Callithrix geoffroyi

Geographic Range

Geoffroy's marmosets ( Callithrix geoffroyi ) are found in southeastern Brazil. They inhabit the state of Espirito Santo and the forested eastern and north-eastern part of the state of Minas Gerais. They are found as far north as the Rio Jequitinhonha and Aracuai and south to near the state border of Espirito and Rio de Janeiro. The population south of Rio Jequitinhonha originated from animals released near the river's mouth in 1975. This population has since spread eastward. A hybrid population of Callithrix penicillata x C. geoffroyi has been found in the Serra da Piedade along the Rio Piracicaba.

• Biogeographic Regions
• neotropical neotropical
  • native native

Habitat

Geoffroy's marmosets inhabit secondary lowlands and sub-montane forest, evergreen, and semideciduous forest, forest edge and dry forest patches. They are generally found at an elevation of between 500 and 700 m, but can be found as high as 800 m.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• rainforest rainforest

Physical Description

Geoffroy's marmosets are small primates, only about 200 mm in length, with a tail of about 290 mm. Females tend to weigh around 190 g, while males range from 230 g to 350 g. The body is predominately dark or blackish brown. The tail is ringed with gray and black bands. Adults have white foreheads, cheeks, temples and throats. Adults also have tufts of black fur in front of their ears. Juveniles differ from adults in that they lack both the ear tufts and white markings around the face. Juveniles begin to grow their ear tufts at an age of about 2 weeks, and have full adult markings by the age of 5 months.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger

Reproduction

The dominant male and female in each group of Geoffroy's marmosets form a monogamous pair bond. Only this pair will breed. Dominant behavior of the breeding female will halt ovulation in other females in the group. This process may be aided by pheromones produced in the scent glands of the dominant female. As a result, subordinate females cannot reproduce while they remain with the group. Such hierarchy is less evident among males. Usually only one male mates with the breeding female, but polyandry (usually rare among mammals) has been observed under certain circumstances.

Pre-copulatory courtship usually begins with sniffing each other's muzzles and genitalia, as well as marking objects, licking, grooming and huddling. These behaviors are also seen in post-copulatory courtship. These behaviors increase as the female reaches estrus.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous
• polyandrous polyandrous
• cooperative breeder cooperative breeder

Female estrus cycles vary from 14 to 21 days. Should a female become pregnant, the gestation lasts about 140 to 148 days. Parturition may take up to an hour. Usually twins are born, but sometimes singletons or triplets occur. The male will assist with the birth by licking the babies before giving them to the mother. Other family members may help to eat the placenta. Post-partum estrus occurs 2 to 14 days after giving birth. Young are weaned by 5 or 6 months and reach sexual maturity between 15 and 18 months.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• year-round breeding year-round breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous
• post-partum estrous

A female Geoffroy's marmoset will suckle both of her twins at the same time, until the young are weaned. For the first week after young are born, the father carries the babies exclusively. After this, the male will still be the primary carrier, but all members of the family participate in carrying the young. Older siblings assist in the rearing of the younger siblings, by which they learn skills essential to raising their own young in the future. Females primarily provide milk for their young.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• post-independence association with parents
• extended period of juvenile learning

Lifespan/Longevity

Geoffroy's marmosets generally live about 10 years.

Behavior

Geoffroy's marmosets are diurnal, arboreal, and scansorial. They live in family groups of between 8 and 10 individuals. During the wet season, Geoffroy's marmosets spend 32.1% of their time resting, 21% feeding, 20% moving, 14% foraging, 13% gouging (for gum), and 3% doing other activities such as playing, grooming, scent marking and vocalizing. During the dry season, time spent resting drops to 17.8% and time spent foraging increases to 20.6%. Geoffroy's marmosets are reported to follow swarms of army ants in order to catch the insects flushed out by the ants.

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal arboreal
• scansorial
• motile motile
• territorial territorial
• social social

Home Range

Groups defend a home range of between 10 ha and 40 ha.

