Primate abundance and habitat preferences on the lower Urubamba and Tambo rivers, central–eastern Peruvian Amazonia

Rolando Aquino,Eckhard W. Heymann,Fanny M. Cornejo

doi:10.1007/s10329-013-0357-3

Abstract

We report information on population density, group size, and habitat preferences of primates along the lower Río Urubamba and in the Río Urubamba–Río Tambo interfluvium, in central–eastern Peruvian Amazonia, an area that has been little explored with regard to its primate fauna. During 425 km of transect walks in October–November 2008 and April–May 2009 totally 174 groups of nine primate species were encountered, the most common being Callicebus brunneus (45 groups), Saguinus imperator (41 groups), and Aotus nigriceps (26 groups). Group sizes were smallest for A. nigriceps and C. brunneus (mean of 2.8 and 2.9, respectively) and largest for Saimiri boliviensis (mean 15.6). Population densities were lowest for Lagothrix cana (3.3 individuals/km2) and highest for A. nigriceps (31.1 individuals/km2). Groups of C. brunneus, S. imperator, S. boliviensis, Cebus albifrons, and Cebus apella were most frequently (83 % of sightings) encountered in semi-dense or in open primary forest that included stands of bamboo (Guadua sarcocarpa) or where bamboo was a very common species.

Highlights

Western Amazonia, south-eastern Peru, is among the Neotropical regions with the highest primate alpha diversity (Terborgh 1983; Peres and Janson 1999)
We report information on population density, group size, and habitat preferences of primates along the lower Rıo Urubamba and in the Rıo Urubamba–Rıo Tambo interfluvium, in central–eastern Peruvian Amazonia, an area that has been little explored with regard to its primate fauna
Group sizes were smallest for A. nigriceps and C. brunneus and largest for Saimiri boliviensis

Summary

Introduction

Western Amazonia, south-eastern Peru, is among the Neotropical regions with the highest primate alpha diversity (Terborgh 1983; Peres and Janson 1999). For many areas that will be exploited for oil or other resources in the future, either no data on their primate communities or only inventories are available, but baseline data on population densities that could be used to evaluate the effect of exploitation are lacking. Amongst these areas are the lower Rıo Urubamba and the interfluvium between this river and the Rıo Tambo. Biodiversity inventories on lower Rıo Urubamba indicate that it harbours one of the most species-rich mammal communities in the Neotropics (103 species of small mammals: Solari et al 2001; 64 species of medium–large mammals, including potentially 14 primate species: Boddicker et al 2001). Ranges of different species/subspecies may adjoin here as is observed for Pithecia and Cebus (Aquino and Encarnacion 1994); Primates (2013) 54:377–383

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