Callithrix geoffroyi (Humboldt, 1812)

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Callitrichiade, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 262-346 : 317-318

20 .

Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset

Callithrix geoffroyi

French: Ouistiti de Geoffroy / German: WeiRkopf-Blschelaffchen / Spanish: Titi de cabeza blanca Other common names: \White-faced Marmoset, White-headed Marmoset

Taxonomy. Simia geoffroyi Humboldt, 1812 ,

Brazil. Restricted by Prince A. P. M. Wied-Neuwied in 1826 to between the rios Espirito Santo and Jucu, near Victoria .

This species hybridizes with C. penicillata and C. flaviceps where their respective distributions meet. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Brazil in Espirito Santo State and the forested E & NE of Minas Gerais State, N as far as the rios Jequitinhonha and Aracuai and S to near the state border of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. The populations in the N,just S of the Rio Jequitinhonha (= Belmonte), were introduced; Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets were released near Belmonte at the mouth of the river around 1975, and from there they spread E, and today occupy gallery forests throughout the region of dry thorn scrub (caatinga) of the middle reaches of the river as far W as the Rio Aracuai.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 18-23 cm, tail c.29 cm; weight 230-350 g (males) and c.190 g (females). Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset is reddish-gray and brown, with white on the forehead, cheeks, crown, and chest; the remainder of the head black. Ear tufts are also black and c.3-5 cm in length. The tail is densely ringed.

Habitat. Secondary lowland, evergreen, and semi-deciduous forest up to elevations of 500 m. In Espirito Santo, Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset was studied in a disturbed (logged) forest, with a dense understory of vines. Studies in the forest reserve of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, just north of the Rio Doce, found it most abundant in secondary and disturbed forest; it was never seen in tall mature forest with sparse undergrowth.

Food and Feeding. Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets eat gums, fruits, and small animals. During a year-long study of a group in a forest fragment within a eucalpytus plantation, the diet (time spent feeding) was 68% gums, 15% fruits, 15% invertebrate prey, and 1% vertebrate prey (frogs, Hyla , and lizards, Anolis). Gums were predominant in most monthly diets, but fruits represented 42-43% of the feeding records in the early wet season in December—January (due largely to a crop of an unidentified species of Myrtaceae ). In other months, fruits comprised from 1% (May) to 20% (July) of the diet. Fruits of Acanthinophyllum ilicifolium ( Moraceae ) were important in July, and those from a species of Miconia (Melastomataceae) were important in August. Of twelve species providing gum, 78:3% of the feeding records were from Inga stipularis (28-5%), Acacia paniculata (22-3%) (both Fabaceae ), Paullinia carpopodia ( Sapindaceae ) (19-2%), and Bauhinia angulosa ( Fabaceae ) (8:3%). Dictyoloma incanescens ( Rutaceae ) (6:8%) was also important. Exploitation of these species changed during the year. Gum from [. stipularis was important in February—June, P. carpopodia in July—October, and A. paniculata in September, reaching a peak in December. Invertebrates eaten were mainly orthopterans. They also ate Coleoptera , adult and immature hemipterans, spiders, and snails. To capture prey, Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets forage largely in the middle layers of the forest canopy along branches and in vegetation dense with vines. On occasion, they follow swarms of army ants ( Eciton burchellii), picking off prey disturbed in the leaflitter.

Breeding. Births of Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets have been recorded in September (dry season) and November (end of the dry season). Observations suggest birth peaks in the late dry to early wet season and six months later in the late wet season. Groups have not been seen with more than one breeding female.

