Saguinus tripartitus primarily uses scents in communication. Individuals use circumgenital marking (marking using glands surrounding the anus) and suprapubic marking (marking using suprapubic glands). Individuals of higher social rank mark more frequently than those of a lower social standing. Saguinus tripartitus individuals can distinguish a large amount of information from scents, such as sex, species, social rank and reproductive status.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Saguinus tripartitus is listed as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Saguinus tripartitus occurs in remote forests along the Rio Yasuni. Human activities have not greatly impacted these forests to date, with the exception of small petroleum prospecting encampments. However, the recent discovery of petroleum in the area has led to the construction of the Pompeya-Iro highway through the area, which has caused some concern about future deforestation and development in the habitat of S. tripartitus. Due to projected high rates of deforestation, the population of S. tripartitus is expected to decline by twenty-five percent over the next eighteen years (three generations).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
There are no known adverse effects of Saguinus tripartitus on humans.
Saguinus tripartitus individuals are sometimes kept as pets. Because they are small, they are rarely hunted for food. They are also used as models in biomedical research.
Positive Impacts: pet trade ; research and education
In its ecosystem, Saguinus tripartitus is important for its role as prey for larger animals. Most often these are birds of prey. It also has a small role as a predator of insects and very small vertebrates. It is also possible that the diet of S. tripartitus makes them important in seed dispersal and the pollination of flowers.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; pollinates
Saguinus tripartitus is primarily insectivorous and frugivorous. They have also been known to eat small vertebrates, non-insect arthropods, flowers, nectars, gums, and other plant exudates. They may feed less on exudates than some other primates because they lack the dentary adaptations of those species for gouging into plants.
Animal Foods: reptiles; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Plant Foods: fruit; nectar; flowers; sap or other plant fluids
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore ); herbivore (Frugivore )
Saguinus tripartitus occurs in the upper Amazon rainforest between the Rio Curaray in Ecuador and the Rio Napo in Peru. It can also be found east of the Andes between the right bank of the Rio Napo and the left bank of the Rio Putumayo in Ecuador.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Saguinus tripartitus is found in lowland evergreen rainforests, seasonally flooded forests, and terra firma of the Amazon basin. Although typically found at lower elevations, S. tripartitus has been recorded at up to 400 meters above sea level in the western limits of its range, near the Andes Mountains. In general, tamarins are highly arboreal and are rarely seen on the ground.
Range elevation: 0 to 400 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Little information is available about the lifespan of Saguinus tripartitus. Rowe (1996) lists lifespan in the wild as 6 years and Hershkovitz (1977) mentions one specimen living five years, nine months, and nineteen days in captivity.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 5.75 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 6 years.
Saguinus tripartitus can range from 218 to 240 mm in body length and 316 to 341 mm in tail length. They have orange bodies and blackish orange hands. Their heads are covered in black fur with muzzles and faces which are generally white. On their lower back is a patch of cream colored hair. Their tails are generally black with an orange underside. This species is also closely related to Saguinus fuscicollis. Some investigators consider S. tripartitus to be a subspecies of S. fuscicollis.
Range mass: 290 to 420 g.
Range length: 218 to 240 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Saguinus tripartitus individuals are preyed on by a variety of animals including birds of prey, snakes, ocelots, and tayras. They use several behaviors to protect themselves from these predators. They differentiate between the fecal scents of predators and non-predators in order to avoid areas which may have predators in them. They use specific warning calls which can alert others nearby if the threat is aerial or terrestrial. They sometimes mob predators.
Known Predators:
Saguinus tripartitus, like other callitrichids, live in groups in which only the dominant female mates, typically with multiple males. There is some evidence of facultative polyandry among tamarins, in which two or more males mate with the female and cooperate in caring for the twin offspring.
Mating System: polyandrous ; cooperative breeder
Saguinus tripartitus, like other callitrichids, live in groups in which only the dominant female mates. As in other callitrichid species, the ovarian cycles of subordinate S. tripartitus females are suppressed while living in groups. In studies involving captive females living in family groups, low and acyclic levels of urinary estradiol (a hormone produced by the ovaries) were recorded while females were living as subordinates. When females were removed from the family group and placed in isolation with a male, their levels of urinary estradiol skyrocketed and immediate onset of their ovarian cycles occurred. The physiological reasons behind this are not known, but it is speculated that pheromones from dominant females may play a part in suppression of ovarian cycles in subordinate females. The length of gestation and lactation periods, breeding seasons and intervals, and time to sexual maturity, are not known. They are believed to be similar to other members of the genus Saguinus in terms of these traits. Gestation periods for Saguinus range from 140 days to 180 days, with most species having gestation periods between 140 and 150 days. Information regarding lactation periods of Saguinus could not be found. No generalizations could be made about the breeding seasons of the whole genus based on the information available. However, Saguinus fuscicollis breeds between April and October, and Saguinus oedipus and Saguinus geoffroyi breed between January and February. The age to sexual maturity varies between 15 and 24 months for Saguinus species.
