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PRIMATES, 39(2): 253-254, April 1998 253
BOOK REVIEW
NORCONK, MARILYN A.; ROSENBERGER, ALFRED L.; GARBER, PAUL A. (eds.): Adaptive Radiations of Neotropical Primates. Plenum Press, New York, 1996, 555 pp. ISBN: 0-306-45399-1
On February 26-27, 1994, a symposium entitled "Setting the Future Agenda for Neotropical Primates" was held at the Department of Zoological Research, National Zoological Park, Washington D.C. The newest fruits of research in "platyrrhinology," the study of New World monkeys, were presented, and 25 original and 4 introductory papers are collected in this book. In the autumn of the same year, very regrettably, Dr. WARREN G. KINZEY, a pioneer and foremost expert of platyrrhinology, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou GEHRIG'S disease). This book is dedicated to him in honor of his many contributions to the work on New World monkeys.
The book consists of five sections. In Section I, the current status of the systematics and geographic distribution of extant platyrrhines are introduced. Some disagreement still remains concerning the phyletic positions of some platyrrhines, e.g. Cebus, Saimiri, Aotus, and Callicebus, and they are often termed "hard to place species." In this book, Aotus and Callicebus are included in the Pitheciinae, and Cebus and Saimiri are combined as an independent subfamily, the Cebinae, reflecting the editor's opinion.
From Section II through V, four subfamily groups are examined, and at the beginning of each section there are introductory essays on each subfamily. Section II contains seven interesting reports about living callitrichines. POWER gives a new interpretative analysis of the gummivory observed in living callitrichines. STAFFORD et al. analyze the locomotor behavior among captive and wild groups of golden lion tamarins. DAVIS examines the functional significance and phylogenetic affinities of the morphological features of the ankle bone in Goeldi's monkey, which maintains a unique phyletic position among platyrrhines. FERRARI et al. compare the results obtained in two long-term field studies of "southern" marmosets in southeastern Brazil. DIGBY and BARRETO report the activity and ranging patterns of common marmosets in northeastern Brazil. The parental care patterns and vigilance of wild cotton-top tamarins in Colombia are discussed by SAVAGE et al. Finally, GARBER and DOUNS describe a series of natural field experiments on wild moustached tamarins.
The subject covered in Section III is the cebine monkeys. FORD and HOBBS analyze the postcranial skeletons of four capuchin monkeys. BO1NSKI investigates the vocal coordination of troop movement in squirrel monkeys and white-faced capuchins. MILLER examines the behavioral ecology of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys in the light of a sociobiological model. FEDIGAN et al. describe the population growth of white-faced capuchins in a regenerating dry forest in Costa Rica. JANSON proposes an experimental socioecology for Argentine brown capuchin monkeys. It is unfortunate that, in contrast to four articles on capuchins, there is only a single paper dealing with squirrel monkeys. In this book, as mentioned, the Cebinae is defined as a subfamily consisting of Saimiri and Cebus. It would have been better, therefore, if the two groups could have been treated more equally.
In Section IV, the pitheciine monkeys, including Aotus and Callicebus, are described. WALKER investigates positional behavior and habitat use in Pithecia, Chiropotes, and Cacajao. WRIGHT examines the nocturnality of Aotus in Peru and Paraguay, in comparison with same-sized diurnal platyrrhines and/or other nocturnal arboreal mammals. Two long-term field studies on feeding behavior are also introduced: MOLLER reports the seasonal changes in diet and feeding behavior of masked titis in the Atlantic coastal rain forest of Brazil, while NORCONK discusses the seasonal variations in diets of white-faced and bearded sakis in eastern Venezuela.
The last group, the atelines, are dealt with in Section V. Dental microwear in mantled howling monkeys is analyzed by TEAFORD and GLANDER. CASTELLANOS and CHANIN report the seasonal variations in food choice and patch preference of long-haired spider monkeys in the forests of Venezuela. PERES describes the group ecology of gray woolly monkeys in central-western Amazonia. CROCKETt examines the relationship between troop size and population growth in red howler monkeys in Venezuela. STRIER relates the reproductive patterns of female muriquis to the seasonal rainfall cycles and individual differences in female life history.
Among the 25 original papers collected in this book, 21 of the studies were carried out in the field in various native habitat countries, two papers discuss the postcranial morphology of platyrrhine monkeys,
254 Book Review
and other two are the study of dental microwear and gummivory. It seems somewhat curious that there is no research on the craniodental morphology of living and/or fossil platyrrhines. However, this book is still suitably informative for platyrrhinologists and will serve as an invaluable guide to young researchers. It is also very convenient for young researchers in "habitat countries" that summaries of all chapters have been translated into Spanish or Portuguese at the end of the book.
For further reading, it should be noted that the last book of the late Dr. W. G. KINZEY, entitled "New World Primates: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior," was published in 1997. It contains a synopsis of all the living platyrrhine taxa, and is of great value for understanding the current status of platyrrhinology. I strongly recommend that these two books be read in conjunction with each other.
MASANARU TAKAI Kyoto University
Japan Monkey Centre 1998