Saguinus midas
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Anthony B. Rylands
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Callitrichidae
Saguinus
Saguinus midas

description: 36.
Midas Tamarin
Saguinus midas
French: Tamarin @ mains dorées / German: Goldhandtamarin / Spanish: Tamarin de Midas Other common names: Golden-handed Tamarin, Red-handed Tamarin, Yellow-handed Tamarin
Taxonomy. Simia midas Linnaeus, 1758,
America. Restricted by J. C. D. von Schreber in 1775 to Suriname.
Red-handed and golden-handed forms of S. midas may be distinct taxa on either side of the Rio Jari (yellow handed to the east, red-handed to the west). Monotypic.
Distribution. NE Amazon in Brazil and the Guianas, in Guyana restricted to the right bank of the Essequibo River, and S and E of the Rupununi River, the Rio Negro and its tributary the Rio Branco are the W limit ofits distribution in Brazil; not recorded in Venezuela.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 24-6 cm (males) and 25-2 cm (females), tail 38-3 cm (males) and 38:6 cm (females); weight 380-500 g. The Midas Tamarin is primarily black. The face, head, shoulders, arms, legs, tail, and underparts are uniformly black. The back from the shoulders to the base of the tail is black mottled or marbled with buff. Hands and feet are orange or yellowish-orange and contrast sharply with the rest of the body. Juveniles differ slightly from adults in having a band or wedge of white on the forehead and white or buffy patches on the cheeks. Ears are notched and bare in adults, but they are covered with hair in juveniles.
Habitat. Primary, secondary, and disturbed forest and forest edge (often found near tree falls). The Midas Tamarin occurs in a wide variety of habitats in Suriname; it is common in high and low rainforest, savanna forest, mountain savanna forest, liana forest, and various secondary formations. It sometimes enters marsh forest and swamp forest. It tends to avoid igap6 forest. In contrast to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri), Midas Tamarins are rarely seen along riverbanks.
Food and Feeding. Midas Tamarins are quite common and easily observed, but it have not been studied much in the wild. Their diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates (50%) and soft parts of small to medium-sized fruits (47%), and unidentified content (3%). An analysis of stomach contents (43 individuals hunted during ten years at a site in French Guiana) showed that the relative proportions of insects in the diet tended to be higher in the wet season when fruits were more abundant. The Midas Tamarin maintains a constant intake of insects, amounting to more than 40% by weight throughout the year. Fruits are usually swallowed whole and seeds are excreted later,as is the case offruits with very small seeds (e.g. Cecropia infructescences). Alternatively, soft outer layers of fruits are chewed off, and seeds are dropped (e.g. Inga fruits). Midas Tamarins are seed dispersers for a number of species, and seed predation is relatively rare but occurs occasionally. Flowers are also sometimes eaten. They lick nectar of, for example, the red flowers of Symphonia globulifera (Guttiferae) and eat copious gum exuded from seed pods of Parkia pendula (Fabaceae). Insects and other arthropods eaten include members of Araneae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Orthoptera. As in other tamarins and marmosets, frogs and lizards are also undoubtedly favored prey. Abundances of animal prey and fruits change seasonally. Nectar and gum are important at times of fruit shortage in the dry season when Midas Tamarins increase their time spent foraging for animal prey.
Breeding. As a rule, only one female Midas Tamarin breeds in each group, generally producing twins during the early part of the wet season in October-December. Gestation is ¢.150 days. The mother tends to carry her young during the first few days, but other group members, particularly the father, participate in infant care from then on. Young are carried constantly until about three weeks of age, but during the following three months, they spend more and more time off the caretakers’ backs and achieve full independence by five months. They are fully weaned by the fourth month. At seven months, offspring are considered to be juveniles, and they reach sexual maturity at 14-21 months old.
