Callicebus discolor (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & Deville, 1848)

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 : 461

7.

Red-crowned Titi

Callicebus discolor

French: Titi discolore / German: \Weil3schwanz-Springaffe / Spanish: Titi rojizo

Other common names: Red Titi Monkey, White-tailed Titi

Taxonomy. Callithrix discolor I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & Deville, 1848 ,

Sarayacu, Rio Ucayali, Ucayali, Peru.

C. discolor was considered to be a subspecies of C. cupreus by P. Hershkovitz, and a synonym of C. cupreus by C. P. Groves in his 2001 Primate Taxonomy. In 2005, Groves listed it as a full species, subsequent to the revision by M. van Roosmalen and coworkers in 2002. C. discolor is a member of the cupreus species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Colombia (S of the Rio Guamués), E Ecuador (from the Andean foothills E to the Napo/Aguarico river system), and N Peru (N of the Rio Maranon between the rios Napo and Santiago), in the W Amazon Basin to the foothills of the Andes. A recent survey in the San Martin Department of Peru indicated that it occurs on the left (W) bank of the Rio Huallaga, where it may occur in sympatry with the San Martin Titi ( C. oenanthe ).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 30-35.1 cm (males) and 28:5-33.9 cm (females), tail 39.2-47 cm (males) and 38.2-51 cm (females); weight 850-1010 g (males) and 1080 g (females). Male and female Red-crowned Titis are indistinguishable in size and coloration. Their bodies and bases of their tails are agouti. Sideburns, crown, throat, forearms, lower legs, cheiridia (hands and feet), and underparts are reddish. Forehead is white or buffy, contrasting with a superior dark brown band. Distal portion of tail (one-third to three-quarters) is mainly buffy or white.

Habitat. Lowland Amazon rainforest at elevations of 100-800 m. One study group of Red-crowned Titis in Ecuador spent almost all its time in the middle and lower levels of the forest.

Food and Feeding. The diet of a group of Red-crowned Titis in Ecuador consisted of fruit (63%), leaves and shoots (31%), and flowers (6%).

Breeding. The available evidence indicates the formation of monogamous breeding pairs of Red-crowned Titis. The male carries the dependent young, a typical pattern among species of titis.

Activity patterns. A group of Red-crowned Titis monitored in Ecuador spent a large percentage ofits time foraging (42%) and engaging in social behaviors (15%) and much less time resting (17%), feeding (16%), and moving (10%). This is an unusual pattern for titis, which usually spend a majority of their time resting, although these findings were based on a relatively short-term study (eight months) and it was unclear if this behavioral pattern was typical of the species as a whole.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. One study group of Red-crowned Titis consisted of an adult pair, a subadult, and a juvenile, which is consistent with the typical social organization in titis; social groups consist of a breeding pair and their immature offspring. This group occupied a home range of 3-3 ha in continuous forest, which is unusually small for a titi group, although this rather low value may have been, at least partly, a result of the short study period (eight months).

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Red-crowned Titi occursin relatively isolated areas in Peru and Ecuador, but it is found in areas impacted by colonization in Colombia. It occurs in a number of protected areas, including Yasuni National Park and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in Ecuador.

Bibliography. Aquino & Encarnacion (1994b), Brooks & Pando-Vasquez (1997), Carrillo-Bilbao et al. (2005), Cisneros-Heredia et al. (2005), Dacier et al. (2011), Defler (1994a, 1994b, 2004), Groves (2001, 2005b), Hernandez-Camacho & Cooper (1976), Hernandez-Camacho & Defler (1989), Hershkovitz (1988, 1990), Lawrence (2003, 2007), Moynihan (1976), Norconk (2011), van Roosmalen et al. (2002), Tirira (2007), de la Torre, Utreras & Campos (1995), Veiga (2008b), Vermeer et al. (2011), Youlatos & Rivera (1999).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Olallas’ Titi (Callicebus olallae); 5. San Martin Titi (Callicebus oenanthe); 6. Coppery Titi (Callicebus cupreus); 7. Red-crowned Titi (Callicebus discolon; 8. Ornate Titi (Callicebus ornatus); 9. Chestnut-bellied Titi (Callicebus caligatus); 10. Doubtful Titi (Callicebus dubius); 11. Stephen Nash's Titi (Callicebus stephennashi); 12. Caqueta Titi (Callicebus caquetensis);, 13. Ashy Titi (Callicebus cinerascens); 14. Hoffmanns's Titi (Callicebus hoffmannsi); 15. Lake Baptista Titi (Callicebus baptista); 16. Red-bellied Titi (Callicebus moloch).

Distribution. S Colombia (S of the Rio Guamués), E Ecuador (from the Andean foothills E to the Napo/Aguarico river system), and N Peru (N of the Rio Maranon between the rios Napo and Santiago), in the W Amazon Basin to the foothills of the Andes. A recent survey in the San Martin Department of Peru indicated that it occurs on the left (W) bank of the Rio Huallaga, where it may occur in sympatry with the San Martin Titi ( C. oenanthe ).