The Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii): Introduced Hybrid or Endemic Species?

Abstract

Although squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp., Primates: Cebidae) are abundant and widespread in South America, the disjunct Central American species, Saimiri oerstedii, has been restricted to the Pacific wet lowlands of Costa Rica and Panama since the earliest historical records. This taxon is now endangered in Costa Rica and nearly extinct in Panama because of habitat loss, development, and the pet trade. Conservation efforts have been hampered because of the influential, but untested, speculation that S. oerstedii represents a hybrid species introduced by prehispanic Amerind traders from multiple localities in South America. Using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among Saimiri from Central and South America, we reexamine the taxonomic status of squirrel monkeys from different geographic regions. The sequence data support P. Hershkovitz's (1984, Am. J. Primatol. 6: 257–281) taxonomy advocating four distinct species. Combining this information with evidence from the fossil record to date the divergence times among sister taxa, we test and reject the hypothesis that Central American squirrel monkeys are the result of human introduction.