C ebus Phylogenetic Relationships: A Preliminary Reassessment of the Diversity of the Untufted Capuchin Monkeys

The untufted, or gracile, capuchin monkeys are currently classified in four species, C ebus albifrons , C . capucinus , C . olivaceus , and C . kaapori , with all but C . kaapori having numerous described subspecies. The taxonomy is controversial and their geographic distributions are poorly known. C ebus albifrons is unusual in its disjunct distribution, with a western and central A mazonian range, a separate range in the northern A ndes in C olombia, and isolated populations in T rinidad and west of the A ndes in E cuador and northern P eru. Here we examine previous morphological and molecular hypotheses of the taxonomy and phylogeny of C ebus . We construct a time‐calibrated phylogeny based upon mitochondrial DNA sequences from 50 C ebus samples from across their range. Our data indicate that untufted capuchins underwent a radiation at about 2 Ma, and quickly diversified in both the A ndes and the A mazon. We provide a provisional reassessment for the taxonomy of untufted capuchins in the A mazon, the L lanos, the A ndes, T rinidad, and C entral A merica, splitting currently paraphyletic taxa into several species, including: at least two A mazonian species ( C . yuracus and C . unicolor ); a species from the G uiana S hield (most likely the same as H umboldt's C . albifrons ); two northern A ndean species, C . versicolor , C . cesarae ; C . brunneus (with trinitatis a junior synonym) on the V enezuelan coast, and C . adustus in the region of L ake M aracaibo; C . capucinus in northwestern E cuador and C olombia, and P anama; C . imitator in C entral A merica; C . olivaceus and C . castaneus occupying a large part of the G uiana S hield; and C . kaapori in the eastern A mazon, south of the R io A mazonas. More intensive and extensive geographic sampling is needed, including that for some subspecies not represented here. Taxa from the southwestern A mazon ( yuracus , cuscinus , and unicolor ) and the phylogenetic position of H umboldt's S imia albifrons from the O rinoco remain particularly poorly defined. Am. J. Primatol. 74:381–393, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.