The family Callitrichidae (Arctopitheci or Hapalidae)

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 the family Cebidae.

Appearance

Callitrichidae are the smallest of the higher primates, measuring no more than 50 cm in length and weighing up to 1 kg. These South American monkeys are characterised by some primitive features: all their toes (except the rear thumb, which has a flattened nail) have sickle-shaped claws and their large cerebral hemispheres are relatively smooth, with few twists. This family includes many species of toads and tamarins.

Social behaviour and nutrition

Callitrichidae are highly mobile and fast-moving arboreal animals that inhabit tropical and subtropical forests. They stay in different parts of the tree canopy, rarely descending to the ground, living in family groups of 3 to 12 animals. They are active during the day and spend the night in hollows; they feed mainly on insects, but also eat birds, juicy fruits and seeds, helping themselves with their forelegs.

These monkeys express their emotions by movements of the lips, eyelids, ears and tufts of hair on the head; they have well-developed hearing, sight and smell. Olfactory signals are of great importance in their communication system. Olfactory signals are applied not only to objects in the environment, but also to conspecifics and to their own body.

Male and female Callitrichidae form a stable pair. Pregnancy lasts between 140 and 150 days. There are 1 to 3, and usually 2 offspring in a litter. They spend most of their time with the male, and are only brought to the mother for feeding. The older offspring are usually cared for by their older siblings.

Species and subspecies list

Taxa included in the Callitrichidae are:

• Family Callitrichidae:
• Genus Saguinus:
• Subgenus Saguinus:
• Red-handed tamarin, Saguinus midas;
• Western black tamarin, Saguinus niger;
• Eastern black-handed tamarin, Saguinus ursulus;
• Pied tamarin, Saguinus bicolor;
• Martins's tamarin, Saguinus martinsi;
• Saguinus martinsi martinsi;
• Saguinus martinsi ochraceus;
• White-footed tamarin, Saguinus leucopus;
• Cottontop tamarin, Saguinus oedipus;
• Geoffroy's tamarin, Saguinus geoffroyi;
• Subgenus Tamarinus:
• Moustached tamarin, Saguinus mystax;
• Spix's moustached tamarin, Saguinus mystax mystax;
• Red-capped moustached tamarin, Saguinus mystax pileatus;
• White-rump moustached tamarin, Saguinus mystax pluto;
• White-lipped tamarin, Saguinus labiatus;
• Geoffroy's red-bellied tamarin, Saguinus labiatus labiatus;
• Gray's red-bellied tamarin, Saguinus labiatus rufiventer;
• Thomas's red-bellied tamarin, Saguinus labiatus thomasi;
• Emperor tamarin, Saguinus imperator;
• Black-chinned emperor tamarin, Saguinus imperator imperator;
• Bearded emperor tamarin, Saguinus imperator subgrisescens;
• Mottle-faced tamarin, Saguinus inustus;
• Genus Leontocebus:
• Black-mantled tamarin, Leontocebus nigricollis;
• Spix's black-mantle tamarin, Leontocebus nigricollis nigricollis;
• Graells's tamarin, Leontocebus nigricollis graellsi;
• Hernández-Camacho's black-mantle tamarin, Leontocebus nigricollis hernandezi;
• Brown-mantled tamarin, Leontocebus fuscicollis;
• Avila Pires' saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus fuscicollis avilapiresi;
• Spix's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus fuscicollis fuscicollis;
• Mura's saddleback tamarin, Leontocebus fuscicollis mura;
• Lako's saddleback tamarin, Leontocebus fuscicollis primitivus;
• Andean saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus leucogenys;
• Lesson's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus fuscus;
• Cruz Lima's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus cruzlimai;
• Weddell's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus weddelli;
• Weddell's tamarin, Leontocebus weddelli weddelli;
• Crandall's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus weddelli crandalli;
• White-mantled tamarin, Leontocebus weddelli melanoleucus;
• Golden-mantled tamarin, Leontocebus tripartitus;
• Illiger's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus illigeri;
• Red-mantled saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus lagonotus;
• Geoffroy's saddle-back tamarin, Leontocebus nigrifrons;
• Genus Leontopithecus:
• Golden lion tamarin, Leontopithecus rosalia;
• Golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas;
• Black lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysopygus;
• Superagui lion tamarin, Leontopithecus caissara;
• †Genus Patasola:
• †Patasola magdalenae;
• †Genus Micodon:
• †Micodon kiotensis;
• Genus Callimico:
• Goeldi's marmoset, Callimico goeldii;
• Genus Mico:
• Silvery marmoset, Mico argentatus;
• Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset, Mico humilis;
• White marmoset, Mico leucippe;
• Black-tailed marmoset, Mico melanurus;
• Schneider's marmoset, Mico schneideri;
• Hershkovitz's marmoset, Mico intermedia;
• Emilia's marmoset, Mico emiliae;
• Black-headed marmoset, Mico nigriceps;
• Marca's marmoset, Mico marcai;
• Santarem marmoset, Mico humeralifer;
• Gold-and-white marmoset, Mico chrysoleucos;
• Maués marmoset, Mico mauesi;
• Sateré marmoset, Mico saterei;
• Rio Acarí marmoset, Mico acariensis;
• Rondon's marmoset, Mico rondoni;
• Munduruku marmoset, Mico munduruku;
• Genus Cebuella:
• Western pygmy marmoset, Cebuella pygmaea;
• Eastern pygmy marmoset, Cebuella niveiventris;
• Genus Callithrix:
• Common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus;
• Black-tufted marmoset, Callithrix penicillata;
• Wied's marmoset, Callithrix kuhlii;
• White-headed marmoset, Callithrix geoffroyi;
• Buffy-tufted marmoset, Callithrix aurita;
• Buffy-headed marmoset, Callithrix flaviceps.