The Pitheciidae () are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. Formerly, they were included in the family Atelidae. The family includes the titis, saki monkeys and uakaris. Most species are native to the Amazon region of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, with some being found from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

in the north to

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

in the south.

Characteristics

Pithecids are small to medium-sized

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

s, ranging from 23 cm in head-body length for the smaller titis, to 44–49 cm for 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 Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

animals, found in tropical forests from low-lying swamp to mountain slopes. They are predominantly

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

, eating mostly fruit and seeds, although some species will also eat a small number of insects. Sakis and uakaris have a

diastema A diastema (plural diastemata, from Greek διάστημα, space) 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. More colloquially, the condition ...

between the

canine Canine may refer to: Zoology and anatomy * a dog-like Canid animal in the subfamily Caninae ** ''Canis'', a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals ** Dog, the domestic dog * Canine tooth, in mammalian oral anatomy People with the surn ...

and

premolar The premolars, also called premolar teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant in the permanent set of teeth, making eight premolars total in the mouth ...

teeth, but the titis, which have unusually small canines for New World monkeys, do not. All species have the

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolog ...

: Females give birth to a single young after a

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pr ...

period of between four and six months, depending on species. The uakaris and bearded sakis are

polygamous Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is marri ...

, 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 Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time ( serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., pol ...

and live in much smaller family groups.

Classification

There are 54 currently recognized

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

species of pithecid monkey, grouped into two subfamilies and six

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

. Eleven extinct genera known from the fossil record are placed in the family, extending the age of the family to the Miocene.The Paleobiology Database Pitheciidae entry
accessed on 6 April 2010 * Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris ** Subfamily

Callicebinae The titis, or titi monkeys, are New World monkeys of the subfamily Callicebinae, which contains three extant genera: ''Cheracebus'', ''Callicebus'', and ''Plecturocebus.'' This subfamily also contains the extinct genera '' Miocallicebus, Homuncu ...

, titis *** Genus '' Plecturocebus'' **** White-eared titi, ''Plecturocebus donacophilus'' ****

Rio Beni titi Rio Beni titi monkey (''Plecturocebus modestus'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red ...

, ''Plecturocebus modestus'' ****

Rio Mayo titi The Rio Mayo titi monkey (''Plecturocebus oenanthe'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Peru. The Rio Mayo titi, was thought previously to have a small range of origin in the Alto Mayo valley, but research has p ...

, ''Plecturocebus oenanthe'' ****

Ollala brothers's titi The Olalla brothers's titi monkey (''Plecturocebus olallae'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal t ...

, ''Plecturocebus olallae'' ****

White-coated titi The white-coated titi monkey (''Plecturocebus pallescens'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt ...

, ''Plecturocebus pallescens'' ****

Urubamba brown titi The Urubamba brown titi monkey (''Plecturocebus urubambensis'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Peru. Taxonomy Populations in this species were formerly classified within the brown titi (''P. brunneus''), ...

, ''Plecturocebus urubambensis'' **** Baptista Lake titi, ''Plecturocebus baptista'' ****

Prince Bernhard's titi Prince Bernhard's titi monkey (''Plecturocebus bernhardi''), also called the zog-zog monkey, is a species of titi monkey in the genus ''Plecturocebus'', first described in 2002. It is named after Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. They have var ...

, ''Plecturocebus bernhardi'' **** Brown titi, ''Plecturocebus brunneus'' **** Parecis titi, ''Plecturocebus parecis'' ****

Ashy black titi The ashy black titi monkey (''Plecturocebus cinerascens'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South Americ ...

, ''Plecturocebus cinerascens'' **** Hoffmanns's titi, ''Plecturocebus hoffmannsi'' **** Red-bellied titi, ''Plecturocebus moloch'' **** Vieira's titi, ''Plecturocebus vieirai'' ****

Milton's titi Milton's titi monkey (''Plecturocebus miltoni'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from southern Amazon rainforest, Brazil. It was named after the Brazilian primatologist Milton Thiago de Mello. Milton's titi was discove ...

, ''Plecturocebus miltoni'' **** Chestnut-bellied titi, ''Plecturocebus caligatus'' ****

Coppery titi The coppery titi monkey (''Plecturocebus cupreus''), or red titi monkey, is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. They are found in the Amazon of Brazil and Peru, and perhaps northern Bolivia. It was describe ...

, ''Plecturocebus cupreus'' **** Toppin's titi, ''Plecturocebus toppini'' **** Madidi titi, ''Plecturocebus aureipalatii'' **** Caquetá titi, ''Plecturocebus caquetensis'' ****

White-tailed titi The white-tailed titi monkey (''Plecturocebus discolor'') is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America ...

, ''Plecturocebus discolor'' **** Hershkovitz's titi, ''Plecturocebus dubius'' **** Ornate titi, ''Plecturocebus ornatus'' ****

Stephen Nash's titi Stephen Nash's titi monkey (''Plecturocebus stephennashi''), also known as just Nash's titi or Stephen Nash's monkey, is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to the eastern bank of the Purus River in Brazil. It was di ...

