Raone Beltrão-Mendes

Intra-community coalitionary lethal attack of an adult male southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides)

We report on the first evidence of intra‐community coalitionary lethal aggression in muriquis (Brachyteles). The event occurred in southern muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) during a long‐term study (>15 years) of two social groups inhabiting mostly pristine Atlantic forest habitat in the Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, southern São Paulo State, Brazil. The attack took place deep in the core area of the Group Caetê home range. Tense agonistic behaviors and vocalizations preceded the lethal coalitionary attack, and the tension increased over a 36–48 hr period. One adult female and two unidentified individuals also took part in a coalition led by six adult males. The members of the coalition collectively approached, embraced, immobilized and repeatedly bit the entire body of an adult male, resulting in severe bleeding injuries and the victims death in less than 1 hr after the attack commenced. Combined ecological, behavioral and spatial data related to the event indicate that this was an intra‐community attack and suggest social tensions related to mating competition as the proximate trigger of the coalitionary killing. The attack resembled those reported for chimpanzees, with clear numeric superiority and a low risk of injury to aggressors, resulting in the death of a lone conspecific victim. This observation (n=1) is suggestive of a capacity for escalated aggression in muriquis and reinforces arguments for the potential adaptive significance of intra‐community aggression in male philopatric societies, as reported for spider monkeys and chimpanzees. These characteristics challenge the view of the muriquis as a peaceful primate and support the general hypothesis that imbalances of power contribute to intra‐specific killing in primates, such as chimpanzees and humans. Am. J. Primatol. 71:860–867, 2009.

Climate and land use changes will degrade the configuration of the landscape for titi monkeys in eastern Brazil

Land use changes have profound effects on populations of Neotropical primates, and ongoing climate change is expected to aggravate this scenario. The titi monkeys from eastern Brazil (Callicebus personatus group) have been particularly affected by this process, with four of the five species now allocated to threatened conservation status categories. Here, we estimate the changes in the distribution of these titi monkeys caused by changes in both climate and land use. We also use demographic-based, functional landscape metrics to assess the magnitude of the change in landscape conditions for the distribution predicted for each species. We built species distribution models (SDMs) based on maximum entropy for current and future conditions (2070), allowing for different global circulation models and contrasting scenarios of glasshouse gas concentrations. We refined the SDMs using a high-resolution map of habitat remnants. We then calculated habitat availability and connectivity based on home-range size and the dispersal limitations of the individual, in the context of a predicted loss of 10% of forest cover in the future. The landscape configuration is predicted to be degraded for all species, regardless of the climatic settings. This include reductions in the total cover of forest remnants, patch size and functional connectivity. As the landscape configuration should deteriorate severely in the future for all species, the prevention of further loss of populations will only be achieved through habitat restoration and reconnection to counteract the negative effects for these and several other co-occurring species.

New localities and perspectives on the sympatry between two endangered primates (Callicebus coimbrai and Cebus xanthosternos) in northeastern Brazil

No abstract available

Birds of the Grota do Angico Natural Monument in the semi-arid Caatinga scrublands of northeastern Brazil

No inventario da avifauna do Monumento Natural Grota de Angico na Caatinga ao norte de Sergipe, Brasil, revelou a presenca de pelo menos 140 especies, incluindo nove endemicas da Caatinga e florestas sazonais adjacentes. Apesar do alcance limitado do estudo (duas expedicoes em Julho e Agosto, 2008), a riqueza de especies registrada no sitio aparentemente pode ser tipica da regiao e do Bioma Caatinga.

Primates, Pitheciidae, Callicebus coimbrai Kobayashi and Langguth, 1999: new localities for an endangered titi monkey in eastern Sergipe, Brazil

Coimbra-Filho’s titi monkey, Callicebus coimbrai Kobayashi and Langguth, 1999, appears to be endemic to the northern Atlantic Forest, south of the lower Sao Francisco River in east of the state of Sergipe and north-east of the state of Bahia. This study presents 13 new records of the occurrence of the species in the Sao Francisco and Japaratuba basins of eastern Sergipe, extending its range in the state over a distance of some 40 km. This represents an important advance in the known range and total number of populations of this endangered primate.

