A study of a black howling monkey (Alouatta caraya) population in northern Argentina

A population of Alouatta caraya in northern Argentina had an ecological density of 130 animals per km². Mean troop size varied from 7.2 to 8.9 individuals, and the ratio of adult males to adult females from 0.58 to 0.51. Infants comprised from 6% to 14% of the population, juveniles from 16% to 21%. These percentages probably vary seasonally in response to a birth peak at the beginning of the dry season. Males were age-graded in multi-male troops. Sexual dimorphism was extreme in this species. Males were all black and averaged 6.7 kg; females were yellow-brown and averaged 4.4 kg. Juvenile males retained the pelage color of the female until approximately 4.5 yr of age and 5 kg in weight. No genital mimicry or exaggeration occurred in this species. Vocalizations of A. caraya were similar to those of A. seniculus, both of which tend to be lower pitched than those of A. palliata.     

Hybridization between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta caraya</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta guariba clamitans</Emphasis> in captivity

Hybridization between Alouatta spp. has been suggested at contact zones of A. palliata and A. pigra in Mexico and of A. caraya and A. guariba clamitans in Brazil and Argentina. Whereas genetic data confirmed hybridization between the former pair of species, hybrid individuals of the latter pair have been putatively identified on the basis of a mosaic pelage color. In this paper, we describe the first confirmed cases of hybridization between a female A. guariba clamitans and a male A. caraya. One hybrid male was born in 2007 and one hybrid female was born in 2009 with distinct coat colors. The male resembled the newborn color pattern characteristic of A. guariba clamitans, whereas the female resembled the newborn pattern of A. caraya. The birth and survival of the male hybrid for a year and a half indicated the viability of the heterogametic sex.     

Female-biased Sex Ratios in the Neotropical Treehopper Umbonia ataliba (Homoptera: Membracidae)

The authors report and explain female-biased sex ratios in the neotropical treehopper Umbonia ataliba Homoptera: Membracidae at Monteverde, Costa Rica. Umbonia ataliba mothers semelparously oviposit egg masses into host-plant branches, make feeding holes, and guard the eggs and the nymphs until the young moult to become adults. At adulthood, offspring sex ratios are female-biased, with families having, on average, one male per 3.17 females (SD = 0.149, n = 48). The female bias does not appear to be explained by the hypothesis that males are more difficult to raise to independence: males are smaller than females, males have a shorter development time, males do not require disproportionately more feeding holes, and males do not experience higher mortality in families that are unprotected from parasites and predators, rather, females die more often in protected families. Thus females, not males, may be more difficult to raise to independence. The authors investigated whether increases in the size of males and females increased the fitness of either sex disproportionately, but found no relationship between size and fitness for either sex. We found evidence that local-mate competition conditions and inbreeding occur. Mating occurs at the natal site and nearly all copulations take place between siblings (99.3 %, n = 153 copulations). Most females (mean proportion of females = 0.65, SD = 0.33, n = 7 families) copulate with their male siblings prior to dispersing; whether the unmated proportion copulates later is unknown. This paper suggests that the numerical bias reflects an investment bias favoured under selection by inbreeding and local-mate competition conditions.     

Group size and composition of black-and-gold howler monkeys (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta caraya</Emphasis>) on the Upper Paraná River,Southern Brazil

In social mammals, group size, sex and age-class composition are important parameters that are required to understand population dynamics and determine conservation strategies. These parameters are known only poorly for the black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya). Here, we studied groups of A. caraya on islands and adjacent banks of the Upper Paraná River of southern Brazil, to examine variability in group size and composition. This location is important for this species because of the high density of howlers. Group size was large, varying from 6 to 18 individuals (average = 11.5, standard deviation = 3.3, n = 13). Groups were multi-male, and adult females outnumbered adult males. On average, groups had the following ratios: 1 adult male: 0.5 subadult male: 1.9 adult females: 0.9 juveniles: 0.5 infants. The ratio of 0.2 infant: 1 adult female is less than that in other species, but typical of other studies of the black-and-gold howlers. Here, we discuss environmental and social pressures that may impose structure on large groups of howlers in terms of strategies for living in high densities. We also compare these data with those of the area of sympatry shared between A. caraya and A. clamitans, and suggest that competition may occur between the two species and that reduced fitness may be a consequence of mixed groups. Contribution number 1,746 of the Departamento de Zoologia of Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR).     

