Evolution and Taxonomy
There has been debate among primatologists concerning the proper genus in which to place the pygmy marmoset. An examination of the interstitial retinol binding protein nuclear gene (IRBP) in three marmoset species showed that Callithrix as constructed in the 1990's also needed to include C. pygmaea to be monophyletic, and that the times of separation of pygmaea and the argentata and jacchus species groups from one another are less than 5 million years ago, as might be expected for species of the same genus. However, subsequent separation of the argentata and jacchus species groups into different genera (the argentata group having been moved to Mico) justifies maintaining a separate genus for the pygmy marmoset, as Callithrix is no longer paraphyletic.
There are two subspecies of the pygmy marmoset:
- Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea – Western pygmy marmoset
- Cebuella pygmaea niveiventris – Eastern pygmy marmoset
Read more about this topic: Pygmy Marmoset
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