Like other tamarin species, S. tripartitus gives birth to twins.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 2.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous
Patterns and duration of parental investment are not known. Fathers tend to provide and care for the infants more than mothers do after they are born. This may be offset the substantial energy investment of the mother during gestation and lactation. Tamarins give birth to young with large body masses relative to the mother's body mass, so females invest large amounts of energy into the young before they are born. Post-birth care from parents comes in the form of providing food, providing protection, and carrying the young around as they develop. Social groups also help to care for the young, sharing food and generally protecting them.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male)
The golden-mantled tamarin (Leontocebus tripartitus) is a tamarin species from South America. It is found in Ecuador and Peru, specifically in the upper Amazon (lowland), east of the Andes in Ecuador, and Northeast Peru; between the Rio Curaray and Rio Napo in Peru.
There has been some debate over the placing of L. tripartitus. In field observations in South America, scientists compared feeding habits and heights between golden-mantled tamarins (L. tripartitus) and brown-mantled tamarins (Leontocebus fuscicollis) and they concluded that patterns of height were very similar to those observed in L. fuscicollis. The similarity and the lack of evidence for sympatry with either L. fuscicollis or the black-mantled tamarin (Leontocebus nigricollis) led to the suggestion that L. tripartitus should be reconsidered as a subspecies of L. fuscicollis rather than a species on its own; alternatively, other subspecies of L. fuscicollis should be raised in taxonomic rank.[4] It is currently considered a separate species within the saddle-back tamarin genus Leontocebus.[5][6]
This tamarin measures 218–240 mm from the tip of the nose to the beginning of the tail and has a tail length of 316–341 mm. Its ear length is 31–32 mm. The head is black, with a black collar of hair continuous under the throat. The muzzle and sometimes face are pure white, and the neck has a ruff of bright golden to creamy fur dorsally, sharply contrasting with the black crown. Its underparts are orange.[7] The long tail is not prehensile, as in all tamarins, and the large eyes face forward. The species is monomorphic. It has large canines and claw-like nails on all digits except the opposable.
The golden-mantled tamarin is an arboreal, diurnal species ranging through the understory, moving by quadrupedal walk and leap, mainly on small horizontal supports. Leaping is the main gap-crossing mode of locomotion, though it decreases in proportion with a higher use of the upper forest layers.[8] It forages most actively between 4–10 meters off the forest floor, and eats mainly fruit, nectar and insects but also consumes gum from either natural holes or holes created by the pygmy marmoset. Due to its small body size, limited gut volume, and rapid rate of food passage, tamarins require a diet high in nutrient quality and available energy.[9] Water accumulated on leaves, in flower cups, or in hollows is lapped; dew and moisture from a hand previously dipped in water are licked. Callitrichids do not suck up liquids or hold vessels to the mouth as do most cebids and catarrhines. The faculty of suckling, a specialization of the young, disappears soon after weaning.[10] During the dry season they are known to be less active and more social due to low food sources.[4]
Marmosets and tamarins possess a rich repertoire of chemosignalling behaviors. These are associated closely with investigatory behaviors. In all species, the most conspicuous and most frequently seen chemosignalling behaviors are stereotyped scent-marking patterns involving the circumgenital and suprapubic glands, urine, and the sternal gland. Most scent marking is performed on items in the environment. In addition, marking the bodies of partners has also been reported for several species.[9]
Tamarins live in small groups of usually four to nine individuals and have some interesting reproductive traits. They give birth to twins, and only one female (the dominant individual) breeds in any single social group. The hormones present in the dominant female's urine suppress the reproductive cycles in the subordinate females of the group.[9] Groups are polygynandrous.
Gestation averages at 140 days.[10] Callitrichids in general are unique in the intensity of their relations to infants. The newborns may be carried from the first day by group members other than the mother (including males in the group). Weaning occurs from 9–13 weeks, when most of the food ingested is obtained through sharing or stealing. At the juvenile stage (beginning at 4–7 months) 'twin fights' may occur, especially between same-sexed twins, to determine status differences. The sub-adult stage begins at 9–14 months, and the young animal has the size and appearance of an adult. Puberty takes place at this time but the young do not reproduce. At the adult stage (beginning at 12–21 months), sexual maturity is attained.[9]
In 2008, Leontocebus tripartitus was assessed by the IUCN Red List. This species is listed as Near Threatened in light of a projected future decline of around 25% over the course of three generations (18 years) due to anticipated high rates of deforestation. The forests where L. tripartitus occurs along the Rio Yasuni in Ecuador are remote and have, to date, suffered little impact from human activities, other than small localized encampments for petroleum prospecting. However, the occurrence of petroleum in the region, resulting in the current construction of the Pompeya-Iro highway, is reason for some concern for the future of these forests and their wildlife.[3]
The golden-mantled tamarin (Leontocebus tripartitus) is a tamarin species from South America. It is found in Ecuador and Peru, specifically in the upper Amazon (lowland), east of the Andes in Ecuador, and Northeast Peru; between the Rio Curaray and Rio Napo in Peru.
