Foraging behavior and microhabitats used by black lion tamarins, Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan) (Primates, Callitrichidae)

Passos, Fernando de Camargo; Keuroghlian, Alexine

doi:10.1590/S0101-81751999000600022

Abstract

Foraging in the Black Lion Tamarin (L. chrysopygus Mikan, 1823) was observed in the Caetetus Ecological Station, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, during 83 days between November 1988 to October 1990. These tamarins use manipulative, specific-site foraging behavior. When searching for animal prey items, they examine a variety of microhabitats (dry palm leaves, twigs, under loose bark, in tree cavities). These microhabitats were spatially dispersed among different forest macrohabitats such as swamp forests and dry forested areas. These data indicated that the prey foraging behavior of L. chrysopygus was quite variable, and they used a wide variety of microhabitats, different of the other lion tamarin species.

Callitrichidae; Leontopithecus chrysopygus; black lion tamarin; animal prey; foraging behavior; diet; microhabitats

Foraging behavior and microhabitats used by black lion tamarins, Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan) (Primates, Callitrichidae)¹ 1 Contribuição número 1171 do Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná.

Fernando de Camargo Passos^I; Alexine Keuroghlian^II

^IDepartamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná. Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-990 Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil. E-mail: fpassos@bio.ufpr.br

^IIDepartment of Wildlife Management, West Virginia University. Present address: University of Nevada, Reno, Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, Reno, Nevada 89557-0015, U.S.A

ABSTRACT

Foraging in the Black Lion Tamarin (L. chrysopygus Mikan, 1823) was observed in the Caetetus Ecological Station, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, during 83 days between November 1988 to October 1990. These tamarins use manipulative, specific-site foraging behavior. When searching for animal prey items, they examine a variety of microhabitats (dry palm leaves, twigs, under loose bark, in tree cavities). These microhabitats were spatially dispersed among different forest macrohabitats such as swamp forests and dry forested areas. These data indicated that the prey foraging behavior of L. chrysopygus was quite variable, and they used a wide variety of microhabitats, different of the other lion tamarin species.

Key words: Callitrichidae, Leontopithecus chrysopygus, black lion tamarin, animal prey, foraging behavior, diet, microhabitats.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We are grateful to the administrators and staff of the Caetetus Ecological Station, the Forestry Institute (IF) of São Paulo, Universidade Estadual de Campinas and IBAMA, Dr. Cory Teixeira de Carvalho for his continuous support, Jose Carvalho for his field assistance, Edson P. Teixeira (IF) for identification of the insect fragments, Dr. Faiçal Simon (chairperson of the black lion tamarin committee during the study), Don Eaton for editing comments, and CAPES and Fundação MB.

Recebido em 11.III.1999; aceito em 29.XI.1999.

Carvalho, C.T. & C.F. de Carvalho. 1989. A organização social dos sauis-pretos. (Leontopithecus chrysopygus Mikan), na reserva em Teodoro Sampaio, São Paulo (Primates, Callithricidae). Revta bras. Zool. 6: 707-717.
Carvalho, C.T.; A.L.K.M. Albernaz & C.A.T. de Lucca. 1989. Aspectos da bionomia do mico-leão-preto (Leontopithecus chrysopygus Mikan), (Mammalia, Callithricidae). Rev. Inst. Flor., São Paulo, 1: 67-83.
Coimbra-Filho, A.F. & R.A. Mittermeier. 1973. Distribution and ecology of the genus Leontopithecus Lesson, 1840 in Brazil. Primates 14 (1): 47-66.
Dawson, G.A. 1979. The use of time and space by the Panamanian tamarin Saguinus oedipus. Folia Primatol. 31:253-284.
Ferrari, S. 1993. Ecological differentiation in the Callitrichidae, p. 314-328. In: A.B. RYLANDS (Ed.). Marmosets and tamarins: systematics, behaviour and ecology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Garber, P.A. 1984. Proposed nutritional importance of plant exudates in the diet of the Panamanian tamarin, Saguinus oedipus geoffroyi. Int. Jour. Primatol. 1: 85-201.
Kleiman, D.G.; R.J. Hoage & K.M. Green. 1988. The lion tamarins, genus Leontopithecus, p. 299-347. In: R.A. Mittermeier; A.B. Rylands; A. Coimbra-Filho & G.A.B. Fonseca (Eds). Ecology and behavior of neotropical primates. Washington, World Wildlife Found, 610 p.
Passos, F.C. 1994. Behavior of black lion tamarin, Leonpithecus chrysopygus, in different forest levels in the Caetetus Ecological Station, São Paulo, Brazil. Neotrop. Primates 2 (Suppl.): 40-41.
______ . 1999. Dieta de um grupo de mico-leão-preto, Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan) (Mammalia, Callitrichidae), na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, São Paulo. Revta bras. Zool. 16 (Supl. 1): 269-278.
Peres, C.A. 1989. Costs and benefits of territorial defense in wild golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 25: 227-233.
Rylands, A.B. 1989. Sympatric Brazilian callitrichids: the black tufted-ear marmoset, Callithrix kuhli, and the golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas. Jour. Human Evol. 18: 679-695.
______ . 1993. The ecology of the lion tamarins, Leontopithecus: some intrageneric differences and comparisons with other callitrichids, p. 296-313. In: A.B. Rylands (Ed.). Marmosets and tamarins: systematics, behaviour and ecology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

