Callicebus nigrifrons

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Primates
Subordo: Haplorhini
Infraordo: Simiiformes
Parvordo: Platyrrhini

Familia: Pitheciidae
Subfamilia: Callicebinae
Genus: Callicebus
Subgenus: Callicebus
Species: Callicebus nigrifrons
Name

Callicebus nigrifrons (Spix, 1823)
Vernacular names
English: Black-fronted Titi
português: Sauá-de-fronte-negro

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.[3] The body of this primate is covered in grey to brown fur with black fur concentrated around the face, the tail is slightly orange in color.[4][5] Body weight ranges from 1 to 2 kilograms and the head-body length is around 270 to 450 millimeters.[4] This species does not exhibit sexual dimorphism.[5] Members of this species can live up to 12 years of age in captivity.[6]

Habitat and distribution

The black-fronted titi is endemic to the Atlantic forest region of Brazil[7][8][4] and has a home range averaging 20 hectares.[8] The black-fronted titi is arboreal and prefers the middle to upper canopy of the forest.[5] However, it will move to the forest floor at times to forage, travel, and play.[9] Play behavior on the forest floor has been documented between black-fronted titis and marmosets in Brazil.[10]

Ecology
Diet

The diet of the black-fronted titi is frugivorous and they forage in dense vegetation.[5] They are also known to eat leaves, seeds, invertebrates, and flowers.[7][11][8] Due to their highly frugivorous diet, they play a key role in seed dispersion.[12]

Predation

Predators of the black-fronted titi include the harpy eagle, owls, hawks, falcons, tayra, jaguarundi, ocelot, margay, oncilla, pumas, jaguars, large snakes, and other, larger primates (such as howler monkeys).[5][3] Black-fronted titis are particularly vulnerable to harpy eagle attacks when they move to the upper portion of the canopy to sunbathe on cold mornings.[5] After detecting a raptor, black-fronted titis alert the surrounding area quickly through alarm calls before hiding.[5]

Behaviour
Black-fronted titi pair

The black-fronted titi is socially monogamous[13][5][4] and is typically found in a group of two to six individuals, which includes the adult pair and their offspring.[9][4] Females give birth to one offspring per year, usually in July or August.[14] Parental care and social activities with the offspring are carried out by the male of this species, while the female only provides milk.[14] Both males and females disperse from their natal group at three years of age.[9]

The black-fronted titi is territorial and will defend territories, food resources, and mates with loud calls individually or in duets or choruses.[8][9] Loud calls are used for within and between group communication and have a high amplitude and a low frequency which allows them to be heard over long distances.[15] Loud calls are broadcast at dawn and when titis see or hear another group.[8] When confronted by a predator, duets and choruses can last up to two hours, with group members alternating between soft and loud calls.[16] There are no sex differences in calling behavior during predator interactions, both males and females will call.[5] The black-fronted titi can produce calls which encode the predator type (aerial or terrestrial) and predator location to nearby conspecifics.[17]

Characteristic of the Callicebinae subfamily, black-fronted titis can be observed with interwoven tails, a behavior thought to reinforce pair bonds and strengthen social relationships.[18][19][20]
Conservation

The black-fronted titi is classified as near threatened by the IUCN due to extensive habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and an estimated population decline of more than 20% in the past 24 years.[9] Small, isolated populations are common due to fragmentation and in some areas this has led to the species going locally extinct.[4] Noise pollution can also negatively impact this species. One study found that noise from mining operations restricted the black-fronted titis long-distance communication due to the overlap in frequency between mining noise and loud calls, this is significant for a species that relies heavily on vocal communication in social interactions.[8]
References
Wikispecies has information related to Black-fronted Titi.

Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
Jerusalinsky, L.; de Melo, F.R.; Mittermeier, R.A.; Quadros, S.; Rylands, A.B. (2020). "Callicebus nigrifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T39943A17973667. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T39943A17973667.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Caselli, Christini B.; Gestich, Carla C.; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B. (1 August 2017). "Sleeping above the enemy: Sleeping site choice by black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons )". American Journal of Primatology. 79 (10): e22688. doi:10.1002/ajp.22688. ISSN 0275-2565. PMID 28763579. S2CID 3863454.
dos Santos, Glênio Pereira; Galvão, Cristiane; Young, Robert J. (5 February 2012). "The diet of wild black-fronted titi monkeys Callicebus nigrifrons during a bamboo masting year". Primates. 53 (3): 265–272. doi:10.1007/s10329-012-0295-5. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 22311072. S2CID 16700262.
Cäsar, Cristiane (2012). Anti-predator behaviour of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons). University of St Andrews. OCLC 806194348.
Berthet, Mélissa; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Duvot, Guilhem; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Cäsar, Cristiane; Bicca‐Marques, Júlio Cèsar (5 October 2021). "Dramatic decline in a titi monkey population after the 2016–2018 sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in Brazil". American Journal of Primatology. 83 (12): e23335. doi:10.1002/ajp.23335. hdl:10023/26129. ISSN 0275-2565. PMID 34609763. S2CID 238356438.
Caselli, Christini Barbosa; Setz, Eleonore Zulnara Freire (23 August 2011). "Feeding ecology and activity pattern of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons) in a semideciduous tropical forest of southern Brazil". Primates. 52 (4): 351–359. doi:10.1007/s10329-011-0266-2. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 21861115. S2CID 23317950.
Duarte, M. H. L.; Kaizer, M. C.; Young, R. J.; Rodrigues, M.; Sousa-Lima, R. S. (11 September 2017). "Mining noise affects loud call structures and emission patterns of wild black-fronted titi monkeys". Primates. 59 (1): 89–97. doi:10.1007/s10329-017-0629-4. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 28894994. S2CID 22866221.
Berthet, Mélissa; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Duvot, Guilhem; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Cäsar, Cristiane; Bicca‐Marques, Júlio Cèsar (5 October 2021). "Dramatic decline in a titi monkey population after the 2016–2018 sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in Brazil". American Journal of Primatology. 83 (12): e23335. doi:10.1002/ajp.23335. hdl:10023/26129. ISSN 0275-2565. PMID 34609763. S2CID 238356438.
Souza-Alves, João Pedro; Mourthe, Italo; Hilário, Renato R.; Bicca-Marques, Júlio César; Rehg, Jennifer; Gestich, Carla C.; Acero-Murcia, Adriana C.; Adret, Patrice; Aquino, Rolando; Berthet, Mélissa; Bowler, Mark (1 October 2019). "Terrestrial Behavior in Titi Monkeys (Callicebus, Cheracebus, and Plecturocebus): Potential Correlates, Patterns, and Differences between Genera". International Journal of Primatology. 40 (4): 553–572. doi:10.1007/s10764-019-00105-x. hdl:10923/19198. ISSN 1573-8604. S2CID 201671105.
Nagy-Reis, Mariana B.; Setz, Eleonore Z. F. (2 August 2016). "Foraging strategies of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons) in relation to food availability in a seasonal tropical forest". Primates. 58 (1): 149–158. doi:10.1007/s10329-016-0556-9. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 27485746. S2CID 20019302.
Gestich, Carla Cristina; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B.; Caselli, Christini Barbosa (October 2019). "From dropping to dropping: The contribution of a small primate to seed dispersal in Atlantic Forest". Acta Oecologica. 100: 103464. Bibcode:2019AcO...10003464G. doi:10.1016/j.actao.2019.103464. ISSN 1146-609X. S2CID 202854598.
Souza-Alves, João Pedro; Caselli, Christini B.; Gestich, Carla C.; Nagy-Reis, Mariana B. (20 February 2019). "Should I store, or should I sync? The breeding strategy of two small Neotropical primates under predictable resource availability". Primates. 60 (2): 113–118. doi:10.1007/s10329-019-00716-1. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 30788624. S2CID 67788608.
Cäsar, Cristiane; Young, Robert John (16 October 2007). "A case of adoption in a wild group of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons)". Primates. 49 (2): 146–148. doi:10.1007/s10329-007-0066-x. ISSN 0032-8332. PMID 17938856. S2CID 11927244.
Caselli, Christini; Mennill, Daniel; Bicca-Marques, Júlio César; Setz, Eleonore (3 March 2014). "Vocal behavior of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons): Acoustic properties and behavioral contexts of loud calls". American Journal of Primatology. 76 (8): 788–800. doi:10.1002/ajp.22270. PMID 24591251. S2CID 24816221.
Narbona Sabaté, Lara; Mesbahi, Geoffrey; Dezecache, Guillaume; Cäsar, Cristiane; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Berthet, Mélissa (9 January 2022). "Animal linguistics in the making: the Urgency Principle and titi monkeys' alarm system". Ethology Ecology & Evolution. 34 (3): 378–394. doi:10.1080/03949370.2021.2015452. hdl:10023/26711. ISSN 0394-9370. S2CID 248421107.
Cäsar, Cristiane; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Young, Robert J.; Byrne, Richard W. (23 October 2013). "Titi monkey call sequences vary with predator location and type". Biology Letters. 9 (5): 20130535. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0535. PMC 3971693. PMID 24004492.
Moynihan, M. (1966). "Communication in the Titi monkey, Callicebus". Journal of Zoology. 150 (1): 77–127. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1966.tb02999.x. ISSN 1469-7998.
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