Host instar, body size and fitness in the koinobiotic parasitoid Aphidius nigripes

In aphidiine parasitoids, resources for growth and adult body size increase with host instar used by ovipositing females, but the fitness consequences of body size on fitness are poorly documented. We compared the fitness of male and female A. nigripesadults that varied in size as a consequence of developing in different instars of their host Macrosiphum euphorbiae. When reproductive fitness was measured without considering time, female wasps from small and large hosts performed similarly, contributing 125–175 foundresses plus 100–180 sons to the next generation. However, when expressed as the innate capacity for increase (r _m), female fitness correlated with host-induced variation of wasp size, indicating that micropopulations initiated by large wasps would increase faster. In a wind-tunnel, a sex pheromone plume from large female wasps induced more males to fly upwind when released at a distance of 50 cm downwind than small females, indicating that large females were sexually more attractive. With respect to male body size effects on fitness, large individuals performed similar to small ones, whether fitness was measured by lifetime mating frequency, fertile inseminations, or proportion of daughters among progeny born from their mates. When young naive males of unequal size were directly competing for mating with a virgin female, small and large males had equal mating success, and large individuals were no more successful than small ones at displacing a competitor already positioned on a receptive female. In a wind-tunnel test where males were scored on their ability to reach a female pheromone source, small and large males were equally affected by wind speed but reached the source located 50 cm downwind in equal proportions, suggesting similar capacity for finding mates by flying upwind. Our results indicate that despite host resources not being fixed at the time of attack for the koinobiont A. nigripes, fitness consequences of resource limitation by the mother may be perceived to be greater for daughters than sons, which would explain male-biased sex ratio in early-instar hosts.     

Host stage selection of the mealybug parasitoid Anagyrus spec. nov near sinope

The mealybug parasitoid Anagyrus spec. nov near sinope (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is an undescribed parasitoid of the Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). We investigated the preference of Anagyrus spec. nov near sinope for six developmental stadia (first‐ and second‐instar nymphs, third‐instar immature females, third‐ or fourth‐instar immature males, pre‐reproductive adult females, and ovipositing adult females) of P. madeirensis and the fitness consequences of the host stage selection behavior. In the no‐choice test, Anagyrus spec. nov near sinope parasitized and completed development in all host stadia except third‐instar immature males. When all host stadia were offered simultaneously, the parasitoids preferred third‐instar immature and pre‐reproductive adult females. Dissection of the stung mealybugs revealed that the clutch size (number of eggs per host) was approximately four and three in the third‐instar and pre‐reproductive females, respectively, and one egg per first‐instar nymph. Parasitoids emerged from P. madeirensis parasitized at third‐instar or pre‐reproductive adult female completed development in the shortest duration, achieved a higher progeny survival rate, larger brood and body size, and the lowest proportion of males. We showed that the continued development of mealybugs had significant influence on the fitness of the parasitoids. Although deposited as eggs in first‐ or second‐instar nymphs, parasitoids emerged from mummies that had attained third‐instar or adult development achieved similar progeny survival rate, brood size, body size, and sex ratio as those parasitoids deposited and developed in third‐instar or adult mealybugs. By delaying larval development in young mealybugs, Anagyrus spec. nov near sinope achieved higher fitness by allowing the parasitized mealybugs to grow and accumulate body size and resources. We suggest that the fitness consequence of host stage selection of a koinobiont parasitoid should be evaluated on both the time of parasitism and the time of mummification.     

