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We examined the effects of polyspecific associations on the behavior of one group of Callimico goeldii in northwestern Bolivia. Data were collected for 1 year using focal animal sampling at 5-min intervals, for a total of 1,375 observation hours. In total, C. goeldii formed mixed species troops with five groups of Saguinus fuscicollis and six groups of S. labiatus, and these were maintained during 81% of observations. C. goeldii rested more and traveled less while alone than while associated, but neither vigilance behavior in the understory nor habitat use were affected by association status. The composition of the group's diet was different while alone (higher in structural carbohydrates [fungi] and lower in simple sugars [ripe fruits] and protein [insects]) than while associated (fungi 65 vs. 37%; fruits 13 vs. 32%; insects 5 vs. 15%). We propose therefore, that C. goeldii has a lower quality and more narrowly based diet while alone as compared to while associated. The factors that allow for this dietary expansion while in mixed species troops require further investigation., ((c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Callimico goeldii, Saguinus fuscicollis, and S. labiatus are sympatric in northern Bolivia and differ from each other in patterns of spatial and structural use of their environment. C. goeldii has a home range five times larger than that of mixed-species troops of S. fuscicollis and S. labiatus. The larger overlapping home range of C. goeldii allows it to move among Saguinus troops, giving it access to a wide range of different microhabitats. All three species use the most common microhabitat in the area, primary forest with dense understory, more than any other microhabitat type. C. goeldii habitat use varies by season, with bamboo and Heliconia microhabitats used more during the dry season. Each species shows preferences for different height classes: C. goeldii is found almost exclusively in the understory, S. fuscicollis uses the understory and middle canopy, and S. labiatus is found mostly in the middle canopy. These height class preferences are reflected in each species' locomotor styles, with C. goeldii showing the highest rates of vertical clinging and leaping, and S. labiatus showing the highest rates of branch-to-branch leaping and quadrupedal movement. The results suggest that C. goeldii may be restricted to forests with dense understory and a mosaic of other microhabitats. Furthermore, C. goeldii does not appear to use its tegulae for large branch foraging, but rather for vertical clinging and leaping between small vertical supports., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

We present the results of a 4-month field investigation of positional behavior, vertical ranging, and species differences in limb proportions and body mass in a mixed-species troop of Saguinus fuscicollis, Saguinus labiatus, and Callimico goeldii in northwestern Brazil. Despite certain similarities in overall positional repertoire, patterns of positional behavior varied significantly between species. Travel in Callimico occurred principally in the lowest levels of the canopy, and was characterized by an exaggerated form of hindlimb-dominated bounding (bounding-hop), and leaping to and from vertical trunks (55.1% of leaps). In contrast, saddle-back tamarins traveled in the lower and middle levels of the canopy, and engaged in a range of leaping behaviors, including stationary leaps (37.3%), acrobatic leaps (31.3%), and trunk-to-trunk leaps (20%). Red-bellied tamarins exploited the highest levels of the arboreal canopy. Travel in this species was dominated by quadrupedal bounding and acrobatic leaps (67% of leaps) that began and ended on thin, flexible supports. Species differences in positional behavior correlated with species differences in limb proportions and locomotor anatomy, and provide a framework for understanding niche partitioning in mixed-species troops of Saguinus and Callimico., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii) is closely related to marmosets and tamarins. Like marmosets and tamarins, C. goeldii lives in family groups, and fathers and older offspring (helpers) participate in infant carrying. In contrast to the typical twin births in marmosets and tamarins, C. goeldii has only single offspring, and paternal carrying is delayed. We studied infant carrying following 26 births in eight groups of C. goeldii, testing hypotheses proposed in the literature on infant carrying in marmosets and tamarins. The infant was carried exclusively by the mother for the first 26.3 days after birth. Afterwards other group members participated in infant carrying. Whereas the C. goeldii mother is always the main carrier, the father does not always carry more than helpers. In contrast to other callitrichids, age and sex of sibling helpers was not found to have an effect on the participation in infant carrying. The participation in infant carrying in Callimico indicated intraindividual consistency, i.e., the amount of infant carrying performed by fathers and helpers following one birth correlated significantly with the amount of infant carrying of the same individuals following the next birth. We found a significant negative correlation between parental infant carrying and group size, indicating that helpers really do help, sharing the carrying burden with their parents. This is attributed to a clear trend for a reduction in maternal carrying in the presence of helpers, whereas fathers did not benefit from helpers. We conclude that the infant-carrying pattern in C. goeldii is different from the infant-carrying pattern in marmosets and tamarins. The main differences were that the mother instead of the father is the main carrier, and that there is a clear time delay between infant birth and when the father and helpers participate in infant carrying.