Activity patterns. The Midas Tamarin occupies mainly the lower canopy and understory, 10-20 m above the ground, but moves into the upper canopy of the forest mainly to feed on fruits. It is easiest to find in the early morning when groups give their characteristic whistling long-calls. They tend to become quieter at ¢.10:00 h and again around midday, resting in the sun (typically adopting a sprawling posture) and grooming each other. In contrast to the other primates, they tend to retire to their sleeping sites early at 16:00-17:00 h, well before sunset. They sleep in dense vegetation and liana tangles in the middle and lower canopy.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Midas Tamarin occurs in groups of 3-12 individuals; average group size in Guyana is 5-2 individuals, with 1-2 females and up to three males, along with juveniles and subadults. Sixteen groups encountered during surveys in the Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, averaged 5-7 individuals (range 3-8). A six-month study of four groups indicated home ranges of 34-39 ha. Home ranges overlapped extensively (at least 46%), but the central parts of their home ranges were aggressively defended. They travel up to 2000 m/day, spending a large part of their time moving between fruiting trees and foraging for animal prey. Densities of four groups in Raleighvallen-Voltzberg Nature Reserve, Suriname, were 23-5 ind/km?. Densities in four locations in Guyana were 2-3-13-9 ind/km?, with an overall estimate of 4-4 ind/km? for the entire country. Midas Tamarins are the most common primate at the Nourague Field Station on the Arataye River in French Guiana; their density was 37-1 ind/km?, with a biomass of 21-4 kg/km?. In the Brazilian Amazon, densities of 16-4-33-5 ind/km” were estimated at Porto Platon, Amapa State. North of Manaus, lower densities of 0-6 groups/km?, or 3-9 ind/km?, were found in tall dryland forest; and Midas Tamarins were absent from large tracts of forest where the understory was sparse. Predators undoubtedly include all large and medium-sized raptors, forest cats, and snakes. Predation attempts have by the Guiana crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis) and the Tayra (Eira barbara) have been recorded.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Midas Tamarin is widespread and common, particularly in Guyana and Suriname but also likely in French Guiana. Studies in forest fragments of different sizes north of Manaus indicate that patches of 10 ha or less are insufficient for the persistence of Midas Tamarins. Fragments of 100 ha or more are needed for the persistence of 1-2 groups, depending, of course, on the floristic composition of fragments and their connectivity and proximity to nearby forests. In Suriname, they occur in the following protected areas: Brownsberg Nature Park, Raleighvallen-Voltzberg Nature Reserve, Tafelberg Nature Reserve, Eilerts de haan Gebergte Nature Reserve, and Sipaliwini Savanna Nature Reserve. Their probable presence in Brinckheuvel Nature Reserve and Coppename Mouth Nature Reserve has not been confirmed. It is not known if they occur in Kaieteur Falls National Park in Guyana, but they are absent from Iwokrama Forest Reserve to the west of the middle Essequibo River. In Brazil, they occur in numerous protected areas in the states of Amapa, Para, and Amazonas.
Bibliography. Day & Elwood (1999), De Thoisy et al. (2010), Fleagle & Mittermeier (1980), Galef et al. (1976), Gilbert (2003), Grafton & Vanderhoff (2009), Hershkovitz (1977), Kessler (1995a, 1995b, 1998), Lehman, Sussman et al. (2006), Mallinson (1971), Mittermeier & van Roosmalen (1981, 1982), Moura (2003), Muckenhirn & Eisenberg (1978), Muckenhirn et al. (1975), Nagamachi et al. (1990), Norconk et al. (2003), Nunes et al. (1988), Pack et al. (1999), Parker et al. (1993), Rylands & Keuroghlian (1988), Schiel & Souto (2000), Schmid & Glaser (1977), Schwarzkopf & Rylands (1989), Snowdon & Soini (1988), Sussman & Phillips-Conroy (1995), Tagliaro et al. (2005), Thorington (1968a), Trolle (2003), Urbani (2006), Vallinoto et al. (2006), Vanderhoff & Grafton (2009), Vessey et al. (1978), Youlatos (1995).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Callitrichiade, pp. 262-346 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 336, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5730714