Prometaphase chromosomes of the howler monkey (Aloutta caraya): G,C, NOR,and restriction enzyme (RES) banding

Prometaphase lymphocyte chromosomes from eight adult argentinian Alouatta caraya females were characterized using sequential G-C banding techniques, Ag-NOR bands and bands obtained with the restriction enzymes Hae III, Eco RI, Alu I and Sau 3A. The cytogenetic analysis showed 2n = 52, with four, five, or six NOR chromosomes. Digestion with Hae III and Eco RI produced G-like-bands. Centromere regions and two interstitial C-bands (in chromosomes number 16 and 21) showed intraindividual or interindividual heterochromatic polymorphisms. Alu I digestion produced C-like bands with gaps in the centromere regions, and Sau 3A produced C-like bands. The karyotypes and banding patterns of A. caraya, A. palliata, A. belzebul, and A. seniculus are compared, based on whole chromosome and whole arm homeologies. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism in Colorado pikeminnow, a long‐lived cyprinid

Evidence for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and its possible causes were examined in the endangered Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, a large, piscivorous, cyprinid endemic to the Colorado River system of North America. Individuals representing 18–24% of the upper Colorado River population were captured, measured, sexed and released in 1999 and 2000. Differing male and female total length‐(L_T) frequency distributions revealed SSD with females having greater mean and maximum sizes than males. Although both sexes exhibit indeterminate post‐maturity growth, growth trajectories differed. The point of trajectory divergence was not established, but slowed male growth might coincide with the onset of maturation. Differing growth rate was the dominant proximate cause of SSD, accounting for an estimated 61% of the observed difference in mean adult L_T. The degree of SSD in adults, however, was also related to two other factors. Evidence suggests males become sexually active at a smaller size and earlier age than females; a 2 year difference, suggested here, accounted for an estimated 12% of the between‐sex difference in mean adult L_T. Temporal shifts in gender‐specific survival accounted for an additional 27% of the observed between‐sex difference in mean adult L_T. Estimated age distributions indicated a higher number of older females than older males and more younger males than younger females in the population during the period of sampling. Dissimilarity of age distributions was an unexpected result because the male : female population sex ratio was 1 : 1 and estimates of long‐term annual survival for adult males and females were equal (88%). Future assessments of SSD in this population are apt to vary depending on the prior history of short‐term gender‐specific survival. Without recognizing SSD, non‐gender‐specific growth curves overestimate mean age of adult females and underestimate mean age of adult males of given L_T. Assuming age 8 years for first reproduction in males and age 10 years for females, the adult male : female ratio was estimated as 1·1 : 1 and mean adult age, or generation time, was estimated as 16·4 years for males and 18·4 years for females.     

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND SEX RATIO IN THE YELLOWSHOULDERED WIDOWBIRD EUPLECTES MACROURUS SOROR

Savalli, U.M. 1994. Sexual dimorphism and sex ratio in the Yellowshouldered Widowbird Euplectes macrourus soror. Ostrich. 65: 297–301.

Yellowshouldered (Yellowbacked) Widowbirds Euplectes macrourus soror are sexually dimorphic in plumage and size. At Kakamega, western Kenya, adult males were all black except for the yellow shoulders, contrary to previous reports that yellow-mantled individuals were predominant in this area. Males were larger than females, with wing length the best single measure to distinguish sex (since immature males are streaky brown, like females). Immature males had shorter wings and tails than did adult males, but did not differ in other measures of size. The sex ratio of netted birds was near 1:1, but nearly half of the males were immature. The breeding sex ratio was nearly even in one year but heavily male biased the second, suggesting that not all females may breed.     

