NOTES ON THE WESTERN BLACK-HANDED TAMARIN, Saguinus niger (É. GEOFFROY, 1803) (PRIMATES) FROM AN AMAZONIA-CERRADO ECOTONE IN CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL: NEW DATA ON ITS SOUTHERN LIMITS.

The western black tamarin, Saguinus niger, is an endemic Brazilian primate currently classified as Vulnerable by the Brazilian environmental authorities. In this paper, we report two new records from an Amazonia-Cerrado ecotone that extend the range of the species further south to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Additionally, we obtained an ecological niche model (ENM) for S. niger using eight climatic variables. The results of the ENM analysis suggest that the species is strongly associated with lowland areas where the temperature does not vary significantly among seasons. We also point out that the Araguaia, Tapirapé, and Comandante Fontoura rivers may act, along with open Cerrado formations and more seasonal climate, as southern barriers. The absence of protected areas in the southern part of its range, in combination with the intense deforestation that southeastern Amazonia faces, casts doubts on the continued presence of this and other forest-dependent species in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]