), Printes et al. (2013), van Roosmalen et al. (2002), Santana (2012), Santos (2010), Sousa (2000, 2003), Souza-Alves, Fontes, Chagas & Ferrari (2011), Souza-Alves, Fontes & Ferrari (2011), Veiga, Sousa et al. (2008).

Figures

On following pages: 20. Madidi Titi (Callicebus aureipalatii); 21. Medem'’s Titi (Callicebus medemi); 22. White-collared Titi (Callicebus torquatus); 23. White-chested Titi (Callicebus lugens); 24. Yellow-handed Titi (Callicebus lucifen; 25. Rio Purus Titi (Callicebus purinus); 26. Rio Jurué Collared Titi (Callicebus regulus); 27. Black-fronted Titi (Callicebus nigrifrons); 28. Masked Titi (Callicebus personatus); 29. Southern Bahian Titi (Callicebus melanochir); 30. Blond Titi (Callicebus barbarabrownae); 31. Coimbra-Filho's Titi (Callicebus coimbral).

Distribution. E Brazil, in the coastal Atlantic Forest of Sergipe State (S of the Rio Sao Francisco) and NE Bahia State (N of the Rio Paraguacu), the W limit coincides with the Atlantic Forest-Caatinga transition zone, known locally as the “Agreste.” Recent surveys have identified a lacuna between the distributions of Coimbra-Filho’s Titi and the neighboring Blond Titi (C. barbarabrownae ) in Sergipe and N Bahia that coincides with the Agreste, although there may be a zone ofcontact with the Blond Titi and the Southern Bahian Tit ( C. melanochir ) in the S extreme ofits range in the region of the Rio Paraguacu. Otherwise, Coimbra-Filho’s Titi appears to be allopatric with other titis.