Abstract
Like catarrhines, some platyrrhines show exposed and reddish skin, raising the possibility that reddish signals have evolved convergently. This variation in skin exposure and color combined with sex‐linked polymorphic color vision in platyrrhines presents a unique, and yet underexplored, opportunity to investigate the relative importance of chromatic versus achromatic signals, the influence of color perception on signal evolution, and to understand primate communication broadly. By coding the facial skin exposure and color of 96 platyrrhines, 28 catarrhines, 7 strepsirrhines, 1 tarsiiform, and 13 nonprimates, and by simulating the ancestral character states for these traits, we provide the first analysis of the distribution and evolution of facial skin exposure and color in platyrrhini. We highlight ways in which studying the presence and use of color signals by platyrrhines and other primates will enhance our understanding of the evolution of color signals, and the forces shaping color vision.
Highlights
Colorful visual signals, their evolution, and their role in communication within and between species have captivated biologists for centuries.[1,2] While bold and high-contrasting colors and patterns are seen throughout diverse animal taxa, these signals are typically aposematic in function.[6]
The most visually striking of all taxa, the birds are well known for using complex color patterns in their plumage—or more rarely, skin— combined with other signals in conspicuous multimodal displays that often seem to be evaluated by conspecifics and used in female mate choice.[9,10,11,12,13]
Facial skin color covaries with the timing of the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle Facial skin luminance covaries with the timing of the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle
Summary
Their evolution, and their role in communication within and between species have captivated biologists for centuries.[1,2] While bold and high-contrasting colors and patterns are seen throughout diverse animal taxa (e.g. velvet ants [Dasymutilla occidentalis],3 strawberry poison-dart frog [Oophaga pumilio],4 and glass eye squirrel fish [Heteropriacanthus cruentatus]5), these signals are typically aposematic in function.[6]. Multiple mechanisms of sexual selection are acting in concert or antagonistically on the same trait.[23] unlike clades like birds, in which all diurnal species are thought to be tetrachromatic, primates exhibit great intraorder diversity in color perception.[24] Primates exhibit a stunning range of social organizations, and mating systems, including monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and polygynandry. The latter includes extreme interspecific variation in the distribution of matings and genetic reproduction.[25]. To be convergent with catarrhines, we would expect increased facial skin exposure to have evolved independently in platyrrhine species that use colorful skin signals
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