Rondon's marmoset (''Mico rondoni''), also known as the Rondônia marmoset, is a small species of monkey from the family

Callitrichidae The Callitrichidae (also called Arctopitheci or Hapalidae) are a family of New World monkeys, including marmosets, tamarins, and lion tamarins. At times, this group of animals has been regarded as a subfamily, called the Callitrichinae, of th ...

found in the south-western

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the state of

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...

, and its range bordered by the Rio Mamoré, Rio Madeira, Rio Ji-Paraná, Serra dos Pacaás Novos and possibly

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. It was only described in 2010, and its name refers to the famous Amazonian explorer

Cândido Rondon Marshal Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon (5 May 1865 – 19 January 1958) was a Brazilian military officer most famous for his telegraph commission and exploration of Mato Grosso and the western Amazon basin, as well as his lifelong support for ...

. Prior to its description, it was included in Emilia's marmoset (''Mico emiliae''). Rondon's marmoset is a member of the silvery marmoset (''Mico argentatus'') group within the genus ''

Mico Mico may refer to: People * Mićo Janić (born 1979), Croatian sprint canoer * Mićo Ljubibratić (1839–1889), Serbian revolutionary * Mico Palanca (1978–2019), Filipino actor * Mićo Smiljanić (born 1974), Serbian/Montenegrin footballer * Mi ...

''. Like others in its group, its pelage is generally silvery-gray. It has dark fur on much of its head, forehead and the sides of its face, which contrasts with a whitish patch in the middle of its forehead. The fur on its legs become reddish-brown on its shins and almost black at the ankles. Its tail is mostly black. It averages about in weight. Length excluding tail averages about and the tail averages about .

Exudate An exudate is a fluid released by an organism through pores or a wound, a process known as exuding or exudation. ''Exudate'' is derived from ''exude'' 'to ooze' from Latin language, Latin 'to (ooze out) sweat' (' 'out' and ' 'to sweat'). Medi ...

s are an important part of Rondon's marmoset's diet, and like other marmosets its

digestive tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the Digestion, digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascula ...

is specially adapted for this purpose. Adaptations include chisel-like lower

incisor Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...

s, which can gouge gum-producing trees to begin a flow of exudate, and an enlarged

cecum The cecum ( caecum, ; plural ceca or caeca, ) is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix (a ...

, which helps digest the exudates. Despite being able to tolerate habitat disturbance, Rondon's marmoset may be the most threatened species in the genus ''Mico''. It is considered vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, though it has been suggested that

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

would be more appropriate. Another callitrichid, Weddell's saddleback tamarin (''Leontocebus weddelli'') also occurs over much of Rondon's marmoset's range. However, Rondon's marmoset is rare or absent from areas where Weddell's saddleback tamarin is common. Weddell's saddleback tamarin is known to take over Rondon's marmoset's gum feeding sites.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1187101 Rondon's marmoset Endemic mammals of Brazil Primates of Brazil Rondon's marmoset