Mother–offspring distances reflect sex differences in fine‐scale genetic structure of eastern grey kangaroos

Natal dispersal affects life history and population biology and causes gene flow. In mammals, dispersal is usually male‐biased so that females tend to be philopatric and surrounded by matrilineal kin, which may lead to preferential associations among female kin. Here we combine genetic analyses and behavioral observations to investigate spatial genetic structure and sex‐biased dispersal patterns in a high‐density population of mammals showing fission–fusion group dynamics. We studied eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) over 2 years at Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia, and found weak fine‐scale genetic structure among adult females in both years but no structure among adult males. Immature male kangaroos moved away from their mothers at 18–25 months of age, while immature females remained near their mothers until older. A higher proportion of male (34%) than female (6%) subadults and young adults were observed to disperse, although median distances of detected dispersals were similar for both sexes. Adult females had overlapping ranges that were far wider than the maximum extent of spatial genetic structure found. Female kangaroos, although weakly philopatric, mostly encounter nonrelatives in fission–fusion groups at high density, and therefore kinship is unlikely to strongly affect sociality.     

Some factors affecting reproduction and sex-ratio of the predacious mite Amblyseius deleoni (Muma and Denmark) (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract

Several factors were examined to determine their effect on the reproduction and sex ratio in the predacious mite Amblyseius deleoni (Muma and Denmark), in the laboratory. The factors investigated included multiple matings, duration of copulation, capacity of male for mating in excess of females and age of mating females and males. The factors included also, the host plant leaf texture, food deprivation during immature and adult stages, and prey (Tetranychus urticae Koch) density. The results indicated that females of A. deleoni require multiple matings to maximize their reproductive potential, also when copulation was allowed for increasing periods of time, there was a gradual increase in total egg production and oviposition period. A male showed a high reproductive ability for more than 15 days and was able to mate more than once in excess of females. Age of females has an influence on fecundity and sex ratio; old females decreased egg production and produced proportionally more male progeny compared with young females. Similarly, the highest number of eggs deposited per female A. deleoni was reported, when female mated with a young male (0-day old). In addition, males of A. deleoni (at any age) were able to inseminate the females. Results from host plant leaf texture indicated that guava leaf gave the highest reproduction rate, while the fig leaf gave the least female fecundity. Neither the reproductive rate nor the sex ratio of the progeny of females crossed by normal or experimental males had been influenced by the food deprivation during immature stages. A significant lower fecundity was recorded on female's A. deleoni when exposed to different food deprivation programmes during adult stage. The number of eggs laid by the predator female increased with increasing prey density of T. urtice to a maximum of 2.04 eggs deposited per day at a prey density of 30 protonymphs of T. urticae as a prey. As the level of prey density was increased, there was a shift in sex ratio towards an increased proportion of females.     

Mating promiscuity and reproductive tactics in female black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) inhabiting an island on the Parana river,Argentina

In several primate species, females mate promiscuously and several adult males peacefully co‐reside in the same social group. We investigated female mating behavior in two neighboring multimale–multifemale groups of Alouatta caraya in northern Argentina (27°20′S–58°40′W). All adult individuals in each group were marked with identification anklets and ear tags, and followed for five consecutive full days per month during 20 consecutive months. We recorded 219 copulations for eight resident females in these two groups. Thirty‐two percent of matings involved extra‐group copulations and 68% were with resident males. During periods when females were likely to conceive and during periods when females were nonfertile (pregnancy and lactation), there were no significant differences in the average number of resident and nonresident males with which they copulated (G‐test: G_adj=0.1, df=3, P>0.05). In both of our study groups, adult males were tolerant of the mating activities between resident males and resident females, but acted aggressively and collectively (howling, border vigilance, and fighting) when extragroup males attempted to enter the group and mate with resident females. Given the frequency of extragroup matings, we examined the distance females traveled to engage in these copulations, time engaged in pre‐ and postcopulatory behavior, and the risk of injury during extragroup copulations. These costs were found to be relatively small. We suggest that female promiscuity is the prime driver or constraint on male reproductive opportunities in this species. Female promiscuity in A. caraya appears to represent a mixed mating strategy that may serve to increase opportunities for genetic diversity between a female's successive offspring as well as minimize the risk of infanticide by spreading paternity estimates across a larger number of adult males. Am. J. Primatol. 72:734–748, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Affiliative behavior of adult female sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys)