Activity patterns. Daily activity patterns of groups of Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets studied for twelve months revealed that they moved 20% oftheir time, rested for 29%, fed on fruits, gums, and animal prey for 21%, foraged for animal prey for 14%, and gouged bark and branches oftheir exudate trees for 13%; the remainder oftheir time involved social activities such as grooming, playing, and scent marking. Groups rested more in the wet season and spent more time foraging for prey in the dry season. They began their day at c.06:30 h, shortly after sunrise. During the day, time spent resting and moving was quite constant, although always with a peak in movement in the late afternoon when they traveled to their sleeping sites. Feeding on gums and fruits peaked at 07:00-10:00 h, while the amount of time foraging on animal prey increased gradually during the morning to peak at 12:00-14:00 h and then gradually declined until they retired to sleeping sites at 15:30-16:00 h. There was a small peak of fruit and gum feeding and especially tree gouging late in the afternoon. Of 28 sleeping sites recorded in one study, most were at the edge of the forest and in the dense and isolated crowns of trees 6-25 m above the ground, and they were often near a group’s principal gum sources. They used a tree hole as a sleeping site only once. During the day, they spent most of their time in the understory and lower canopy of the forest at 10 m or less above the ground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Group sizes of Geoffroy’s Tuftedear Marmoset are 2-15 individuals, with the larger groups having two or more adult males and adult females. A group studied in a forest patch in a eucalyptus plantation occupied a home range of 23 ha for twelve months but much smaller home ranges of 2:3-9-5 ha during each month. Monthly home ranges were larger in the dry season (average 7-2 ha) than in the wet season (average 4-9 ha). This was due to the clumped distribution of key fruiting trees in the wet season and dispersed gum sources used more in the dry season. Daily movements were 480-1980 m/day, averaging 982 m.in the wet season and 1037-5 m in the dry season. Potential predators of Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset include Margay (Leopardus wiedii), Oncilla (L. tigrinus), Tayra (Eira barbara), and raptors and,in the largest reserves where it occurs (Sooretama Biological Reserve and Linhares Forest Reserve), Jaguar (Panthera onca) and Puma (Puma concolor). A density estimate based on 16 sightings at Companhia Vale do Rio Doce indicated 10-5 groups/km?. A population survey in the Linhares Forest Reserve in the north of Espirito Santo indicated densities of 1-:8-2-1 groups/km? (with a mean group size of 8) or 14-4-16-8 ind/km?®. Surveys in six protected areas in north-eastern Espirito Santo, ranging from 210 ha (Puriti) to 24,250 ha (Sooretama Biological Reserve), resulted in density estimates of 3-8 ind/km? (the smallest reserve) to 37-8 ind/km?.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Populations of Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset are declining because of the widespread destruction of the Atlantic Forest in the states of Minas Gerais (less than 6-8% of the original area of Atlantic Forest remains) and Espirito Santo (c.13% of the original forest cover remains). It is patchily distributed but locally abundant. Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmoset occurs in Serra do Cipo, Alto Cariri, and Pau Brasil national parks and Corrego Grande, Corrego do Veado, Sooretama, and Comboios biological reserves. It also occurs in Alto Cariri State Park, Duas Bocas State Reserve, Mata dos Muriquis State Wildlife Refuge, Rio dos Frades Wildlife Refuge, Linhares Forest Reserve, Porto Seguro Forest Reserve, Santa Lucia Biological Station, Pau Brasil Experimental Station, Gregorio Bondar Experimental Station, and Goitacazes Forest Reserve. Its occurrence in the Monte Pascoal National Park is uncertain, and the Common Marmoset ( C. jacchus ) might have been introduced there.

Bibliography. Caine (1996, 1998, 2002), Caine et al. (2003), Chiarello (1995b, 1999, 2000), Coimbra-Filho (1971, 1972, 1984, 1986¢, 1990), Coimbra-Filho, Mittermeier & Constable (1981), Coimbra-Filho, Pissinatti & Rylands (1993b), da Fonseca, Hankerson & Caine (2004), Hershkovitz (1977), Mendes (1991, 1993, 1997a, 1997b), Mendes et al. (2009), Oliveira et al. (2003), Oliver & Santos (1991), Passamani (1995, 1996b, 1998), Passamani & Rylands (2000a, 2000b), Passamani, Aguiar et al. (1997), Passamani, Mendes et al. (1997), Price (1993), Price et al. (2002), Rylands & de Faria (1993), Rylands, Coimbra-Filho & Mittermeier (1993, 2009), Rylands, da Fonseca et al. (1996), Rylands, Spironelo et al. (1988), Searcy & Caine (2003), Stevenson & Rylands (1988), de Vivo (1991).

Figures

On following pages 19 Buffy-headed Marrnoset (Cal/:rhnx flawcepsá 20 Geoffroy s Tuftedear Mamıoset (Ca/Iırhnx gooflroyı), 21 Wıed s Black tufted-ear Mannoset (Callıthrıx kuhlıı), 22 Block-tufted-ear Marmoset (Callnhnx penıcıllata) 23 Common Mannoset (Calhthnx ¡aochusf

Distribution. E Brazil in Espirito Santo State and the forested E & NE of Minas Gerais State, N as far as the rios Jequitinhonha and Aracuai and S to near the state border of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. The populations in the N,just S of the Rio Jequitinhonha (= Belmonte), were introduced; Geoffroy’s Tufted-ear Marmosets were released near Belmonte at the mouth of the river around 1975, and from there they spread E, and today occupy gallery forests throughout the region of dry thorn scrub (caatinga) of the middle reaches of the river as far W as the Rio Aracuai.