The genus Saguinus (Hoffmannsegg 1807) belongs to the
primate family Callitrichidae. There are three subspecies of S. bicolor (Hershkovitz 1977; Rylands et al. 1993):
Saguinus bicolor bicolor Spix 1823
S. b. martinsi Thomas 1912
S. b. ochraceus Hershkovitz 1966
A variety of common and scientific names has been used in reference to this species. Common names used include pied tamarin, bicolored tamarin, bare-faced tamarin, Brazilian
bare-faced tamarin, pied marmoset, and pied bare-face tamarin. Former names for the genus Saguinus include Tamarin Gray 1870 and Leontocebus Wagner 1840.
Hershkovitz (1977) divided the genus Saguinus into the
following "Sections", based primarily on pelage: hairy-face, mottled-face, and bare-face tamarins. Each Section is further subdivided into Groups; S. bicolor (Brazilian bare-face tamarins) and S. oedipus
(Colombian and Panamanian bare-face tamarins) are the two Groups within the bare-face tamarin Section.
Distribution
All three subspecies of S. bicolor are endemic to Brazil. In general the species is
found north of the Rio Amazonas in a narrow, discontinuous strip near the river from the Rio Negro east to the lower Rio Cumina (Erepecurú) (Emmons 1990), but range limits are not known precisely. Please see map on
following page.
S. b. bicolor is found in the vicinity of Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas. Surveys by Ayres et al. (1980, 1982) showed that the range extends north only ~30-45 km of Manaus and east as far
as the town of Itacoatiara (~100 km from Manaus).
S. b. martinsi is believed to occur from the Rio Nhamundá east to the Rio Erepecurú, north of the Rio Amazonas (Hershkovitz 1966; Emmons 1990).
S. b. ochraceus is
believed to occur from the Rio Nhamundá west to the Rio Uatumã, north of the Rio Amazonas (Hershkovitz 1966; Emmons 1990). The range of S. midas midas overlaps that of S. b. bicolor. Historically, the two
species had not been recorded from the same site (Hershkovitz 1977), but there is recent evidence of midas within the Adolfo Ducke Reserve, the largest protected areas containing bicolor (R. Subirá, unpublished data).
The two species have interbred in captivity (Immendorf 1961 in Hershkovitz 1977), but there are no data available concerning their interspecific relationship in the wild.
Physical characteristics
Distinguishing characteristics include the black hairless face and ears. The skin of the face is sometimes mottled. Ears are large. Tail is bicolored, usually blackish to pale brown above, reddish to orange
below. Hair color varies with subspecies. (Hershkovitz 1977; Emmons 1990). As for other marmosets and tamarins, there is little or no sexual dimorphism in size and weight. Following are some physical measurements:
Head and body length: 208-283 mm (Hershkovitz 1977)
Tail length: 335-420 mm (Hershkovitz 1977)
Weight: 430 g (adult) (Ford 1994)
More specific physical descriptions of each of the three
subspecies follow (Hershkovitz 1977; Emmons 1990):
Saguinus bicolor bicolor: white forequarters, sharply defined from the pale brown back and hindquarters; tail black above, rust-gold below; throat and chest
white; belly brown mixed with buff; inner thighs and lower abdomen bright rust-red. This pied coloration is unique among bare-face tamarins. The head of newborn and very young S. b. bicolor is like that of the adult
except that the cheeks, forehead and crown are covered with white hair.
Saguinus bicolor martinsi: grizzled cinnamon sides and hindlegs; orange forearms; tail black above, orange below; crown to base of tail
brown, in a broad band; underparts orange. Saguinus bicolor ochraceus: upperparts entirely pale brown with buff tinge, paler on forequarters; tail dark brown above, gold below; legs like back, or more
orange; underparts entirely orange to golden brown
Habitat
S. bicolor is found in secondary lowland rainforest, swamps, forest edges (Hershkovitz 1977; Wolfheim 1983; Emmons 1990), and white
sand forest (Egler 1992). The climate is humid, with temperatures high and relatively uniform throughout the year (Egler 1992), but with seasonalvariation in rainfall.
Diet
The diet consists primarily
of fruit but also includes gum, arthropods (insects and spiders), and flowers (Stevenson and Rylands 1988; Egler 1992). Egler's study (1992) showed that fruit makes up ~96% of the diet and that the animals eat fruits
that are small, ripe and succulent. Gums are exploited during the dry season and the beginning of the wet season (Egler 1992) and are eaten opportunistically as they flow from holes in trees. In Egler's study, three
fruit species were eaten as the regular food supply, each species for an extended, non-overlapping period. Of the 21 fruit species eaten, nearly 2/3 were berries and pods.
