Vocal behavior of black‐fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons): Acoustic properties and behavioral contexts of loud calls

Abstract

Loud calls can be heard over long distances due to their high amplitude and low frequency. These calls are commonly used for both within- and between-group communication in many bird and primate species. In the Neotropics, mated pairs of socially monogamous titi monkeys (genus Callicebus) emit conspicuous, coordinated loud calls. These vocalizations appear to play a role in territorial defense, a hypothesis derived from studies of only three of the 31 recognized Callicebus species. Here, we describe the acoustic properties and organization of the loud calls of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons). We compare the behavioral and ecological contexts associated with these vocalizations to investigate their role in within- and between-group communication, resource defense, and mate defense. Black-fronted titi monkeys create loud calls by combining a finite number of syllables to form more complex phrases, which are assembled to compose long sequences of loud calls. Bioacoustic features distinguish the loud calls used in different contexts, involving communication within- and between-groups. We found support for the hypothesis that vocalizations used for between-group communication are cooperative displays used by the mated pair and other group members to regulate access to important food resources, such as fruits. On the other hand, we only found weak support for the mate defense hypothesis.

Unraveling the scales of effect of landscape structure on primate species richness and density of titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons)

“…In addition, we used an extra recording of A. caraya recorded by RGT da Cunha, and one of C. aurita recorded by CC Gestich, both from wild animals outside of the study area. The recordings of C. nigrifrons were provided by CB Caselli (Caselli, Mennill, Bicca‐Marques, & Setz, ; Caselli, Mennill, Gestich, Setz, & Bicca‐Marques, ). We edited the recordings (Adobe Audition, v. CC Free trial, Adobe System Corporation, San Jose, CA), making all of them standardized to last 1 min each and with reduced background noise.…”

“…The gray fragment is the Jataí Ecological Station (Jataí E.E.). In the bottom left side of the panel, the landscape labeled with an "o" is showed as an example of nested discs around each focal patch Setz, 2014;Caselli, Mennill, Gestich, Setz, & Bicca-Marques, 2015). We edited the recordings (Adobe Audition, v. CC Free trial, Adobe System Corporation, San Jose, CA), making all of them standardized to last 1 min each and with reduced background noise.…”

The evolution of speech: vision, rhythm, cooperation

“…For example, naked mole-rats [117], squirrel monkeys [118], female Japanese macaques [119], large-billed crows [120], bottlenose dolphins [121], and some anurans [122, 123] are all capable of simple call-and-response behaviors. Instances of extended, coordinated vocal exchanges include the chorusing behaviors of male anurans and insects in the competitive context of mate attraction [124] and duetting between pair-bonded songbirds (e.g., [125, 126]; for review, see [127]), titi monkeys [128] and gibbons (e.g., [129]; for review, see [130]). Duetting is usually associated with mate-guarding and/or cooperative defense of territory.…”

Playback responses of socially monogamous black‐fronted titi monkeys to simulated solitary and paired intruders

“…A recent observational study of the calling behavior of black-fronted titi monkeys (C. nigrifrons) suggests that the joint territorial defense hypothesis may best explain the coordinated emission of loud calls in this species [Caselli et al, 2014]. However, because either paired adult initiates duets, the possibility that mated individuals call to attract extra-pair mates (and that their partners join in forming duets to repel competitors) cannot be ruled out, suggesting that duets may also play a role in mate defense [Levin, 1996;Sonnenschein & Reyer, 1983].…”