1

Contribuição número 1171 do Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
04 June 2009
Date of issue
1999

History

Accepted
29 Nov 1999
Received
11 Mar 1999

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Carvalho, C.T. & C.F. de Carvalho. 1989. A organização social dos sauis-pretos. (Leontopithecus chrysopygus Mikan), na reserva em Teodoro Sampaio, São Paulo (Primates, Callithricidae). Revta bras. Zool. 6: 707-717.

[2] Carvalho, C.T.; A.L.K.M. Albernaz & C.A.T. de Lucca. 1989. Aspectos da bionomia do mico-leão-preto (Leontopithecus chrysopygus Mikan), (Mammalia, Callithricidae). Rev. Inst. Flor., São Paulo, 1: 67-83.

[3] Coimbra-Filho, A.F. & R.A. Mittermeier. 1973. Distribution and ecology of the genus Leontopithecus Lesson, 1840 in Brazil. Primates 14 (1): 47-66.

[4] Dawson, G.A. 1979. The use of time and space by the Panamanian tamarin Saguinus oedipus. Folia Primatol. 31:253-284.

[5] Ferrari, S. 1993. Ecological differentiation in the Callitrichidae, p. 314-328. In: A.B. RYLANDS (Ed.). Marmosets and tamarins: systematics, behaviour and ecology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

[6] Garber, P.A. 1984. Proposed nutritional importance of plant exudates in the diet of the Panamanian tamarin, Saguinus oedipus geoffroyi. Int. Jour. Primatol. 1: 85-201.

[7] Kleiman, D.G.; R.J. Hoage & K.M. Green. 1988. The lion tamarins, genus Leontopithecus, p. 299-347. In: R.A. Mittermeier; A.B. Rylands; A. Coimbra-Filho & G.A.B. Fonseca (Eds). Ecology and behavior of neotropical primates. Washington, World Wildlife Found, 610 p.

[8] Passos, F.C. 1994. Behavior of black lion tamarin, Leonpithecus chrysopygus, in different forest levels in the Caetetus Ecological Station, São Paulo, Brazil. Neotrop. Primates 2 (Suppl.): 40-41.

[9] ______ . 1999. Dieta de um grupo de mico-leão-preto, Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan) (Mammalia, Callitrichidae), na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, São Paulo. Revta bras. Zool. 16 (Supl. 1): 269-278.

[10] Peres, C.A. 1989. Costs and benefits of territorial defense in wild golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 25: 227-233.

[11] Rylands, A.B. 1989. Sympatric Brazilian callitrichids: the black tufted-ear marmoset, Callithrix kuhli, and the golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas. Jour. Human Evol. 18: 679-695.

[12] ______ . 1993. The ecology of the lion tamarins, Leontopithecus: some intrageneric differences and comparisons with other callitrichids, p. 296-313. In: A.B. Rylands (Ed.). Marmosets and tamarins: systematics, behaviour and ecology. Oxford, Oxford University Press.