A 14-month study of 30 adult female members of a captive group of sooty mangabeys investigated their affiliative interactions with group members of varying age and sex. The adult females preferentially affiliated with other adults and interacted less than expected with immature group members. Dyadic frequencies suggested especially frequent affiliation with the three resident adult males, although the pattern of interaction with each male was distinct and apparently was related to age and dominance status of the males. Females of the alpha matriline showed significantly greater affiliation with the males than did those of other matrilines, but this preference was not reciprocated by the males. A preference for grooming older group members (some of the matriarchs and the oldest adult male) was also suggested. In consideration of the taxonomic distinctness of the sooty mangabey from the gray-cheeked mangabey, comparison of these results with those available for albigena were made. Few differences were apparent. Comparisons with the affiliative behavior of Papio females also suggested limited differences, despite the apparently isolated position of the sooty mangabey within the tribe Papionini.     

Survival,density and population composition of bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) on the Poor Knights Islands,New Zealand

Abstract

Annual survival by age, sex and population size and structure were estimated for bellbirds (Anthornis melanura) from a banding study undertaken on 66 ha Aorangi Island, the Poor Knights Islands, during the period 1978–86. The most parsimonious model showed that survival varied little with age and between years, and survival of males was significantly greater than that of females. Recapture probabilities of males and females were similar, but did vary with age and among years. There was a greater proportion of adult males than adult females and sub‐adult males and females in the population, and among adults the male bias in the population was greater during the breeding season than at other times of the year. The high density of bellbirds on the Poor Knights and larger size of males may explain the reduced survival of females relative to that of males.     

Sympatry between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta caraya</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta clamitans</Emphasis> and the rediscovery of free-ranging potential hybrids in Southern Brazil

Records of sympatry between Alouatta caraya and A. clamitans are rare despite their extensive range overlap. An example of their current sympatry and the rediscovery of free-ranging potential hybrids of A. caraya and A. clamitans in the forests of the Upper Paraná River, Southern Brazil, are reported in this paper. Eight groups were observed in the study area: five monospecific groups of A. caraya, two of A. clamitans, and a group containing two adult males and two adult females of A. caraya and a sub-adult male and two adult females identified as Alouatta sp. The color of the last three individuals was a mosaic between the two species; this is consistent with previously described variations in museum specimens collected in the Paraná River in the 1940s that had been identified as potential hybrids. The results from this study emphasize the need for scientific studies in the region of the Ilha Grande National Park, one of the few regions in the Paraná River that currently harbors both howler species. Contribution number 1637 of the Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-980, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil.     

Cranial ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in two new world monkeys: Alouatta caraya (Atelidae) and Cebus apella (Cebidae)

Pattern of skull development and sexual dimorphism was studied in Cebus apella and Alouatta caraya using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics. In both species, sexual dimorphism develops because the common growth trajectory in males extends and because of differences in growth rates between sexes. The expectation that the ontogenetic bases of adult dimorphism vary interspecifically is well substantiated by this study. A. caraya exhibits transitional dimorphism in its subadult stage, although the condylobasal length, zygomatic breadth, and rostrum length are strongly dimorphic in the final adult stage, being greater in males. Most cranial measurements in C. apella exhibit significant dimorphism in the adult stage, being strongly influenced by a faster rate of growth in males. Sexual dimorphism is also evidenced through sex differences in growth rates in several cranial measurements. These results also indicate that different ontogenetic mechanisms are acting in C. apella and A. caraya and reveal differences in the way through which neotropical primates attain adult sexual dimorphism. J. Morphol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Social and solitary play in a colony of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops)

