UNESCO adds three new sites to its World Heritage List.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has added seven new sites to its World Heritage List, which is made up of sites deemed to be of natural or cultural significance which gives them outstanding universal significance for mankind, according to a press release issued on 26 July 2026. All three of these sites have additionally been placed on the World Heritage in Danger list of sites which are facing imminent threats due to Human or natural causes. In addition, three sites already on the World Heritage List have also been placed on the World Heritage in Danger list.

The first new site added to the World Heritage List is the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape in South Sudan; this is the first site in South Sudan to be added to the World Heritage List. This area comprises two National Parks, Boma and Badingilo, which are contiguous with one another, currently managed by African Parks on behalf of the South Sudanese government. The parks lie in the White Nile catchment area, and are home to the world's largest Mammal migration, with over six million Antelope trasversing the area each year, as well as being an important part of the migrant Bird route between Southern Africa and Europe. The area is a biodiversity hotspot of global significance, as well as being home to a number of ethnic groups with their own unique cultural and linguistic heritage, who have acted as custodians of this landscape.

An Antelope migration in the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape. African Parks.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has identified the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape as facing a number of serious threats, including infrastructure development, commercial poaching, and wildlife trafficking and trade, while at the same time lacks meaningful protection from the South Sudanese government, which is under-financed and has a weak infrastructure, with the country suffering from a poor security situation. For these reasons the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape has been placed on the World Heritage in Danger list.

Traditional herders within the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape. African Parks.

The second new addition to the World Heritage List is the Mount Amel Castles sites in Lebanon. This site compromises a series of five castles across southern Lebanon, built during the Crusader Period on strategic high ground sites, and subsequently used by the Ayyubids, Mamluks, and later powers. These are Qalaat al-Chakif, or Beaufort Castle, dominating the Litani River valley from a strategic ridge, Qalaat Tibnin, or Toron Castle, on a mountain overlooking the road from Tyre to Damascus, Qalaat Chakra, or Dubieh Castle, in the Chakra agricultural region, Qalaat Deir Kifa, or Maron Castle, on an isolated hill overlooking the route from Lebanon towards Galilee and Jerusalem, and Qalaat Chama’, on a hill overlooking the coastal plain near Tyre.

Qalaat Tibnin, or Toron Castle, in 2006. T Dakroub/Wikimedia Commons.

In November 2024 the Mount Amel Castles were given 'enhanced protection status by the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, a status which grants access to the Fund for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, as well helping to make applications for other forms of international assistance. However, since that time the sites have suffered heavy damage due to the ongoing conflict in the region, and are now considered to be in jeopardy of complete destruction, prompting the World Heritage Committee to move the sites to both the World Heritage List and the World Heritage in Danger list as a way to highlight the risk of losing these sites.

Qalaat al-Chakif, or Beaufort Castle. UNESCO.

The third new site added to the World Heritage List is the Palestinian village of Sebastia in the Nablus Governate of the State of Palestine. This is a site of significant archaeological heritage, having been inhabited since at least the ninth century BC, when it served as the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, and has since been occupied by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Hellenistic Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks, and Ottomans. The village was the site of a fortified town associated with Herod the Great during the Roman period, and  was a Throne Village (administrative centre governed by local leaders) during the Ottoman period. It is considered to be the burial place of St John the Baptist.

A Roman theatre in the Palestinian village of Sebastia. Wikimedia Commons.

The site has been chosen for inclusion on the World Heritage List and the World Heritage in Danger list both because it is threatened by the ongoing conflict in the region, and also because it is threatened with expropriation, with half the site, including many privately owned propertied, earmarked to become part of the proposed Shomron National Park, a development which would allow access to the site only from Israel, excluding many Palestinians who have worked as traditional guides at the site. This project sits alongside plans for the expansion of Jewish settlements in the region, again almost certainly at the detriment of the local Palestinian population.

Roman ruins on the hilltop site near Sebastia. Jason Burke/The Guardian.

