Ebook: Analysis of the hypothetical population structure of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) in Panama

The Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) is an endemic species from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to southeast Costa Rica and southwest Panamá (Hershkovitz, 1984). Three common species (S. ustus, S. sciureus, and S. boliviensis) are found in South America and are distributed in the tropical forests of the Guayanas, the Amazon basin, the high Orinoco, and the high Magdalena (Hershkovitz, 1984). Nine taxas are distinguished at the level of subspecies, of which two correspond to the Central American species (Saimiri o. oerstedii and Saimiri o. citrinellus) (Hershkovitz 1984). In Panamá only the subspecies S. o. oerstedii is found. The squirrel monkey is exclusively arboreal and uses a great variety of habitat (Figure 1). It mainly exploits the lower and middle forest canopy. This primate forms the largest and most cohesive groups unlike any other Neotropical primate (Kinsey, 1997). They are mainly insectivorous and frugivorous (Kinsey, 1997).