Imprimir Republish

Callicebus miltoni

Golden-tailed monkeys

Grayish patch on forehead and an orange tail are distinguishing features of Callicebus miltoni

JULIO CESAR DALPONTEGrayish patch on forehead and an orange tail are distinguishing features of Callicebus miltoniJULIO CESAR DALPONTE

In the past 15 years, experts have described six new species of monkeys of the genus Callicebus, which currently includes 31 species.  And now, a new one has come to light: Callicebus miltoni, named in honor of primatologist Milton Thiago de Mello.  Described by researchers at the Institute for the Conservation of Neotropical Carnivores (Pro-Carnivores), the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, and the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, Callicebus miltoni has a grayish patch on its forehead, dark ocher sideburns and neck fur, and an orange tail (Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, March 2015).  Known for their territory-marking abilities and for their vocalizations — especially in the morning, as a way of maintaining distance among groups –, individuals of this species were sighted for the first time in 2010 by Júlio César Dalponte of Pro-Carnivores, and appear to live exclusively in one area of the Amazon Forest, delimited by the Roosevelt and Aripuanã Rivers, in the states of Mato Grosso and Amazonas.  Half of this area lies in protected lands (conservation units or indigenous reserves).  Callicebus monkeys live in trees, intertwine their tails during treetop gatherings, and are called zogue-zogue, or fire-tails, by people living in the same forests.

Republish