Pitheciinae is a subfamily of the New World monkey family Pitheciidae. It contains three genera and 9 species.
Pitheciines are forest dwellers from northern and central South America, east the Andes.
They are small to medium sized primate, with a stocky build due to their close skin. The skin is covered in shaggy fur, its coloring varies depending upon species from black to grey and brown up to white. Parts of the face can be bald. The tail, which is not used for grasping but for balance, is also hairy, although the uakari's tail is only a stub.
Like most New World monkeys, they are diurnal and arboreal. They are good climbers and spend the majority of their life in the trees. They live in groups ranging in number from small groups (such as with the saki monkeys ) to as many as 50 animals. They communicate with a set of sounds which typically includes high cries and a nearly bird-like twitter.
Pitheciines are generally omnivores, the main part of their diet coming from fruits and insects. This is supplemented by flowers, buds, nuts and small vertebrates. Large canines help them to break through the hard rind of the unripe fruits.
Births are typically of single offspring with a gestation time of about 5 to 6 months. They typically reach maturity at approximately 3 to 4 years and can become up to 15 years old.
We plan to gather extensive additional DNA sequence data in order to test the congruent branching arrangements of the epsilon and IRBP maximum parsimony trees, especially those arrangements that are controversial when compared to the cladistic evidence from previous morphological studies (11-14).
To pursue these aims, it will be important to enlarge the DNA sequence data from additional ceboid species and outgroup species (from a broader range of non-ceboid primates) and from noncoding regions (introns) of additional unlinked nuclear genes.
Kay, R.F. The phyletic relationships of extant and fossil Pitheciinae (Platyrrhini, Anthropoidea).
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