Black Lion Tamarin

Open encyclopedia reference

The black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus), also known as the golden-rumped lion tamarin, is a lion tamarin endemic to the Brazilian state of São Paulo, almost exclusively at the Morro do Diabo State Park. It was thought to be extinct for 65 years until its rediscovery in 1970.

In 2016 an adult couple was found to the east, in the Caetetus Ecological Station, after six years with no sightings.

A 2020 assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that there were 1,600 individuals living in the wild, 1,200 of which are found in Morro do Diabo State Park. They are usually found in groups of 4 to 9, living in the secondary and primary forests along the circumference of its home range.

On average, the black lion tamarin weighs 300–700 grams (11–25 oz).

Wikipedia contributors, Black lion tamarin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:11:48.001823+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan, 1823)

Name authority

(Mikan, 1823)

Common name

Black Lion Tamarin

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primates

Family

Callitrichidae

Genus

Leontopithecus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderPrimates Linnaeus, 1758
12. suborderHaplorrhini Pocock, 1918
13. infraorderSimiiformes Haeckel, 1866
14. familyCallitrichidae Gray, 1821
15. genusLeontopithecus Lesson, 1840
16. speciesLeontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan, 1823)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Leontopithecus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 45 records assigned to Callitrichidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=572920 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3T6ZS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.