Pygmy marmoset

Pygmy marmoset[1][2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Callitrichidae
Genus: Cebuella
J. E. Gray, 1866
Species

Pygmy marmosets are two species of small New World monkeys in the genus Cebuella. They are native to rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in the world, at just over 100 g (3.5 oz). They are generally found in evergreen and river-edge forests and are gum-feeding specialists, or gummivores.

About 83% of the pygmy marmoset population lives in stable troops of two to nine individuals, including a dominant male, a breeding female, and up to four successive litters of offspring. The modal size of a standard stable troop would be six individuals.[3] Although most groups consist of family members, some may also include one or two additional adult members. Members of the group communicate using a complex system including vocal, chemical, and visual signals. Three main calling signals depend on the distance the call needs to travel. These monkeys may also make visual displays when threatened or to show dominance. Chemical signaling using secretions from glands on the chest and genital area allow the female to indicate to the male when she is able to reproduce. The female gives birth to twins twice a year and the parental care is shared among the group.

The pygmy marmoset has been viewed as somewhat different from typical marmosets, most of which are classified in the genera Callithrix (where they were placed in a subgenus)[1] and Mico, and thus is accorded its own genus, Cebuella, within the family Callitrichidae. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and the pet trade.[4]

  1. ^ a b Groves, C. P. (2005). "Subgenus Cebuella". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Rylands, A. B.; Mittermeier, R. A. (2009). "The diversity of the New World primates (Platyrrhini)". In Garber, P. A.; Estrada, A.; Bicca-Marques, J. C.; Heymann, E. W.; Strier, K. B. (eds.). South American Primates: Comparative Perspectives in the Study of Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Springer. pp. 23–54. ISBN 978-0-387-78704-6.
  3. ^ Soini, Pekka (1982). "Ecology and Population Dynamics of the Pygmy Marmoset, Cebuella Pygmaea". Folia Primatologica. 39 (1–2): 1–21. doi:10.1159/000156066. PMID 6815036.
  4. ^ de la Torre, Stella; Snowdon, Charles T.; Bejarano, Monserrat (2000). "Effects of human activities on wild pygmy marmosets in Ecuadorian Amazonia". Biological Conservation. 94 (2): 153–163. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00183-4.