The first site already on the World Heritage List which is being additionally added to the World Heritage in Danger list is the Tauric Chersonese, an ancient city on the Crimean Peninsula founded by Ionian Greeks in the sixth century BC, and subsequently occupied by Megarian Greeks, the Pontic Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire, before being abandoned in the fourteenth century. Although Crimea is part of Ukraine, it has been occupied by Russia since 2014, with no apparent plan for its protection, conservation, or management. The site is currently monitored remotely by UNITAR/UNOSAT, which has revealed significant degradation of the site, due to construction and large-scale excavation at the site. The World Heritage Committee believes there is a significant danger of the illicit trafficking of cultural property from the Crimea.

The ruins of Chersonesos, Crimea, in 2009. Dmitry Mottl/Wikimedia Commons.

The second site from the World Heritage List added to the World Heritage in Danger list is the Historic Inner City of Paramaribo in Suriname, a former Dutch colonial town from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries planted on the northern coast of tropical South America. At the moment, original and highly characteristic street plan of the historic centre remains intact, with buildings that illustrate the gradual fusion of Dutch architectural influence with traditional local techniques and materials. However, the World Heritage Committee feels that the new National Assembly hall and the Yogh parking garage detract from the property’s historic urban landscape and result in a significant loss of its authenticity and integrity, that constitute a threat to the site's outstanding universal value.

Houses in the Historic Inner City of Paramaribo in Suriname. Ron Van Oers/UNESCO.

The final site to be added to the World Heritage in Danger list is the city of Tyre in Lebanon. This site has been occupied since the Bronze Age, but rose to prominence as a major Phoenician city-state between ninth and sixth centuries BC, and was subsequently occupied by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Hellenic Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Early Muslims, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans, Egyptians, and French, prior to Lebanon gaining independence in 1943. As such, the city is home to numerous archaeological sites of great significance, with those of the Roman Period being particularly spectacular. 

Roman ruins at Tyre on the coast of Lebanon. Véronique Dauge/UNESCO.

Like the Mount Amel Castles, the city of Tyre is threatened by the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon, and while the World Heritage Committee commends Lebanon for its efforts to protect Tyre, they also feel that the historic sites are now directly threatened by the conflict.

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Phimochirus formani & Phimochirus tunnelli: Two new species of Hermit Crab from the Gulf of Mexico.

Hermit Crabs, Paguroidea, are highly specialised Decapod Crustaceans that have largely soft exoskeletons and recycle the shells of other animals, usually Gastropod Molluscs, as protection for their bodies. This enables them to live high in the litoral zone (beach environments) where calcium for making shells is hard to get but Crab-eating predators are common, thereby exploiting an environment effectively closed to other Crabs. Hermit Crabs are found on beaches throughout the world's tropical and temperate regions, though they are far more abundant in the tropics, and some members of the group have colonised other environments. Phimochirus holthuisi is considered to be a morphologically highly variable species with a broad distribution in the western Atlantic from North Carolina and the Gulf Mexico throughout the Caribbean to Brazil, yet consistent differences in colouration of live specimens assignable to this presumed variable species occur in certain parts of its distributional range, despite a lack of obvious morphological differences, suggesting that there may be a deeper generic difference between populations of the species than has been realised.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 10 October 2019, Darryl Felder of the Department of Biology and Laboratory for Crustacean Research at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Rafael Lemaitre of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the National Museum of Natural History, and Catherine Craig, also of the Department of Biology and Laboratory for Crustacean Research at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, describe two new species of Hermit Crabs from the Gulf of Mexico, based upon genetic analysis of populations previously assigned to Phimochirus holthuisi.

The first new species described is named Phimochirus formani, in honour of Wayne Forman, a New Orleans based environmental scientist whose talents include an unusually broad grasp of marine biota, and who has over many years brokered access to research sites, acquisition of research specimens, and the securing of financial support for marine scientists working throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. This species has a distinctive blueish-purple band on its eyestalks, which is either blotched with, or surrounded by, red, as well as an orange 'trident'-pattern on its carapace. It also has less ornamentation on its right claw than Phimochirus holthuisi, and lacks the lavender patches on its walking legs that that species has.