Communication and Perception

Geoffroy's marmosets make alarm calls when they perceive a threat. They have also been observed scent marking. Allogrooming has been observed too, and is thought to contribute to calming the group down after a threat has passed.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Geoffroy's marmosets are omnivorous, eating mostly fruit, insects, and plant gums. They also eat flowers, nectar, frogs, snails, lizards, and spiders. These small primates are able to gouge into tree trunks, branches, and vines to obtain gum.

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• amphibians
• reptiles
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods
• mollusks

• Plant Foods
• fruit
• nectar
• flowers
• sap or other plant fluids

Predation

Members of the Family Callitrichidae , including Geoffroy's marmosets, are highly affected by predation, perhaps to the highest degree of any primate. Field reports indicate that monitoring for predators is a high priority in the lives of marmosets. Groups of C. geoffroyi respond to predator threats by increasing rates of vigilance and decreasing rates of play and foraging. Members of groups share the task of monitoring by rotating occupation of the best look-out point. Geoffroy's marmosets have a variety of responses to raptors, snakes, and felids as well as other predators. Wild Geoffroy's marmosets react to predators with combinations of monitoring, alarm calls, mobbing, fleeing, and freezing.

Ecosystem Roles

Geoffroy's marmosets prey on a variety of small vertebrates and invertebrates and provide prey for larger predators.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Geoffroy's marmosets are occasionally captured for the pet industry.

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Geoffroy's marmosets on humans.

Conservation Status

Geoffroy's marmosets are considered "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The population trend for this species is classified as stable. However, widespread destruction is causing their populations to decline. The range of C. geoffroyi was once throughout the Brazilian Atlantic forest, but only about 1% to 5% of this habitat remains. For example, less than 6.8% of the Atlantic forest remains in the state of Minas Gerais. However, C. geoffroyi is considered relatively abundant and inhabits many protected areas. For this reason, their rate of population decline does not warrant a threatened listing. In 1982, Russell Mittermeier recommended that C. geoffroyi be listed as endangered, but studies conducted in 1991 found them to be locally abundant, if patchily distributed. In 1994, 1996, and 2000 C. geoffroyi was listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Today, it is not considered under serious threat.

Other Comments

Callithrix geoffroyi was declared a separate species in 1988. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of Callithrix jacchus .

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Brittany Murphy (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor, instructor), Michigan State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

References

Caine, N. 1998. Cutting Costs in Response to Predatory Threats by Geoffory's Marmosets ( Callithrix geoffroyi ). American Journal of Primatology , Vol. 46: 187-196.

Hearn, J. 1978. The Endocrinology of Reproduction in the Common Marmoset, Callithrix jacchus . Pp. 163-171 in The Biology and Conservation of the Callitrichidae . Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Passamani, M. 1998. Activity Budget of Geoffroy's Marmoset ( Callithrix geoffroyi ) in an Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil. American Journal of Primatology , 46: 333-340.

Richardson, M. 2007. "Geoffroy's marmoset ( Callithrix geoffroyi )" (On-line). ARKive. Accessed April 06, 2009 at http://www.arkive.org/geoffroys-marmoset/callithrix-geoffroyi/ .

Rowe, N. 1996. The Pictoral Guide to Living Primates . East Hampton, New York: Pogonias Press.

Rylands, A., S. Mendes. 2008. "2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" (On-line). Callithrix geoffroyi . Accessed March 24, 2009 at www.iucnredlist.ort .

Stevenson, M., A. Rylands. 1988. The Marmosets, Genus Callithrix . Pp. 131-222 in Ecology and Behavior of Neotropical Primates , Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: World Wildlife Fund.

Wakenshaw, V. 1999. The Management and Husbandry of Geoffroy's Marmoset. International Zoo News , 46: 1. Accessed April 04, 2009 at http://www.awionline.org/Lab_animals/biblio/izn-wak.htm .