An integrative analysis uncovers a new, pseudo-cryptic species of Amazonian marmoset (Primates: Callitrichidae: Mico) from the arc of deforestation

Rodrigo Costa-Araújo,Gustavo R Canale,Jean P Boubli,Tomas Hrbek,Felipe E Silva,Diego A Silva,Izeni P Farias,Stephen D Nash,Fabrício Bertuol,Rogério V Rossi,Iracilda Sampaio,Fabiano R Melo,José S Silva-

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-93943-w

Abstract

Amazonia has the richest primate fauna in the world. Nonetheless, the diversity and distribution of Amazonian primates remain little known and the scarcity of baseline data challenges their conservation. These challenges are especially acute in the Amazonian arc of deforestation, the 2500 km long southern edge of the Amazonian biome that is rapidly being deforested and converted to agricultural and pastoral landscapes. Amazonian marmosets of the genus Mico are little known endemics of this region and therefore a priority for research and conservation efforts. However, even nascent conservation efforts are hampered by taxonomic uncertainties in this group, such as the existence of a potentially new species from the Juruena–Teles Pires interfluve hidden within the M. emiliae epithet. Here we test if these marmosets belong to a distinct species using new morphological, phylogenomic, and geographic distribution data analysed within an integrative taxonomic framework. We discovered a new, pseudo-cryptic Mico species hidden within the epithet M. emiliae, here described and named after Horacio Schneider, the pioneer of molecular phylogenetics of Neotropical primates. We also clarify the distribution, evolutionary and morphological relationships of four other Mico species, bridging Linnean, Wallacean, and Darwinian shortfalls in the conservation of primates in the Amazonian arc of deforestation.

Highlights

Amazonia has the richest primate fauna in the world
As part of the findings from an ongoing research on ecology, evolution, and systematics of Amazonian marmosets, which has as one of the main goals to clarify the taxonomy of the Juruena–Teles Pires marmosets, we found that these marmosets present a cohesive pelage colour pattern that is distinctive from M. emiliae and other geographical neighbour taxa
The Juruena–Teles Pires marmosets, M. argentatus, M. emiliae, M. marcai, M. melanurus, and M. rondoni are clearly diagnosable in terms of pelage colour (Table 1; Fig. 3)

Summary

Introduction

Amazonia has the richest primate fauna in the world. the diversity and distribution of Amazonian primates remain little known and the scarcity of baseline data challenges their conservation. Primate diversity remains understudied in Amazonia, as manifested by regular discoveries of new s pecies[3,4,5] This incomplete taxonomic knowledge and the scarcity of basic ecological and distributional data for even well-known species is a major impediment to the design and implementation of effective conservation a ctions[6]. Bridging these substantial Linnean, Wallacean, and Darwinian shortfalls is a pre-requisite to understanding the biotic and abiotic drivers of the evolutionary history of Neotropical p rimates[7]. Additional taxonomic confusion has arisen concerning the identification of marmosets from three interfluves—Guaporé–Ji-Paraná, Ji-Paraná–Aripuanã, and Juruena–Teles Pires (Fig. 1)—as M. emiliae based on an apparent similarity in pelage colour patterns of these marmosets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion