Diseases of the Callitrichidae: a review.

The Callitrichidae contains four genera that embrace up to 50 species and subspecies found in neotropical habitats. Certain members have either naturally occurring or induced conditions that serve as important models of human disease. They include viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, nutritional deficiencies, neoplasia, and various other conditions. The spontaneous diseases of captive callitrichids and those to which these species are experimentally susceptible were reviewed.     

Food selection of semifree common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): Indications for optimal foraging

In this investigation a group of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) consisting of two parents and their six progeny of various ages were allowed free access to an open-air enclosure, which was equipped with a heated hut, roofed veranda, external cage, and a runway system made of roofing slats and a few small trees. Feeding places, sitting boards and sleeping boxes were distributed throughout the whole area. This investigation covered a total of 254 hours of observation. The hut and its immediate vicinity can be considered as being the core area of the home-range, as the maximum frequencies of both feeding and location occurred there. Through the experimental variation in the type of foods provided at specific feeding places, it was obvious that the closeness of the feeding place to the hut was more important to the marmosets than the type of food placed there. The marmosets apparently reduced the energy output when searching for food by minimizing the distance to the food patches.     

The black-tailed marmoset (Callithrix argentata melanura) recorded from paraguay

The black-tailed marmoset (Callithrix argentata melanura) occurs in central-western Brazil and adjacent parts of Bolivia, and is the only member of the genus (Callithrix) to occur naturally outside Brazil. Data presented in this paper extend the range of this marmoset at least 200 km to the southwest into yet another country, Paraguay.     

Interactions between parents and infants,and infants-father separation in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The New World monkey,Callithrix jacchus, diversely from most Old World primates, shares infant care among all family members. This paper intends to describe a pattern of infant care in the common marmoset, and to verify if the infant-father separation induces a depression reaction, such as found in other separation studies. In Experiment 1, 11 families (mother, father, and twin newborn infants) ofCallithrix jacchus were observed from 1st to 36th days of infants' life. It was noted that infants were carried most of the time in the beginning of life, and that from the 4th day on this care came mostly from the father. In Experiment 2, nine families were divided in three separation groups (15, 30, and 45 days of infants' life). Each group had a control and two experimental families. Removal of the father was done for three days, beginning at the indicated infants' ages. Results showed that upon removal of the father, the mother assumes the infants' care, and no depression reaction appeared.     

Alloparental Responsiveness to Newborns by Nonreproductive,Adult Male,Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Parental care in mammals is influenced by sensory stimuli from infants, and by changes in the hormone levels of caretakers. To determine the responsiveness to infant cues in nonreproductive adult male common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) with and without previous experience in caretaking, we exposed 12 males to newborn marmosets and assessed their cortisol plasma levels and behavioral response. Newborn marmosets housed in transparent enclosures were placed inside the cages of the adult male subjects. Males were exposed four times to two different experimental conditions: (a) newborn enclosures remained closed during the observation period and (b) newborn enclosures were opened during the observation period to allow direct social interaction by the adult males. Blood samples from adult males were collected after each behavioral observation trial to measure the levels of cortisol. The behavioral responses of adult males exposed to the closed and open newborn enclosures showed a significant difference only with respect to the frequency of displacements, where males moved among the quadrants of their own cages with greater frequency when the newborn enclosure was sealed. Experienced males approached newborn enclosures more frequently, spent more time in close proximity, and carried and recovered newborns more quickly than inexperienced males. The successive exposure to newborns increased the responsiveness in inexperienced males. The highest levels of plasma cortisol in adult males were recorded following periods of exposure to the sealed newborn enclosures. This suggests that successive exposure to newborns and previous alloparental caregiving experience while living in family groups influences the responsiveness of male marmosets to the sensory cues of newborns. Am. J. Primatol. 75:145‐152, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.