Humboldt's Squirrel Monkey

Open encyclopedia reference

Humboldt's squirrel monkey (Saimiri cassiquiarensis) is a species of squirrel monkey from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. It had previously been considered a subspecies of the common squirrel monkey, S. sciureus, but was elevated to full species status based on a genetic study by Carretero-Pinzón in 2009. A genetic study by Jessica Lynch Alfaro, et al indicated that the Ecuadorian squirrel monkey may be synonymous with Saimiri cassiquiarensis. As of 2018, the Ecuadorian squirrel monkey is generally regarded as a subspecies of Humboldt's squirrel monkey, S. cassiquiarensis macrodon.

Humboldt's squirrel monkey have a head and body length of between 25 and 37 cm (9.8 and 14.6 in) with a tail between 36 and 45 cm (14 and 18 in). Its coloration is similar to that of the Guianan squirrel monkey but the fur on the base of the crown is golden yellow as compared with gray for the Guianan squirrel monkey. It eats fruits when available, primarily between January and June, and also eats insects. It is named after the Prussian naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859).

Wikipedia contributors, Humboldt's squirrel monkey; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:27:23.217866+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Saimiri cassiquiarensis (Lesson, 1840)

Name authority

(Lesson, 1840)

Common name

Humboldt's Squirrel Monkey

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primates

Family

Cebidae

Genus

Saimiri

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. familyCebidae Bonaparte, 1831
15. subfamilySaimiriinae Miller, 1812
16. genusSaimiri Voigt in G. Cuvier, 1831
17. speciesSaimiri cassiquiarensis (Lesson, 1840)

Close classified relatives

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

Browse 15 records assigned to Cebidae.

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=944148 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:4TZJV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.