Reproductive parameters
Cycle length: ~3 weeks (Heistermann 1987)
Gestation length: ~160 days (Heistermann 1987); >185 days
(studbook)4
Birth interval: 6-6.5 months
(Hershkovitz 1977; Egler 1992);194-220 days (sampling from studbook)
Seasonality: births in May and November (wild animals: Egler 1992)
No. of offspring: 1-3 (Egler 1992; studbook records)
Social structure
The animals seem to live in small family groups of 2-10 individuals (Emmons 1990; Egler 1992). A wild group studied for eleven
months by Egler (1992) had 6-10 individuals, mostly of unknown age and sex. There are no data suggesting major differences between this taxon and other Saguinus.
Behavior
Very little behavioral
information is available. There are very few studies of S. bicolor in captivity, and there has been only one published long-term field study (Egler 1992), although additional field work has recently been completed by
Rosana Subirá (unpublished M.S. thesis).
Pied tamarins are diurnal and arboreal. The species makes birdlike chirps and whistles (Emmons 1990), and their long calls, along with those of S. oedipus and S. geoffroyi,
are the only callitrichid long calls that consist of 2 or 3 very long syllables with little or no frequency modulation (Snowdon 1993). Locomotion is quadrupedal, with some clinging and leaping (Hershkovitz 1977). Five
types of scent-marking behavior have been observed, including 2 types that are unusual for callitrichids (Wormell and Feistner 1992). In Egler's study (1992), a group of 6-10 animals living in an area of secondary
forest in a suburb of Manaus was the focus of an 11-month project on habitat and dietary requirements. This group fed in low trees with small crown diameters, and group travel was based on routes connecting the fruiting
trees exploited, with foraging for animal prey occurring during travel. Although most of the food consumed was fruit, most of the foraging time was devoted to searching for and capturing arthropods. A home range size
of 12 ha was found.
Status in the wild
Saguinus bicolor has one of the smallest geographic ranges, and is possibly the most endangered, of the Amazonian primates (Ayres et al. 1982; Emmons 1990; Egler
1992, 1993). Currently all three subspecies are classified as follows:
CITES Appendix I
USESA endangered
1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals -
indeterminate 1989 List of Brazilian Fauna Threatened
with Extinction
S. b. bicolor is the most vulnerable of the three
subspecies (Mittermeier et al. 1993). In general, this subspecies is scattered throughout the suburbs of and areas surrounding the city of Manaus, an area densely inhabited by humans and rapidly growing. Urban
expansion, cattle-ranching and agriculture all contribute to habitat loss for this taxon (Egler 1993). S. b. bicolor does occur in four protected areas (Egler 1993): the Adolfo Ducke Reserve of the Instituto Nacional de
Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA) (10,000 ha), the Alberto Egler Reserve of INPA (630 ha), the Ecological Reserve of Sauim-Castanheiras (109 ha) under jurisdiction of IBAMA, and a small private reserve of the Tropical Hotel
in Manaus.
S. bicolor martinsi may occur in the Rio Trombetas Biological Reserve (385,000 ha), Para (Rylands et al. 1993). S. bicolor ochraceus probably occurs in the Nhamunda State Park (28,370 ha) and the Nhamunda
State Environment Protection Area (195,900 ha), Amazonas (Rylands et al. 1993). These two subspecies do not appear to be under immediate threat, but a more accurate assessment of their status in the wild can only be
made with more information regarding their true range limits.
Ayres et al. (1980, 1982) suggest that S. b. bicolor is gradually being replaced by S. midas populations, either naturally, or as a result of human
activity. Hershkovitz (1977) suggests that S. bicolor's restricted geographic range, which is much smaller than that of S. midas, may be due either to a geographic accident or to mutual exclusion.
Status of the Captive Population
The current captive population of Saguinus b. bicolor is derived from two colonies, both established in the 1980s: one at the Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro (CPRJ)
and the other at Universitat Bielefeld (Germany). In 1996, CPRJ acquired additional wild-caught founders, a step forward in expanding the founder base. A number of these new founders have been sent to European
institutions.
As of early 1997, all of the animals outside of Brazil are under the ownership of the Brazilian government, through the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA)
(Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources).
Status as of 31 December 1998:
Births during 1998...................................................24
Deaths during 1998...................................................31
No. living animals..........................................................92
(41.47.4)
No. founders with living descendants................................14
No. of additional potential founders (no descendants to date)...3
No. living founders (potential and actual)..........................10
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List of Holding Institutions / Lista de Instituições Mantenedoras Esta lista inclui todas as instituições, negociantes,
e indivíduos que aparecem na listagem do Studbook em ordem alfabética pela nomenclatura do ÍSIS.
This list includes all institutions, dealers, and individuals
