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Submitted August 12, 2019
Published 2009-05-04

Artículos

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2009): Tecnociencia

ESTUDIO POBLACIONAL DEL MONO ARAÑA DE AZUERO (Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis: Atelidae), PENÍNSULA DE AZUERO, PANAMÁ


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Citación:
DOI: ND

Published: 2009-05-04

How to Cite

Méndez-Carvajal, P. G. and Ruíz-Bernard, I. (2009) “ESTUDIO POBLACIONAL DEL MONO ARAÑA DE AZUERO (Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis: Atelidae), PENÍNSULA DE AZUERO, PANAMÁ”, Tecnociencia, 11(1), pp. 29–44. Available at: https://revistas.up.ac.pa/index.php/tecnociencia/article/view/856 (Accessed: 21 November 2024).

Abstract

This study evaluates the population and conservation status of the Azuero spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis) in the region of the Azuero Peninsula, especially in secondary forest, living fences, natural parks and reserves in the region. Data were collected between 2001 and 2008, during which time we also evaluated the status of the Azuero howler monkey (Alouatta coibensis trabeata). Both monkey sub-species have been little studied, in particular the Azuero spider monkey or “mono charao,” is known only from descriptive and taxonomic studies carried out some 80 years ago. We conducted standard methods that have been used before to survey primates of this genus: Strip transects, road counts, triangulation, and presence/absence recording. We censed 104 communities with an effort of 7,254 man-hours invested. Our study calculated a total population of 112-117 individual spider monkeys, with two to seven individuals per sub-group and a minimum of four to six spider monkey groups sighted directly or by anecdotic reports from the local people. Actually spider monkeys were only found in the southeast portion of Veraguas and the southern part of Los Santos, considering to be extirpated or absent for the Herrera Province including the area of El Montuoso Forest Reserve. We estimate that the Azuero spider monkey, since the last descriptive study in 1937, has lost almost 90% of its original zoographical distribution due to illegal hunting and particularly deforestation, making it highly susceptible to extinction. Personal efforts has been started with this preliminary study to aid in conservation of primates of the Azuero Peninsula and to this end has also begun an environmental education campaign.

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