Phimochirus formani, (C) specimen, length 3.1 mm, northeastern Gulf of Mexico, (D) male specimen, length 2.8 mm, northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Felder et al. (2019).

Phimochirus formani is found on offshore calcareous banks and deep platforms around Coral reefs in the northeastern, northwestern, and southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and on the coast of Suriname. It favours environments richly covered by Macroalgae (Seaweeds) and epifauna, including Rhodoliths (calcifying Red Algae), on the inner to middle continental shelf at depths of 27–62 m. It utilises the shells of variety of small to medium sized Gastropod shells, especially Faciolariids (Tulip Snails), Turbinids (Turban Snails), and Muricids (Murexes).

The second new species described is named Phimochirus tunnelli, in honour of the late John Tunnell, formerly of Texas A&M University, whose deep appreciation for, and professional understanding of, coastal and marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico region is reflected in many books and other publications that he authored or orchestrated over his long and productive career. This species also has a blueish-purple band on its eyestalks, with an orange band beneath this. The carapace and legs of Phimochirus tunnelli are almost uniformly orange, although it does have lavender patches on the tips of its claws and forward walking legs.

Phimochirus tunnelli, male specimen, length 4.1 mm, northwestern Gulf of Mexico; (F) female specimen, length 3.9 mm, northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Felder et al. (2019).

Phimochirus tunnelli is found in the northeastern, northwestern, and southeastern Gulf of Mexico. It favours offshore Rhodolith and other calcareous banks, especially where richly covered by Macroalgae and epifaunal communities on the inner to middle continental shelf at depths of 38–72 m. It utilises the shells of variety of small to medium sized Gastropod shells, especially Faciolariids (Tulip Snails), Turbinids (Turban Snails), and Muricids (Murexes).

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Artisanal miner killed in clash at Canadian-owned mine in Suriname.

An artisanal miner has died after being shot when he entered the Rosabel Gold Mine in Brokopondo District, Suriname, on Monday 26 July 2019. The man was apparently one of a group of unemployed miners from the nearby settlement of Nieuw-Koffiekamp that entered the mine site and became engaged in a confrontation with mine employees. Three of the men were subsequently shot by police officers based at the mine, and despite prompt treatment by the mine's medical team, one died and another was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The shooting prompted a riot by local people in which several mine vehicles were set on fire. The mines owners, Canadian multinational Iamgold, have suspended all mining activities at the site pending an investigation into the incident.

A mine vehicle set on fire by rioters after a man was shot dead at the Rosabel Gold Mine in Suriname earlier this week. Suriname Herald.

Like may other countries, Suriname has granted concessions to mining companies in areas where small-scale artisanal mining has traditionally helped to supplement the incomes of subsistence farmers. This provides an important source of revenue for governments, however, little of the money from such projects tends to reach local communities, which often leads to ill feeling and attempts to continue mining clandestinely, which can result in tension or even clashes between mine operators and local populations.

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Pseudephedranthus enigmaticus: A new secies of Custard Apple from Suriname, Guyana and Brazil.

The Custard Apples (Annonacaea) are a family of flowering trees and shrubs found throughout the tropics, some of which produce edible fruit. They are placed within the Magnoliales (Magnolias), generally thought to be one of the oldest groups of flowering plants. To date around 2450 species have been described. The genus Pseudephedranthus currently contains a single species from the Brazilian state of Amazonas and adjacent areas of Venezuela.

In a paper published in the journal Phytokeys on 21 September 2017, Roy Erkens of the Maastricht Science Programme at Maastricht University, and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Jessica Oosterhof of the Netherlands, and Lubbert Westra and Paul Maas, also of the Maastricht Science Programme at Maastricht University, describe a new species of Pseudephedranthus from Suriname, Guyana and the Brazilian state of Pará.

