Abstract
BackgroundTiti monkeys, Callicebus, comprise the most species-rich primate genus—34 species are currently recognised, five of them described since 2005. The lack of molecular data for titi monkeys has meant that little is known of their phylogenetic relationships and divergence times. To clarify their evolutionary history, we assembled a large molecular dataset by sequencing 20 nuclear and two mitochondrial loci for 15 species, including representatives from all recognised species groups. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using concatenated maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses, allowing us to evaluate the current taxonomic hypothesis for the genus.ResultsOur results show four distinct Callicebus clades, for the most part concordant with the currently recognised morphological species-groups—the torquatus group, the personatus group, the donacophilus group, and the moloch group. The cupreus and moloch groups are not monophyletic, and all species of the formerly recognized cupreus group are reassigned to the moloch group. Two of the major divergence events are dated to the Miocene. The torquatus group, the oldest radiation, diverged c. 11 Ma; and the Atlantic forest personatus group split from the ancestor of all donacophilus and moloch species at 9–8 Ma. There is little molecular evidence for the separation of Callicebus caligatus and C. dubius, and we suggest that C. dubius should be considered a junior synonym of a polymorphic C. caligatus.ConclusionsConsidering molecular, morphological and biogeographic evidence, we propose a new genus level taxonomy for titi monkeys: Cheracebus n. gen. in the Orinoco, Negro and upper Amazon basins (torquatus group), Callicebus Thomas, 1903, in the Atlantic Forest (personatus group), and Plecturocebus n. gen. in the Amazon basin and Chaco region (donacophilus and moloch groups).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12983-016-0142-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Titi monkeys, Callicebus, comprise the most species-rich primate genus—34 species are currently recognised, five of them described since 2005
Our results support the division of Callicebus into four reciprocally monophyletic groups; the torquatus clade, here including C. lugens and C. purinus; the personatus clade with C
All taxonomic reviews to date infer a close relationship with P. baptista, and our results suggest that P. hoffmannsi and P. baptista are a sister-clade to all remaining moloch group taxa, with the exception of P. cinerascens and P. miltoni
Summary
Callicebus, comprise the most species-rich primate genus—34 species are currently recognised, five of them described since 2005. The lack of molecular data for titi monkeys has meant that little is known of their phylogenetic relationships and divergence times To clarify their evolutionary history, we assembled a large molecular dataset by sequencing 20 nuclear and two mitochondrial loci for 15 species, including representatives from all recognised species groups. Callicebus Thomas, 1903, are small to medium-sized (1–2 kg), New World primates of the family Pitheciidae They comprise an old platyrrhine radiation that diverged from their sister clade, the Pitheciinae, in the Miocene, c. Vermeer & Tello-Alvarado [11] reinstated C. toppini Thomas, 1914, for long incorrectly considered a synonym of C. cupreus These 34 titi species form a highly diverse group of primates, showing interspecific differences in body size, pelage colour, cranial dimensions, and chromosome number [5, 6, 12–14]. To comprehend the real taxonomic diversity of the titis, congruency is required between phenotypic traits and additional characters, such as DNA sequence data
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