, ''Plecturocebus stephennashi'' ****

Alta Floresta titi The Alta Floresta titi monkey (''Plecturocebus grovesi''), also known as the Groves' titi monkey, is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It was described from the municipality of Alta Floresta in the state o ...

, ''Plecturocebus grovesi'' *** Genus '' Callicebus'' ****

Barbara Brown's titi Barbara Brown's titi monkey (''Callicebus barbarabrownae''), also popularly known as the blond titi monkey or northern Bahian blond titi, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey. This critically endangered species is endemic to the Caat ...

, ''Callicebus barbarabrownae'' ****

Coimbra Filho's titi Coimbra Filho's titi monkey (''Callicebus coimbrai'') 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 c ...

, ''Callicebus coimbrai'' **** Coastal black-handed titi, ''Callicebus melanochir'' ****

Black-fronted titi The black-fronted titi monkey (''Callicebus nigrifrons'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey. The black-fronted titi is a small diurnal primate. The body of this primate is covered in grey to brown fur with black fur concentrated ...

, ''Callicebus nigrifrons'' ****

Atlantic titi The Atlantic titi monkey or masked titi (''Callicebus personatus'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. Distribution and general features The Atlantic titi is part of the genus ''Callicebus'' which is composed of ...

, ''Callicebus personatus'' ***Genus †''

Miocallicebus ''Miocallicebus'' is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Middle Miocene (Laventan in the South American land mammal ages; 13.8 to 11.8 mya). Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group ...

'' ****†'' Miocallicebus villaviejai'' *** Genus ''

Cheracebus ''Cheracebus'' is one of three genera of titi monkeys. Monkeys in this genus, particularly the type species ''Cheracebus lugens'', are sometimes referred to as widow titi monkeys. Historically, titis were monogeneric, comprising only the genus ' ...

'' ****

Lucifer titi The Lucifer titi monkey (''Cheracebus lucifer'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It was described as ''Callicebus lucifer'' in 1914. The Lucifer titi has p ...

, ''Cheracebus lucifer'' ****

Black titi The black titi monkey (''Cheracebus lugens''), is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. It was described in 1811 as ''Calicebus lugens''. It is sometimes called the wid ...

, ''Cheracebus lugens'' ****

Colombian black-handed titi The Colombian black-handed titi monkey (''Cheracebus medemi'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Colombia. It was originally described in the genus '' Callicebus'' in 1963. Description Colombian black-handed titis s ...

, ''Cheracebus medemi'' ****

Red-headed titi The red-headed titi monkey (''Cheracebus regulus'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It was originally described as ''Callicebus regulus'' in 1927. References

Cheracebus, red-headed titi Mammals of Br ...

, ''Cheracebus regulus'' ****

Collared titi The collared titi monkey (''Cheracebus torquatus'') is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to northern Brazil. Taxonomy At the end of the 1980s the genus ''Callicebus'' was revised from the Hershkovitz concept of three ...

, ''Cheracebus torquatus'' ***Genus †'' Carlocebus'' ****†'' Carlocebus carmenensis'' ****†'' Carlocebus intermedius'' ***Genus †''

Homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the ...

'' ****†''

Homunculus patagonicus ''Homunculus'' is an extinct genus of New World monkey that lived in Argentina during the Miocene. Two species are known: ''Homunculus patagonicus'' and ''Homunculus vizcainoi'', which are known from material found in the Santa Cruz Formation in ...

'' ** Subfamily Pitheciinae *** Genus ''

Cacajao 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. The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail ...

'', uakaris ****

Black-headed uakari The golden-backed uakari (''Cacajao melanocephalus'') or black-headed uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae. It lives in the Amazon Rainforest, and is found in the countries of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. It has black h ...

, ''Cacajao melanocephalus'' ****

Bald uakari The bald uakari (''Cacajao calvus'') or bald-headed uakari is a small New World monkey characterized by a very short tail; bright, crimson face; a bald head; and long coat. The bald uakari is restricted to várzea forests and other wooded habitat ...

, ''Cacajao calvus'' ****

Aracá uakari The Aracá uakari (''Cacajao ayresi''), also known as the Ayres black uakari, is a newly described species of monkey from the northwest Brazilian Amazon. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland after following native ...

, ''Cacajao ayresii'' ****

Neblina uakari The Neblina uakari (''Cacajao hosomi'') or black-headed 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 ...

, ''Cacajao hosomi'' ***Genus †''

Cebupithecia ''Cebupithecia'' is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Middle Miocene (Laventan in the South American land mammal ages; 13.8 to 11.8 Ma). Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group of ...

'' ****†''Cebupithecia sarmientoi'' *** Genus ''

Chiropotes The bearded sakis, or cuxiús are five or six species of New World monkeys, classified in the genus ''Chiropotes''. They live in the eastern and central Amazon in South America, ranging through southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana ...

