Atelinae

Taxobox
name = Atelinae

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image_caption = Black-headed Spider Monkey ("Ateles fusciceps")
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
subordo = Haplorrhini
familia = Atelidae
subfamilia = Atelinae
subfamilia_authority = Gray, 1825
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Ateles" "Brachyteles" "Lagothrix" "Oreonax"

Atelinae is a subfamily of New World monkeys in the family Atelidae, and includes the various spider and woolly monkeys. The primary distinguishing feature of the atelines is their long prehensile tail which can support their entire body weight.

Atelines live on the American continent from southern Mexico through central Brazil and Bolivia. Diurnal and arboreal, they move speedily and acrobaticly through the trees using their prehensile tail. Atelines, along with their cousins the howler monkeys, are the largest of the New World monkeys. They live together in groups and are omnivores, although their diet primarily consists of fruits, seeds and leaves. These animals are characterized by a slow reproduction rate: females only bear young once every two to four years. Many species are hunted for their meat, and the destruction of their habitat likewise endangers them; the spider monkey already stands at the edge of extermination.

Classification

* Family Atelidae: howler, spider and woolly monkeys
** Subfamily Alouattinae
** Subfamily Atelinae
*** Genus "Ateles": spider monkeys
*** Genus "Brachyteles": muriquis (woolly spider monkeys)
*** Genus "Lagothrix": woolly monkeys
*** Genus "Oreonax": Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey

Prehistoric taxa

*Subfamily Atelinae
**Genus "Stirtonia"
***"Stirtonia tatacoensis"
***"Stirtonia victoriae"
**Genus "Protopithecus"
***"Protopithecus brasiliensis"
**Genus "Caipora"
***"Caipora bambuiorum"
**Genus "Solimoea"
***"Solimoea acrensis"

References

*MSW3 Groves|pages=150-152