@article{5dce5c8eb6aa4c2d9e978fe158d51b4f,
title = "Evaluating genital skin color as a putative sexual signal in wild saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins",
abstract = "Coevolution between signalers and receivers has played a significant role in the diversity of animal signals and sensory systems. Platyrrhines (monkeys in the Americas) exhibit a remarkable color vision polymorphism that may have been selected by both natural and sexual selection, but sociosexual color signaling among platyrrhines has received almost no attention. Here, we study the color of reproductive skin among different reproductive classes in free-ranging female saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins, modeling color spaces, and contrasts for the different visual systems. We find that the chromatic saturation and luminance of genital color vary between reproductive classes in saddleback tamarins. Chromatic contrast between the vulva and belly is lower in the parous females (PFs) relative to adult but not currently breeding females, while achromatic contrast is higher in PFs in saddleback tamarins relative to nonparous females. However, in emperor tamarins, genital color (saturation, hue, and luminance) does not vary between reproductive classes. Overall, genital skin color variation is present in tamarins and may play a role in sexual signaling. Nevertheless, the patterns are inconsistent between species, suggesting interspecific variation. Future studies should integrate the perceiver's behavioral responses and the physical and social signaling environments into comprehensive studies of communication as well as consider the role and interaction between multiple sensory modalities.",
keywords = "color vision, communication, platyrrhines, tamarins",
author = "Moreira, {Lais A.A.} and Mrinalini Watsa and Gideon Erkenswick and Higham, {James P.} and Melin, {Amanda D.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the staff from the Los Amigos Conservation Hub (formerly called the Estaci{\'o}n Biol{\'o}gica R{\'i}o Los Amigos), the Amazon Conservation Association, and the Ministry of Agriculture in Peru. The authors would like to thank all research assistants who assisted in data collection with Field Projects International over the years. Finally, they would like to thank the associate editor and three anonymous reviewers for constructive feedback which improved the manuscript. This study was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC RGPIN-2017-03782) (Amanda D. Melin) and the Canada Research Chairs Program (950-231257) (Amanda D. Melin). Funding Information: The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the staff from the Los Amigos Conservation Hub (formerly called the Estaci{\'o}n Biol{\'o}gica R{\'i}o Los Amigos), the Amazon Conservation Association, and the Ministry of Agriculture in Peru. The authors would like to thank all research assistants who assisted in data collection with Field Projects International over the years. Finally, they would like to thank the associate editor and three anonymous reviewers for constructive feedback which improved the manuscript. This study was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC RGPIN‐2017‐03782) (Amanda D. Melin) and the Canada Research Chairs Program (950‐231257) (Amanda D. Melin). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.",
year = "2023",
month = feb,
doi = "10.1002/ajp.23456",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "85",
journal = "American Journal of Primatology",
issn = "0275-2565",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",
number = "2",
}