DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY OF THE COMMON MARMOSET - PROPOSAL FOR A POSTNATAL STAGING

The published knowledge on neurobiological, psychological, and etholog ical aspects of development in Callithrix jacchus is still limited. We have collected published and unpublished data from several Callithrix colonies and pooled information on criteria for developmental progres s and maturation using a questionnaire sent to numerous experts in the field. The data suggest that developmental stages can be defined not only for the embryonic and fetal but also for the postnatal period. Ba sed on multifactorial definitions, using criteria selected from matura tional changes in the motor and visual systems and behavioral features , we propose to subdivide postnatal development of the common marmoset into seven periods (''stages'').