Abstract
The black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) is a neotropical primate threatened by habitat loss and capture for illegal trade in Argentina. Using multilocus microsatellite genotypes from 178 A. caraya individuals sampled from 15 localities in Argentina, we built a genotype reference database (GRDB). Bayesian assignment methods applied to the GRDB allowed us to correctly re-assign 73% of individuals to their true location of origin and 93.3% to their cluster of origin. We used the GRDB to assign 22 confiscated individuals (17 of which were reintroduced), and 3 corpses to both localities and clusters of origin. We assigned with a probability >70% the locality of origin of 14 individuals and the cluster of origin of 21. We found that most of the confiscated individuals were assigned to one cluster (F-Ch-C) and two localities included in the GRDB, suggesting that trafficked A. caraya primarily originated in this area. Our results reveal that only 4 of 17 reintroduced individuals were released in sites corresponding to their cluster of origin. Our findings illustrate the applicability of genotype databases for inferring hotspots of illegal capture and for guiding future reintroduction efforts, both of which are essential elements of species protection and recovery programs.
Highlights
The black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) is a neotropical primate threatened by habitat loss and capture for illegal trade in Argentina
Molecular genetic studies have allowed the identification of species confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, as well as traded animal, timber, and wood products
This is the case of the genetic assignment of 28 ivory samples from different elephant populations in Africa[14] between 1996 and 2014 that resulted in the identification of two major poaching hotspots, or determination of the species of dried shark fins being sold in Asian and Mediterranean commercial markets[40], allowing the monitoring of trade for conservation assessment
Summary
The black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) is a neotropical primate threatened by habitat loss and capture for illegal trade in Argentina. These studies allowed researchers to: (1) accurately discriminate among ivory trafficked from elephants from the four major regions of Africa[13,14], (2) identify poaching of the protected Sardinian mouflon, where a suspected poacher found in possession of a carcass initially claimed that it was from a sheep from his flock[15], (3) identify farmed Atlantic salmon escapes representing a threat to the genetic integrity of natural populations[17], (4) develop a genetic reference database characterising the populations of origin for illegally logged timber, which creates market disadvantages for products from sustainable forestry[18], (5) determine that illegally-traded palm species in Brazil were obtained from several sites showing that there is no single target locality used by poachers[19], and (6) differentiate among macaws from 3 geographic regions of Brazil and identify the most probable regions of origin of 24 confiscated individuals[10] These approaches underscore the importance and potential of molecular analyses for wildlife management and for identification of species to prevent illegal trafficking. This species serves as an early epidemiological sentinel, allowing the establishment of control and prevention measures[24,25,26,27]
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