By Dan Wildeck
Geographic Range
Yellow-handed titis are found in lowland forests around the Amazon, Orinoco, Rio Maranon, and Guianas rivers in the northern part of their range, and south to the Rio Puru. (Macdonald, 2001)
Biogeographic Regions:
neotropical 
(native ).
Habitat
Yellow-handed titis are found in tall, mature, un-flooded forests. They prefer forests on nutrient-deficient, white sand soils. (Eisenberg and Redford, 1999)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
forest ; rainforest .
Other:
riparian .
Physical Description
(38.72 to 52.8 oz; avg. 45.76 oz)
(9.06 to 14.17 in; avg. 11.61 in)
Yellow-handed titis have reddish brown to black fur covering most of their bodies, white marks on their faces, black legs, feet, and forearms, buff-colored hands, and brown to black non-prehensile tails. They are the biggest of all Callicebus species, with a head-body length of 339 mm and a tail length of 460 mm. In some parts of their range rare individuals have a reduction in melanin pigment, creating a creamish colored fur. (Eisenberg and Redford, 1999; Macdonald, 2001)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Breeding intervals in yellow-handed titis are not known.
Yellow-handed titis are probably seasonal breeders, but information is not yet available on breeding season.
Yellow-handed titis are apparently monogamous, travelling as a bonded pair with their offspring up to three years old. (Eisenberg and Redford, 1999)
Mating systems:
monogamous .
General reproduction information is difficult to find for yellow-handed titis. In the related species, dusky titis (C. moloch), one young is born at about 70 grams, with births in the wild occurring from December to April. Gestation length in dusky titis is 5 to 6 months, and young are nursed for 12 to 16 weeks. Dusky titis have an interbirth interval of one year. (Nowak, 1999)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous .
Males of species in the genus Callicebus are reported to lead group movements, searching for food, and often care for infants when they aren't nursing from their mothers. Information specific to yellow-handed titis is not available. (Nowak, 1999)
Parental investment:
altricial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: male); pre-independence (protecting: male); post-independence association with parents; extended period of juvenile learning.
Lifespan/Longevity
No information on the longevity of yellow-handed titis in the wild or in captivity was found.
Behavior
Yellow-handed titis are diurnal and arboreal rainforest primates. The majority of their feeding time is in the early morning, by the middle of the day they have a long resting session. After that they have another feeding period followed by a search for a sleeping tree before dusk. Territorial groups of two to seven members are led by an adult male. That adult male leads all group movements, carries infants when they are not nursing, and searches for food trees. (Nowak, 1999)
Home Range
Callicebus torquatus has a home range of nearly 20 hectares. (Nowak, 1999)
Key behaviors:
arboreal ; scansorial; diurnal ; crepuscular ; motile ; sedentary ; territorial ; social .
Communication and Perception
Callicebus species use a wide variety of vocalizations and visual signals for communication. Individuals also intertwine their tails when they sit side by side. Like most mammals, chemical signals are also important, helping to identify individuals and reproductive states. (Nowak, 1999)
Food Habits
Yellow-handed titis eat mainly fruits and seeds, although they will also eat leaves and insects. About 70% of feeding time is spent on eating or finding fruits and seeds. Troop members almost always eat the same foods at the same food trees. Feeding bouts occur 2 to 5 times a day, usually in the morning, late morning, and afternoon. (Eisenberg and Redford, 1999; Kinzey, 1977)
Animal Foods:
insects.
Plant Foods:
leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit.
Predation
No information on predators of yellow-handed titis was found. Masked titis (C. personatus), a closely related species, is preyed on by birds of prey, felids, and snakes. (Muller, Alh, and Hartmann, 1997)
Ecosystem Roles
Yellow-handed titis help to disperse seeds of the fruits that they eat. They may also be important prey for some predators.
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
disperses seeds.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no adverse effects of yellow-handed titis on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Yellow-handed titis are important members of their forest ecosystems, helping to maintain tree regeneration through seed dispersal. They may also help to attract ecotourism money to local areas.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
ecotourism .
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
Appendix II.
State of Michigan List: [link]:
No special status.
Yellow-handed titis are listed on CITES Appendix II list and are considered Least Concern by the IUCN. The greatest threat to these monkeys is habitat destruction. (Nowak, 1999)
For More Information
Find Callicebus torquatus information at
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
Dan Wildeck (author), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Chris Yahnke (editor, instructor), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