Primates, Pitheciidae, Callicebus barbarabrownae Hershkovitz, 1990: new localities for the critically endangered titi monkey in the São Francisco basin, state of Sergipe, Brazil [with erratum]

Barbara Brown’s titi monkey, Callicebus barbarabrownae Hershkovitz, 1990, appears to be endemic to the Caatinga of northern Bahia and western Sergipe, although few data are available for the northernmost portion of its range. The present study presents seven new occurrence records of the species, in the Sao Francisco basin of northern Sergipe, extending its range in the state over a distance of more than 50 km from west to east. This represents an important extension of the known range and total number of populations of this critically endangered primate species.

Self-anointing behaviour in captive titi monkeys ( Callicebus spp.)

Abstract Self-anointing behaviour using Bauhinia sp. was reported in two captive titi monkeys (Callicebus coimbrai and Callicebus barbarabrownae). The study was carried out from October 2013 to May 2014 during an experimental study investigating the gut passage time of these individuals at the Getúlio Vargas Zoobotanical Park, north-eastern Brazil. Although leaves, petioles and flowers of Bauhinia contain chemical substances that could affect the presence of ectoparasites, it is unclear if titi monkeys demonstrate self-anointing behaviour as a method of self-medication. However, due to the presence of large glands in C. coimbrai and C. barbarabrownae chests, and the high frequency of occurrence observed for the adult male, we cautiously suggest that the use of Bauhinia may be linked to olfactory communication.

Predation of birds in mist nets by callitrichids (primates): how to prevent similar events

ABSTRACT We report predation of four birds while caught in mist nets and recommend some means of prevention. Two birds were attacked by Callitrhix jacchus and one by Saguinus midas. The predator in the fourth case was unidentified. These cases were relatively rare, affecting 0.4–4.4% of the captured birds. Two of the predated birds were caught more than 1 m above the ground and may have been accessed from branches. The other two were caught close to the ground. Reducing time intervals between net checks and cutting off branches close to nets may reduce bird predation in mist nets.

Functional planning units for the management of an endangered Brazilian titi monkey

Conservation practices in the tropics often rely on the data available for a few, better‐known species and the adoption of an appropriate spatial scale. By defining a set of landscape units that account for critical aspects of the focal species, the information available on these conservation targets can support regional conservation policies. Here, we define and classify adjacent landscapes, termed planning units, to orientate management decisions within and among these landscapes, which are occupied by an endangered flagship primate species (Coimbra‐Filhos titi monkey, Callicebus coimbrai) from eastern Brazil. We use landscape boundaries (highways and river systems), and a high‐resolution map of forest remnants to identify continuous and manageable landscapes. We employed functional landscape metrics based on the species’ dispersal ability and home range size to characterize and classify these landscapes. We classified planning units by scoring them according to a suite of selected metrics through a Principal Component Analysis. We propose 31 planning units, containing one to six C. coimbrai populations, most with low values of habitat availability, functional connectivity and carrying capacity, and a high degree of degradation. Due to this poor landscape configuration, basic management practices are recommendable. However, additional aspects of the landscapes and the populations they contain (e.g., matrix type and genetic variability) should improve the scheme, which will require a closer integration of research aims with socio‐political strategies. Even so, our scheme should prove useful for the combination of information on conservation targets (i.e., focal species) with management strategies on an administrative scale.

Diversity of birds in the Mata do Junco State Wildlife Refuge, a remnant of the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil

This study presents an inventory of the bird fauna of the Mata do Junco State Wildlife Refuge in Capela, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Sergipe. Monthly samples were collected between January 2011 and May 2012. Each 3-day sample was based on mist-netting (100 m) in two areas and the compilation of MacKinnon lists of 10 species. During the 17 months of the study period, the occurrence of 129 bird species belonging to 41 families was confirmed for the study area. In the mist-nets, a total of 469 individuals representing 58 species were captured in 3400 net-hours of sampling effort. A total of 100 MacKinnon lists were compiled, resulting in an inventory of 119 bird species. Eight of the species are endemic to Brazil, of which, five are restricted to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Three of the species are included in the IUCN Red List, at different levels of concern. Overall, the results of the study indicate that the Mata do Junco represents an important area for the protection of the region’s avian fauna and the habitats they rely on.