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Morphological description of two species of Sapajus found in Paraíba: S. libidinosus and the newly discovered and endangered S. flavius

Abstract

Sapajus flavius and S. libidinosus are two species of capuchin monkeys found in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. S. flavius or Macgrave's capuchin monkey was recently rediscovered and is now critically endangered, found only in remaining fragments of Atlantic forest in the coastal region of the Brazian Northeast. S. libidinosus has a larger population and distribution, coexisting with S. flavius in Paraíba, however living in the western part of the state, in the semi-arid. Since there is a lack of knowledge about these species, a morphologic description of them was made, involving external and gastrointestinal tract biometry, visceral topography and anatomic description. Although the literature describes S. flavius as the smaller monkey of the Sapajus genus, we conclude that there are no morphological differences between these species. Such information contributes to best management practices for conservation of the species and to the correct taxonomic classification of the genus recently modified.

Index Terms:
Conservation; taxonomy; morphology; Sapajus libidinosus; Sapajus flavius; Macgrave's capuchin monkey

Colégio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira, Caixa Postal 74.591, 23890-000 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, Tel./Fax: (55 21) 2682-1081 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
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