14.

Golden-white Tassel-ear Marmoset

Mico chrysoleucos

French: Ouistiti a pieds jaunes / German: \WeilRgoldenes Seidenaffchen / Spanish: Titi blanco y dorado Other common names: Gold-and-white Marmoset

Taxonomy. Hapale chrysoleucos Wagner, 1842,

Brazil, Borba, lower Rio Madeira, Amazonas.

In his 1977 treatise, P. Hershkovitz regarded this species to be a subspecies of M. humeralifer (then of the genus Callithrix . C. humeralifera). There is some slight regional variation in the intensity of the yellow on the tail and posterior part of the back. Monotypic.

Distribution. Brazilian Amazon, S of the Rio Amazonas between the rios Madeira and lower Aripuana in the W and the Rio Canuma (= Cunuma) in the E.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 20-24 cm, tail 32-40 cm; weight ¢.280 g (males) and c.310 g (females). The Golden-white Tassel-ear Marmosetis yellowish-white, with pale golden or orange extremities and underparts. The tail is faintly banded with a darker shade of gold. The head is always white (without a crown patch), the face and ears are pink, and ear tufts are white and fan-like.

Habitat. Secondary lowland rainforest.

Food and Feeding. The Golden-white Tassel-ear Marmoset eats small fruits, nectar, gums, and small animal prey.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Information on the conservation status of the Golden-white Tassel-ear Marmoset remains scant although it is thought to be threatened by development along the Trans-Amazonian Highway, which has opened up its hitherto inaccessible range to exploitation.

Bibliography. Hershkovitz (1977), Rylands & de Faria (1993), Rylands et al. (1993, 2009), Silva & Noronha (1996, 2000), Stevenson & Rylands (1988).