Phylogeny of the titi monkeys of theCallicebus molochgroup (Pitheciidae, Primates)

Abstract

Callicebus is a Neotropical primate genus of the family Pitheciidae, which currently comprises 34 recognized species. Based on their morphological traits and geographic distribution, these species are currently assigned to five groups: the C. moloch, C. cupreus, C. donacophilus, C. torquatus, and C. personatus groups, although in the past, alternative arrangements have been proposed based on the analysis of morphological data. The principal disagreements among these arrangements are related to the composition of the C. moloch group. In the present study, we tested the different taxonomic proposals for the C. moloch group, based on the molecular analysis of nuclear markers (Alu insertions and flanking regions) and three mitochondrial genes (16S, COI, and Cyt b), with a total of approximately 7 kb of DNA sequence data. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods indicated that the species of the current C. cupreus group should be reintegrated into the C. moloch group. In addition, our results corroborated previous studies suggesting that the species of the current C. personatus group form a distinct species group. We also observed a relatively subtle level of divergence between C. dubius and C. caligatus. While the known diversity of Callicebus is considerable, these findings indicate that the relationships among groups and species may still not be completely understood, highlighting the need for further research into the biological, geographic, and genetic variability of these primates, which will be fundamental to the effective conservation of the genus. Am. J. Primatol. 78:904-913, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Titi monkey biogeography: Parallel Pleistocene spread byPlecturocebusandCheracebusinto a post‐Pebas Western Amazon

“…Our phylogenetic results showed monophyly for each of the three callicebine genera (Figure ), the sister relationship between the P. donacophilus and the P. moloch species group, and are broadly concordant with previous molecular genetic analyses (Byrne et al., ; Carneiro et al., ; Hoyos et al., ). Phylogenetic relationships within the subfamily Callicebinae were largely resolved with most nodes showing strong support.…”

“…(), comprised of the P. donacophilus and P. moloch species groups. Their evolutionary history has only recently been elucidated using molecular evidence (Byrne et al., ; Carneiro et al., ; Hoyos et al., ), providing new insights into the relationships among callicebine lineages and an appropriate phylogenetic framework to investigate the biogeographic history of the clade. The subfamily Callicebinae diverged from their sister clade (Pitheciinae) in the early Neogene, c .…”

Phylogeny, molecular dating and zoogeographic history of the titi monkeys (Callicebus, Pitheciidae) of eastern Brazil

“…Kobayashi (1995) proposed a number of modifications to this arrangement, based on an extensive analysis of morphometric, cytogenetic, and zoogeographic data, dividing the moloch group into three (moloch, cupreus and personatus), and reallocating modestus to the donacophilus species group. Based on molecular data, Carneiro et al (2016) questioned the validity of the cupreus group, recommending its inclusion in the moloch group. Hershkovitz 1990 and Callicebus coimbrai Kobayashi and Langguth 1999, are endemic to eastern Brazil, centered on the Atlantic Forest, and adjoining areas of the Caatinga and Savanna biomes.…”

Duetting Patterns of Titi Monkeys (Primates, Pitheciidae: Callicebinae) and Relationships with Phylogeny

“…Titi monkeys (Pitheciidae; subfamily Callicebinae) are a monophyletic clade of pair-bonded species exhibiting biparental care [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] and in which the taxonomy remains contentious [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ], with several taxa being re-evaluated and/or newly described within last two decades [ 59 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Until recently, our understanding of the taxonomy and phylogeny of titi monkeys was based mainly on biogeographical, morphological, and anatomical criteria complemented by chromosome analysis [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ].…”

“…Until recently, our understanding of the taxonomy and phylogeny of titi monkeys was based mainly on biogeographical, morphological, and anatomical criteria complemented by chromosome analysis [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ]. However, recent molecular studies involving multiple genetic markers [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ] have prompted a reassessment of phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships among the various titi taxa, leading Byrne et al [ 62 ] to split the former genus Callicebus into three genera, including Plecturocebus (with 22 species) and Cheracebus (with six species), which together are distributed in the Amazon and Chaco ecoregions, and Callicebus (with five species), which is endemic to eastern Brazil. These authors, in addition, provide genetic evidence for the existence of four major lineages within the subfamily: the moloch and donacophilus groups (both within the genus Plecturocebus ), the personatus group (genus Callicebus ), and the torquatus group (genus Cheracebus ), which is the most basal lineage within the callicebine radiation ( Figure 1 ).…”