Callicebus ornatus (Gray, 1866)

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Phitheciidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 432-483 : 461

8.

Ornate Tin

Callicebus ornatus

French: Titi orné / German: Weil 3stirn-Springaffe / Spanish: Titi ornamentado

Other common names: Ornate Titi Monkey

Taxonomy. Callithrix ornata Gray, 1866 ,

“New Granada,” now Colombia. Restricted by P. Hershkovitz in 1963 to Villavicencio region, Rio Meta, Meta, Colombia .

C. ornatus was listed as a subspecies of C. cupreus by P. Hershkovitz in 1990, but C. P. Groves in 2001 listed it is a full species and member of the cupreus species group. A unique feature of the geographic distribution of C. ornatus is that it is well separated from all other species in the cupreus group, although it is sympatric with C. lugens in the torquatus species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Colombia, in the Cundinamarca Department (Medina) as far N as the lower Upia-Meta river system, and S into Meta Department through the Sierra de la Macarena to the Rio Guayabero and the upper Rio Guaviare.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 31:2-36 cm (males) and 30.4-34.7 cm (females), tail 40.5-45 cm (males) and 38.3-44.4 cm (females); weight 1180 g (males) and 1160 g (females). Male and female Ornate Titis are indistinguishable in size and coloration. Their bodies and crowns are buff-agouti, and their underparts, sideburns, throat, forearms, and lower legs are reddish. Forehead and ear tufts are whitish, contrasting sharply with the reddish-brown crown. Hands and feet are whitish, and tail is dark redbrown at the base, with the rest mostly white.

Habitat. Lowland Amazon rainforest at elevations of 100-1000 m. The Ornate Titi is found in tall primary terra firma forest, but it is tolerant of disturbed and secondary habitat, as are other members of the cupreus species group. In areas of sympatry with the White-chested Titi ( C. lugens ), the Ornate Titi is found in poorly stratified, low, dense forest, whereas the White-chested Titi tends to occur in taller forest.

Food and Feeding. One study of Ornate Titis recorded a typicaltiti diet offruit (81%), arthropods (9%), and leaves (8%), with the occasional consumption of flowers (2%).

Breeding. As in othertitis, the Ornate Titi forms monogamous breeding pairs. The male provides parental care by carrying the single offspring.

Activity patterns. The Ornate Titi is diurnal and arboreal. Data from one behavioral study indicated a typical titi pattern of large amounts of time spent resting (49%), with moderate amounts of time spent foraging (20%), moving (20%), and engaging in social behavior (11%).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. A home range of 14 ha was recorded in one field study of Ornate Titis, although evidence from other sites indicates much smaller ranges, particularly in fragmented forest. One study in the department of Meta found 19 social groups in a forest fragment of only 17-6 ha, which correspondsto just over one group per hectare. Density at this site was 369 ind/km? and similar densities have been recorded at a number of othersites, although larger fragments tend to have progressively lower densities. Daily movements estimated at two sites were 315 m and 1152 m, with shorter distances being recorded in smaller home ranges. Forty-one groups observed at foursites in Meta contained 2-6 individuals, but no more than two adults in any group, despite high densities (60-369 ind/km?®). This is consistent with the systematic formation of groups by breeding pairs and their immature offspring.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Ornate Titi occurs in an area that has suffered moderately intense human colonization, with the added problem of guerilla activity, which makes surveying and monitoring populations difficult. Ornate Titis occur in La Macarena and Tinigua national natural parks in Colombia.

Bibliography. Defler (1994b, 2004), Groves (2001, 2005b), Hernandez-Camacho & Cooper (1976), Hernandez-Camacho & Defler (1989), Hershkovitz (1963, 1988, 1990), Mason (1966, 1968, 1971), Moynihan (1976), Norconk (2011), Polanco-Ochoa (1982), Polanco-Ochoa & Cadena (1993), Porras (2000), Robinson (1979a, 1979b, 1982), van Roosmalen et al. (2002) , Veiga & Palacios (2008a), Wagner et al. (2009).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Olallas’ Titi (Callicebus olallae); 5. San Martin Titi (Callicebus oenanthe); 6. Coppery Titi (Callicebus cupreus); 7. Red-crowned Titi (Callicebus discolon; 8. Ornate Titi (Callicebus ornatus); 9. Chestnut-bellied Titi (Callicebus caligatus); 10. Doubtful Titi (Callicebus dubius); 11. Stephen Nash's Titi (Callicebus stephennashi); 12. Caqueta Titi (Callicebus caquetensis);, 13. Ashy Titi (Callicebus cinerascens); 14. Hoffmanns's Titi (Callicebus hoffmannsi); 15. Lake Baptista Titi (Callicebus baptista); 16. Red-bellied Titi (Callicebus moloch).

Distribution. E Colombia, in the Cundinamarca Department (Medina) as far N as the lower Upia-Meta river system, and S into Meta Department through the Sierra de la Macarena to the Rio Guayabero and the upper Rio Guaviare.