'', bearded sakis ****

Black bearded saki The black bearded saki (''Chiropotes satanas'') is a species of New World monkey, native to the Amazon rainforest of South America, specifically to an area of north-eastern Brazil. It is one of five species of bearded saki. Bearded sakis are med ...

, ''Chiropotes satanas'' ****

Red-backed bearded saki The red-backed bearded sakiBonvicino, C. R., Boubli, J. P., Otazú, I. B., Almeida, F. C., Nascimento, F. F., Coura, J. R. and Seuánez, H. N. (2003). ''Morphologic, karyotypic, and molecular evidence of a new form of Chiropotes (primates, pithec ...

, ''Chiropotes chiropotes'' **** Brown-backed bearded saki, ''Chiropotes israelita'' ****

Uta Hick's bearded saki Uta 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 ...

, ''Chiropotes utahickae'' ****

White-nosed saki The white-nosed saki (''Chiropotes albinasus'') is a 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 dead ...

, ''Chiropotes albinasus'' ***Genus †'' Nuciruptor'' ****†''Nuciruptor rubricae'' ***Genus †'' Mazzonicebus'' ****†''Mazzonicebus almendrae'' *** Genus ''

Pithecia 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 Sakis' range includes northern and central South America, extending from the so ...

'', sakis **** Equatorial saki, ''Pithecia aequatorialis'' ****

White-footed saki The white-footed saki, buffy saki or white saki (''Pithecia albicans'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to western Brazil south of the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors ...

buffy saki The white-footed saki, buffy saki or white saki (''Pithecia albicans'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to western Brazil south of the Amazon. References white-footed saki Mammals of Brazil Endemic fauna ...

, ''Pithecia albicans'' ****

Cazuza's saki Cazuza's saki (''Pithecia cazuzai'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to northwestern Brazil. Taxonomy Populations in this species were formerly classified within the Rio Tapajós saki (''P. irrorata''), b ...

, ''Pithecia cazuzai'' ****

Golden-faced saki The golden-faced saki (''Pithecia chrysocephala'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in Brazil north of the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Ama ...

, ''Pithecia chrysocephala'' ****

Hairy saki The hairy saki (''Pithecia hirsuta'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in northern Peru, southern Colombia, and a small portion of northwestern Brazil. Taxonomy It was described in 1823 by Johann Baptist von ...

, ''Pithecia hirsuta'' **** Burnished saki, ''Pithecia inusta'' **** Rio Tapajós saki or Gray's bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia irrorata'' **** Isabel's saki, ''Pithecia isabela'' ****

Monk saki The monk saki (''Pithecia monachus'') also known as Geoffroy's monk saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in forested areas of northwestern Brazil and northeastern Peru. Taxonomy The ha ...

, ''Pithecia monachus'' ****

Miller's saki Miller's saki (''Pithecia milleri''), also known as Miller's monk saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. Its range includes parts of southwestern Colombia, northeastern Ecuador, and perhaps adjacent areas in Peru. This spe ...

, ''Pithecia milleri'' ****

Mittermeier's Tapajós saki Mittermeier's Tapajós saki (''Pithecia mittermeieri'') is a disputed species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to west-central Brazil. Taxonomy Populations in this species were formerly classified within the Rio Tapaj� ...

, ''Pithecia mittermeieri'' (disputed) **** Napo saki, ''Pithecia napensis'' **** Pissinatti's saki, ''Pithecia pissinattii'' (disputed) ****

White-faced saki The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...

, ''Pithecia pithecia'' **** Rylands' bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia rylandsi'' (disputed) **** Vanzolini's bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia vanzolinii'' ***Genus †'' Proteropithecia'' ****†''Proteropithecia neuquenensis'' ***Genus †'' Soriacebus'' ****†''Soriacebus ameghinorum'' ****†''Soriacebus adrianae'' ***†Genus ''Xenothrix'' ****†

Jamaican monkey The Jamaican monkey (''Xenothrix mcgregori'') is an extinct species of New World monkey that was endemic to Jamaica. It was first uncovered at Long Mile Cave by Harold Anthony in 1920. Discovery Harold Anthony is responsible for many species ...

, ''Xenothrix mcgregori'' ***†Genus ''

Antillothrix The Hispaniola monkey (''Antillothrix bernensis'') is an extinct primate that was endemic on the island of Hispaniola, in the present-day Dominican Republic. The species is thought to have gone extinct around the 16th century. The exact timing a ...

'' ****†Hispaniolan monkey, ''Antillothrix bernensis'' ***†Genus ''

Insulacebus ''Insulacebus'' is an extinct monotypic genus of New World monkey found on the island of Hispaniola from Late Quaternary deposits. Fossils of the type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species nam ...

'' ****†''Insulacebus toussentiana'' *Newly described species. †

Extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

taxa. Silvestro etal 2017 showed the relationship among the extinct and extant pitheciid genera:

References

External links

New monkeys in Brazil
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10860343 New World monkeys Extant Miocene first appearances Primate families Taxa named by St. George Jackson Mivart Taxa described in 1865