Callithrix

Callithrix is a genus of New World monkeys, family Callitrichidae, comprising six extant species of marmosets, native to the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil, from Bahia south to Parana, with populations across coastal and northeastern Brazilian states. The genus name derives from Greek words for beautiful hair. Members have enlarged mandibular incisor teeth the same size as their canine teeth, used to gouge holes in tree bark to extract gum and sap, and specialized intestines with an enlarged cecum that lets them digest plant gums efficiently, an adaptation that allows survival through seasons when fruit is scarce. Species include the common marmoset, black-tufted marmoset, Wied's marmoset, white-headed marmoset, buffy-headed marmoset and buffy-tufted marmoset, with conservation statuses ranging from least concern to critically endangered.