Pithecia albicans Gray 1860
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
Pitheciidae
Pithecia
Pithecia albicans

description: 35.
Bufty Saki
Pithecia albicans
French: Saki chamois / German: Schwarzriickensaki / Spanish: Saki beige
Other common names: White Saki, White-footed Saki
Taxonomy. Pithecia albicans Gray, 1860,
Rio Tefé, south bank Rio Solimoes, Amazonas, Brazil.
The taxonomy of Pithecia followed here is that proposed by Hershkovitz in 1987. A taxonomic revision currently being undertaken by L. K. Marsh will provide a broader and more accurate understanding of the diversity and distributions of the sakis. Monotypic.
Distribution. Amazonian Brazil, between the lower Rio Jurua and the lower Rio Purus, both S bank tributaries of the upper Rio Solimoes-Amazonas in Amazonas State.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 50-57 cm (males) and 38.5-54 cm (females), tail 40— 57 cm (males) and 41:5—49 cm (females); weight 3-5 kg. The Buffy Sakiis the largest of the saki species, and it is very distinct in its pelage. Males and females are buffy blonde (nearly orange in juveniles), with black backs and tails. Female Buffy Sakis are distinguished by having short white hairs, almost entirely covering their faces. Males are slightly larger than females.
Habitat. Primarily in lowland Amazonian terra firma rainforest but also swamp (igapo and varzea) forests. The Buffy Saki uses the upper forest canopy, similar to other Amazonian sakis.
Food and Feeding. Buffy Sakis were studied by A. Johns at Ponta da Castanha on the Lago de Tefé and C. Peres (over 20 months) on the upper Rio Urucu. Peres found them to be primarily seed predators, consuming mature seeds from species of Sapotaceae and Fabaceae and ripe fruits, ripe seeds, young leaves, flowers, and nectar from 81 plant species (22 families) of trees, epiphytes, hemiepiphytes, and lianas. They also ate exudates from seeds pods of Parkia nitida (Fabaceae), tree bark, and arthropods. Diet composition was estimated at 46-2% seeds, 34% fleshy fruits, 9-5% leaves, 6-5% flowers, 3-4% other items (e.g. nectar, bark, Parkia exudates), and 0-4% insects.
Breeding. Births of Buffy Sakis have been recorded in mid-December, mid-March,late June, and mid-November, with no correlation to seasonality. Neonates are dark brown, with naked tails. Adult coloration is acquired at c¢.3 weeks of age, while the infants’ coat is still short. Infants achieve a degree of independence at four months of age and complete independence at six months. At eleven months old, they are almost adult size.
Activity patterns. Buffy Sakis are diurnal and arboreal. They travel and forage high up in the middle and upper forest canopies, 15-25 m above the ground.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Groups of Buffy Sakis have 3-8 individuals (average 4-6). Home ranges, estimated by Peres for five groups, were 147-204 ha. Densities at Ponta da Castanha were 0-9-18-3 ind/km? and varied depending on the forest type. The highest density was in a regenerating logged forest, indicating that successional secondary growth is favorable for Bufty Sakis. On the Rio Urucu, Peres estimated a density of 1-9 groups/km?® or 8-8 ind/km?®.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Major threats to the Buffy Saki include hunting and habitat loss, combined with a relatively small geographic distribution compared with other sakis. Although most of the area occupied by Buffy Sakis is still isolated from major anthropogenic impacts, the increasing importance of Tefé as a center of development and the emerging second capital of the state Amazonas suggest that forest destruction will increase in the future. Abufari Biological Reserve probably protects Buffy Sakis on the west bank of the Rio Purus. It also occurs in Tefé National Forest.
Bibliography. Haugaasen & Peres (2005a), Hershkovitz (1979b, 1987a), Johns (1986d), Norconk (2011), Norconk & Setz (2013), Peres (1993d, 1993e), Rylands (1994), Veiga, Mittermeier & Marsh (2008).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Phitheciidae, pp. 432-483 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 476, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6632289