Abstract
Natural Sapajus libidinosus populations are in continuous decline due to fragmentation, habitat loss, and the illegal pet trade. They live in Caatinga scrub forests, which already lost over 50% of their original cover. The lack of studies on S. libidinosus population genetics means that we do not know how they are being affected by this striking habitat loss and other anthropogenic disturbances. Polymorphic markers are not available for the study of S. libidinosus diversity and population genetics. Thus, here we aimed to test the transferability of 14 microsatellite markers to S. libidinosus. These microsatellites were previously isolated from Cebus capucinus (white-faced capuchin), species belonging to the same subfamily (Cebinae) as the study species. We found that six of the tested microsatellite markers (tetra-nucleotide) were cross-amplified in our target species. All loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles varied from 4 to 7, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.588 to 0.869. The microsatellite markers transferred to S. libidinosus and characterised in our study will be valuable tools to evaluate the genetic variability of both wild and captive populations. They will considerably reduce the costs of microsatellite isolations, helping to prioritise currently limited research and conservation budgets in Brazil.
Highlights
Capuchin monkeys are classified into two distinct clades: tufted or robust capuchins (Sapajus) and the non-tufted or gracile capuchins (Cebus) (Lynch-Alfaro et al 2012, Lima et al 2018)
We tested the selected primers on the DNA extracted from the 49 faecal samples collected
We found that six of the 14 tested markers successfully amplified in the Sapajus libidinosus samples and we can effectively use them when designing future population genetic studies for the species, considerably reducing the costs of microsatellite marker isolation
Summary
Capuchin monkeys are classified into two distinct clades: tufted or robust capuchins (Sapajus) and the non-tufted or gracile capuchins (Cebus) (Lynch-Alfaro et al 2012, Lima et al 2018). The tufted form has specialized cranial and dental structures for the exploitation of hard foods items, and possess forelegs, hands and feet that are shorter than those of the nontufted clade (Silva 2001, Lynch-Alfaro et al 2012). The tufted capuchins make use of tools to obtain hard-to-access food items such as underground (e.g. roots) or encapsulated resources (e.g. palm nuts, cashew nuts) (Moraes et al 2014). Eight species of tufted capuchin monkeys are recognized: Sapajus apella, Sapajus cay, Sapajus flavius, Sapajus libidinosus, Sapajus macrocephalus, Sapajus nigritus, Sapajus robustus, and Sapajus xanthosternos (IUCN 2019). The S. libidinosus is not classified as a Threatened species
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