Interspecific differences in prey captured by associating saddleback (Saguinus fuscicollis) and moustached (Saguinus mystax) tamarins

The present study provides comparative data on the types and microhabitats of animal prey captured by associating saddleback Saguinus fuscicollis and moustached Saguinus mystax tamarins. The main prey items were katydids (Tet tigoniidae, Orthoptera), stick grasshoppers (Proscopiidae, Orthoptera) and spiders (Araneida), although lizards (Squamata) and frogs (Anura) were also taken. The tamarins foraged for, and captured prey from, significantly dif ferent substrates. This resulted in a significant partitioning of the prey spectrum between the two species. Sylvan katydids (Pseudophyllinae) account ed for most of the prey of both species, but the moustached tamarins captur ed more bush katydids (Phaneropterinae) than the saddlebacks. The degree of dietary overlap was less for animal prey than the plant-based portion of t he tamarins' diet.