The new species is named Pseudephedranthus enigmaticus, presumably meaning 'enigmatic', though no explanation is given. While the species is newly described, Erkins et al. were able to find a number of specimens that they assign to it in different herbaria (plant collections) under a variety of names. The species forms trees up to 15 m in height in periodically inundated forests at altitudes of 100-600 m. It was observed to produce greenish white flowers in May to June, and black, ellipsoid fruit from June to September.

Drawing of Pseudephedranthus enigmaticus. (a) Flowering branch, (b) Flower in lateral view, (c) Staminate flower in longitudinal section, (d) Outer petal, (e) Inner petal, (f) Stamen, (g) Fruit, (h) Seed, small part of seed coat removed to show lamellate ruminations, (i) Cross section of monocarp and enclosed seed showing 4-parted rumination. Esmée Winkel in Erkins et al. (2017).

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The role of gold mining in deforestation in tropical South America.

The rate of deforestation in South America has risen sharply since the 1990s, driven largely by economic growth in nations such as China, particularly the greater market for meat this has created, which has led to forests being felled both directly to create new pasture and to grow cattle-feed crops such as Soybeans. An increased disposable income in countries such as China and India has also led to a rising demand for gold for personal use (i.e. jewellery etc.), which combined with uncertainty on the global financial markets since 2007/8 has led to a sharp rise in the price of gold, from US$250 an ounce in 2000 to US$1300 an ounce in 2013. This has in turn created a global boom in the gold mining industry, with both large and small scale miners expanding their activities in many areas, and in particular mining activities increasing sharply in many areas where this was not previously considered economically viable, such as low grade deposits in tropical rainforests.

While the amount of land cleared for mining and associated activities (roads, settlements etc.) is never likely to be as extensive as that caused by agriculture or urban expansion, the environmental effects of mining can be particularly severe, resulting in not just the loss of canopy trees but also the removal of soil and bedrock, and the widespread use of persistent pollutants such as mercury, arsenic and cyanide, all of which can enter aquatic ecosystems and cause damage over a wide area.

In a paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters on 13 January 2015, Nora Alvarez-Berríos of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras and Mitchell Aide of the Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras describe the results of a study intended to detect rates of deforestation directly attributable to gold mining in South American moist forests below 1000 m, between 2000 and 2013.

Many areas within this region have soils rich in alluvial gold (gold that has been eroded from rocks elsewhere, in this case generally the High Andes or Guyanan Shield, and deposited by the action of rivers), which can be accessed by extracting washing and chemically treating the soil. While this process is highly destructive, it has significant economic impacts, contributing 6% of the total GDP of Peru in 2000-2010, creating 140 000 jobs in the formal sector (and an unknown number in the informal sector) in Colombia, and employing around 200 000 people in Brazil and 60 000 people in Surinam (which is 12% of the total population).

Alvarez-Berríos and Aide used data from government records, records of mining companies, articles in peer-reviewed journals and news reports, as well as imagery from Google Earth, Digital Globe and Landsat to determine the sites of mining activities in 373 municipalities in Colombia, Peru, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador. In order to avoid overcomplicating the data, municipalities not known to produce gold were excluded from the study, and the legal status of mining sites was not taken into account. Once the sites of interest were established, vegetation index data from the MODIS satellites was obtained for the period 2000-2013, in order to determine rates of deforestation and reforestation around these sites.

The study site encompasses the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest biome with elevations of less than 1000 m. Black dots indicate epicenters of active and potential gold mining sites (i.e. geographical centroids) based on literature reviews and government and private mining databases Alvarez-Berríos & Aide (2015).

Alvarez-Berríos and Aide found that from 2000 till 2013, 1680 km² of forest was cleared at mining sites within the study area, while 245 km² of forest regrew. Most of the forest loss occurred in the second half of the study period, with ∼377 km² of forest loss in 2000-2006 and ∼1303 km² of forest loss in 2007-2013. This indicates that the rate of deforestation associated with mining is increasing, and also a sharp rise in mining activity after the financial crisis of 2007/8, when gold prices rose sharply. Conversely most of the regrowth occurred in the first half of the period, with ∼178 km² of forest regrowth in 2000-2006 and only ∼67 km² in 2007-2013. While these losses occurred across the whole region, 89% of the total occurred in just four regions.

