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Predicted and verified distributions of Ateles geoffroyi and Alouatta palliata in Oaxaca, Mexico

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Abstract

Primate conservation requires a better knowledge of the distributions and statuses of populations in both large areas of habitat and in areas for which we currently have no information. We focused on spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. This Mexican state has protected large tracts of forest, and has historical records for both primates, although very little is known about them. To update our knowledge of the distributions of these primates and identify potential areas in which they are present, we modeled their geographic distributions by characterizing their ecological niches using the genetic algorithm for rule-set production (GARP), performed interviews and carried out field surveys. The predicted distributions, surveys and interviews indicate that the distributions of these primates are restricted to northeastern Oaxaca. The results suggest that spider monkeys occupy a wider area and elevational range than howler monkeys. Throughout that range there is a wide variety of suitable habitats for these primates. Most of the sites where monkeys were recorded in the field are not officially protected and there was evidence of hunting and habitat destruction. It is important to improve protection, economic alternatives and environmental education as we move towards an integral solution for the conservation of these species. Validation of the GARP model was done for A. geoffroyi, since we had obtained enough field data for this species; this validation indicated that the predicted distribution of the species was statistically better than expected by chance. Hence, ecological niche modeling is a useful approach when performing an initial assessment to identify distribution patterns, detecting suitable areas for future exploration, and for conservation planning. Our findings provide an improved basis for primate conservation and productive fieldwork in Oaxaca.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the curators and the staff of the collections examined in Mexico and the USA for their kind attention to our requests for information, and we are grateful to the local authorities, the guides and hunters for supporting our research. For their help at various stages of the research we also thank M. Winter, R. Landgrave, D. Geissert, R. Manson, A. Anzures-Dadda, A. Hirsch, R.L. Fonseca, C. Galindo-Leal, F. González, J. Serio-Silva, B. Delfosse and C. Maher, along with the others we interviewed and the organizations that provided historical and recent reports: WWF-Oaxaca, CAPLAC, A.C., Geo Conservación, A.C., SERBO, A.C., Grupo Mesófilo, A.C., Conserva, A.C., CONANP-Juchitán, PNUD Chinantla region, SCT-Oaxaca, CFE-Oaxaca and CONAFOR-Oaxaca. We are grateful to the innumerable local people who helped us during our stay in their communities. We thank COPLADE and the government of the state of Oaxaca for digital geographic information. We thank IDEA WILD for donating equipment to aid our research. This research was supported by grants from the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (902-16-335), and CONACYT awarded a scholarship (171209) to T. Ortiz-Martínez. We thank two anonymous reviewers and C. Chapman for valuable suggestions to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología Aplicada, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Km 2.5 Carr. Antigua a Coatepec #351, Congregación El Haya, Xalapa, 91070, Veracruz, Mexico

    Teresita Ortiz-Martínez & Víctor Rico-Gray

  2. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico DF, Mexico

    Enrique Martínez-Meyer

Authors
  1. Teresita Ortiz-Martínez
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  2. Víctor Rico-Gray
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  3. Enrique Martínez-Meyer
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Correspondence to Teresita Ortiz-Martínez.

Appendix

Appendix

The records of A. geoffroyi and A. palliata obtained from scientific collections that were used in the ecological niche modeling are arranged by species. The name of the state in Mexico is followed by the name of the localities. Parentheses enclose the catalog number (when available) and the name of the scientific collection:

Alouatta palliata: Oaxaca: Ubero (212193 American Museum of Natural History). A. geoffroyi: Veracruz: Achotal (13896 Field Museum of Natural History), Jesús Carranza (5995 Louisiana State University, Museum of Zoology), San Juan Evangelista (276631 United States National Museum of Natural History); Tabasco: Teapa (7618 Louisiana State University, Museum of Zoology); Campeche: Apazote (108275 United States National Museum of Natural History), Escarcega (92076 University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History), Xpujil (University of Wisconsin–Madison, Zoological Museum); Yucatán: Tizimin (5083 Museum of Zoology; the Mammal Collection of the Alfonso L. Herrera Museo de Zoología); Quintana Roo: Puerto Morelos (108531 United States National Museum of Natural History); Chiapas: Palenque (292203 United States National Museum of Natural History), Montes azules (3 Mammal Collection of the Sureste de México ECOSUR-SC), Lancajá-Lago (38 Mammal Collection of the Sureste de México ECOSUR-SC), Lancajá-Chasayab (1066 Mammal Collection of the Sureste de México ECOSUR-SC); Oaxaca: Tapanatepec (52632 University of Washington, Burke Museum of Natural History), Cerro Mixtequilla (145159 American Museum of Natural History), Sierra Atravesada (145203 American Museum of Natural History); Río Grande (143461 American Museum of Natural History), Río Jaltepec (176648 American Museum of Natural History), Tuxtepec (18920409 United States National Museum of Natural History).

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Ortiz-Martínez, T., Rico-Gray, V. & Martínez-Meyer, E. Predicted and verified distributions of Ateles geoffroyi and Alouatta palliata in Oaxaca, Mexico. Primates 49, 186–194 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-008-0088-z

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