Marcgrave's red-tailed monkey: the earliest European depiction of a titi monkey

Abstract

Among the approximately 40 species of mammals described in Historia naturalis Brasiliae by Willem Piso and Georg Marcgrave, the identity of the monkey “cagui major” has been one of the most controversial. Authors have identified Marcgrave's “cagui major” as a tamarin, a saki monkey, a squirrel monkey, a titi monkey and even as an Old-World monkey. Based on a watercolour, probably related to the original illustration that served as basis for the “cagui major” woodcut, we confirm that it depicts a titi monkey ( Callicebus). By comparing the pelage characteristics shown in the drawing and some measurements and pelage characteristics described in Historia naturalis Brasiliae, we confirm that the species depicted was Callicebus melanochir that occurs today in southern Bahia and northeastern Minas Gerais states, outside the range of the Dutch possessions in Brazil.