Distribution of gold mining sites with significant change in forest cover (ha) in periods 2001–2006 and 2007–2013. Green dots represent an increase in forest cover, red dots represent a decrease in forest cover, and grey areas indicate significant change in cover. Alvarez-Berríos & Aide (2015).

The largest losses were recorded in the Guianan moist forest ecoregion, which covers forests across Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana and Venezuela, an area of high mineral richness which produces large amounts of gold, diamonds, iron and bauxite, and where mining is already considered to be a major cause of deforestation (for example 68% of deforestation in Guyana between 2000 and 2010 is attributed to mining). Alvarez-Berríos and Aide detected ∼684 km² of forest loss associated with gold mining in this region over the study period, 41% of the entire loss detected. The majority of this deforestation occurred in just two municipalities in Surinam, Brokopondo and Sipaliwini. Gold mining across the Guianan moist forest ecoregion increased sharply between 1990 and 2004, following liberalization of the international gold market and an influx of miners from Brazil, where the enforcement of land use and tribal land laws had been tightened. Much of this deforestation was attributed to small and medium scale mining operations, though some of it was attributed to (in theory better regulated) large operations.

The second highest level of deforestation occurred in the Peruvian Southwest Amazon, where ∼473 km² of forest loss occurred (28% of the total), predominantly in the municipalities of Inambari, Madre de Dios, and Huepetuhe in the Department of Madre de Dios. The rate of deforestation sharply increased between 1999-2006, when an average of 21.66 km² was lost each year, and 2007-2013, when an average of 61.56 km² was lost each year (an almost threefold increase). In the period 2001-2006 agricultural expansion was considered to be the major cause of deforestation in Madre de Dios, but from 2007 onwards gold mining is considered to have overtaken agriculture as the primary cause of deforestation. This is directly linked to the rise in gold values, and subsequent increase in potential earnings in the industry, with an agricultural day labourer able to earn around US$15-18 per day, while a artisanal miner can earn US$10-230 per day.

The third highest level of deforestation occurred in the Tapajós–Xingú moist forest in Brazil, where ∼183 km² of forest was lost around gold mining sites, 11% of the total loss detected in the study. This loss occurred at sites across the region, though much of it was found in the municipality of Itaituba. This area is considered to be the most important gold mining region in Brazil, with the majority of extraction undertaken by small scale artisanal miners. The number of miners in the region has risen from about 10 000 in 1990 to about 100 000 in 2010, with the largest influx occurring after 2008, largely due to the recolonization of areas previously considered exhausted, but which became profitable again as rising gold prices made it profitable to work marginal reserves previously considered uneconomicly viable.

The fourth highest level of forest loss occurred in the Magdalena Valley montane forest and Magdalena-Urabá moist forest ecoregions of Colombia, where ∼144 km² of forest was lost, 9% of the total forest loss detected in the survey. This area has been considered an area of major forest loss over the period 2000-2010, due to oil exploration, cattle ranching, small-scale agriculture, and gold mining. Gold has been an important economic activity in the region since 1990, but as in other regions has undergone a major expansion in the last decade. The situation is made more complicated in Colombia due to the presence of guerrilla and paramilitary groups which derive income from mining, with around 86% of mining being illegal (i.e. unlicensed and unregulated by the government) and 20% of the proceeds of illegal mining going to groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN). Interestingly this area also saw the only major occurrence of reforestation produced in the study, in the municipalities of Nechí and Caucasia, which Alvarez-Berríos and Aide attribute to ongoing conflict in the region which leads to displacement of human populations, and abandonment of the activities in which they were involved.