This study describes and defines play in a laboratory colony of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). Play is divided into 26 units of behavior and the frequencies of these behaviors are recorded. Analysis shows that sex, age, and dominance have effects on some play behaviors. The play behavior of each age/sex group within the colony is described both quantitatively and qualitatively. Adult females are characterized by reinforcement of the play of immature monkeys, adult males by rough play with older male juveniles, four-year-old females and three-year-old males by stimulation of play in young infants, and males in general by a preference to play within their peer group. It is suggested that modified repetition of behaviors, diversified interactions, and innovative behaviors, are important qualities of play, and are essential to the adaptive plasticity of behavior in primates.     

Male reproductive strategies in black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya)

Behavioral and demographic factors such as group size, social structure, dispersal patterns, and mating systems affect male reproductive success. In the present study, we analyze the relationship between social structure, genetic relatedness of adult males and offspring paternity in one population of Alouatta caraya inhabiting a continuous forest in Northern Argentina. After 14 months of behavioral studies and genotyping 11 microsatellites, we found that dominant or central males achieved greater mating success and fathered all the offspring conceived during our study in two multimale–multifemale groups (both including three adult males). Although skewed toward the dominant males, females copulated with almost all resident males and with extra group males. We found significantly fewer agonistic interactions between adult males in the group with fewer females and where males were more genetically related to each other (average relatedness r = 0.237; 0.015 int/ind/hr vs. r = 0.02; 0.029 int/ind/hr). Paternity was also analyzed in two other neighboring groups which also showed strong skew to one male over a 2‐year period. These results reveal that even though female black and gold howlers mate with many males, infants are typically fathered by one dominant male. Am. J. Primatol. 76:43–55, 2014. © 2013 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Population structure and reproductive period of whitebelly prawn Nematopalaemon schmitti (Holthuis 1950) (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) on the southeastern coast of Brazil

The population biology of Nematopalaemon schmitti in the Ubatuba region on the northern coast of the state of São Paulo was characterized through analyses of the length-frequency distribution, sex ratio, reproductive period, and juvenile recruitment. The specimens were caught monthly from January 1998 to December 1999, from a shrimp boat equipped with double-rig trawl nets. A total of 1073 specimens were analyzed, and the sex and carapace length (0.1?mm) of each individual were noted. The analyzed specimens consisted of 152 juveniles, 437 adult males, 296 adult females, and 188 ovigerous females (OFs). The monthly distribution of N. schmitti by size classes revealed a stable population structure, with both juveniles and adults continuously present. This population showed a unimodal distribution; however, bimodality was identified in June 1998 and 1999 for males, and June 1998 and July 1998 and 1999 for females, probably related to recruitment pulses of juveniles. Sexual dimorphism was indicated by the presence of females in the larger size classes, probably because of their growth rate. The proportion between males and females differed from 1?:?1 in certain size classes and seasons of the year (χ ²,?p?<?0.05); in some situations, the females were more abundant than the males, or vice versa. No significant relationship was detected between the seasonal mean temperatures of the bottom water and the percentages of OFs and young, or for the relationship between these two groups (Spearman, p?>?0.05). The continuous presence of OFs and young in the population suggests a pattern of continuous reproduction for N. schmitti in the Ubatuba region.     

Seasonal changes in sex ratio and size‐related sex reversal of the protogynous hermaphroditic bluespotted seabass Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828)

Seasonal changes in sex ratio and size‐related sex reversal of the protogynous hermaphroditic Cephalopholis taeniops were studied from histological and population data of 218 individuals captured by hook and line, July 2009–November 2012, in Cape Verde archipelago. This study showed that C. taeniops have a diandric protogynous hermaphrodite sexual model, with young individuals undergoing bisexual development and hermaphrodites above 28 cm. All gonads had a bisexual immature stage with primary and secondary males. Primary males possibly originate from immature bisexual individuals, whereas secondary males likely result from females that have already reproduced and changed sex.