The southern muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides, in the state of Paraná: current distribution, ecology, and the basis for a conservation strategy

Abstract

Primatologists have suspected the existence of remnant populations of the southern muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides (É. Geoffroy, 1806), in the state of Paraná since the early 1970s. Only in 2002, however, was this confirmed, with the discovery of a group in the upper Rio Ribeira valley. Here we report on some observations of this group, which totals 23 individuals living in a tiny remnant of the primary dense broadleaf forest that formerly extended in a continuous belt into Paraná’s first planalto along the valleys of the rios Ribeira and Açungui. We also discuss possibilities for the occurrence of muriquis elsewhere, and our ongoing efforts for the conservation of this threatened species in the state of Paraná.