Distribution and current status of the peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in Montane forests of the Región Huánuco, Peru

In this report we provide information on the geographical distribution and current status of the Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) and of other primates that inhabit the montane forests of the Región Huánuco. For this purpose we conducted transect censuses and interviews during the months of July, September and October 2015 and January 2016 in the montane forests of the ríos Chontayacu, Santa Martha, Monzón and Derrepente, and also in the upper basin of Río Huallaga. The results indicate that the southern distributional limit of L. flavicauda is the Región Huánuco in the montane forests on the left bank of the Río Alto Huallaga. During the survey, we also recorded 28 groups of five species of other primates, the most frequently observed of which was Leontocebus leucogenys. In all locations surveyed except for the montane forests between the ríos Chontayacu and Magdalena, populations of L. flavicauda and other primates are in the process of local extinction, principally due to intense deforestation for agriculture, cattle ranching and timber extraction, but also due to hunting.