Much of the mining occurred in remote areas which were otherwise undisturbed, and consequently in areas of protected forests. About 9% of the total losses occurred within strict protection areas (i.e. areas where human activity is in theory restricted to tourism and conservation work), a total loss of about 15 km², although 12 km² was lost from a single such area, the Rio Novo National Park in Brazil. A further 31% of the detected losses occurred within the 10 km buffer zones around such strict preservation areas, with the worst losses occurring in the buffer zones around the Rio Novo National Park in Brazil (84 km²) and Bahuaja Sonene National Park in Peru (27 km²). About 14% of the total losses occurred in multiple use conservation areas (i.e. conservation areas where some other activities are allowed), with the highest losses occurring in the Tapajós Environmental Protection Area in Brazil, where 142 km² of forest was lost. However the majority of deforestation occurred in the 10 km buffer zones around such multiple conservation areas, where 58% of all losses were recorded. The worst affected areas were the Communal Reserve Amarakaeri buffer zone in Peru, where 103 km² of forest was lost, and the Tambopata National Reserve buffer zone, also in Peru, where 66 km² of forest was lost.

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Columbia gold mine collapse kills at least three.

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Number of Saki Monkey species raised from five to sixteen.

Saki Monkeys of the genus Pithecia are found throughout the tropical forests of South America. The taxonomy of the group is poorly understood, as species are often both variable and similar to other species and hard to observe in the wild, favouring old growth and often flooded forests. Many species were described in the nineteenth and early twentieth century by taxonomists working in European museums, with little or no information on where the specimens were collected, and only a limited understanding of the life histories of the living animals. 

Female Saki Monkeys tend to be slightly smaller than males, but not to a great enough extent that this feature can be used to determine sex. More reliable is colouration, with adult males of most species having a distinctive coat that separates them from the females. However only fully adult males have this coat, with sub-adults resembling females, then going through an intermediate phase as they develop their male colouration, which can be mistaken for a completely different species. Since it can be hard to determine the sex of living Saki Monkeys by physical examination, this presented a considerable obstacle to nineteenth century taxonomists working from preserved specimens of unknown or inaccurately recorded origin (many early collectors in South America simply bought specimens from local hunters in large towns without worrying about where they came from; some may have lied about the origin of their specimens when selling them on to museums in order to increase their value).

The behaviour of the Monkeys does little to help this situation. They tend to live in dense and inaccessible forests, and for the most part will avoid contact with humans. They live in small family groups, often with subadult females as well as younger offspring, and when threatened the adult female will often sit on a conspicuous branch with an older juvenile female to observe the threat, while younger members of the group hide and the male circles round shaking vegetation to create a diversion. Thus observations of ‘pairs’ of Saki Monkeys are typically of an adult and subadult female.

Like most primate groups, Saki Monkeys are quite well studied today, but largely by ecologists rather than taxonomists. Ecologists for the most part have little taste for taxonomy, which tends to involve the extensive study of dead specimens in museums. However understanding the taxonomy of a group is vitally important for long-term conservation, as it is impossible to accurately determine population sizes or distribution if it is not possible to determine whether populations belong to the same or different species.

The last major review of the taxonomy of Saki Monkeys was carried out in 1987, when Phillip Hershkovitz of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago split the genus into five species and several subspecies (expand). 

In a paper published in the journal Neotropical Primates in July 2014, Laura Marsh of the Global Conservation Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, undertakes a complete review of the genus Pithecia, concluding that there are in fact sixteen species. In doing this she reinstates three previously described species, promotes three subspecies to full species level, and erects five new species.

The White-faced Saki, Pithecia pithecia, was first described in 1766 by Swedish naturalist Carlus Linnaeus (under the name Simia pithecia, Saki Monkeys were not placed in a separate genus till 1804). The name has remained in use till today, though museum specimens have been described as a number of other species, and other species have been described as Pithecia pithecia. Adult male White-faced Sakis are more-or-less completely black, with white ‘half-moon’ facial disks. Females are brownish or greyish and may have white striping, and have orange chest hair, the colour of which varies in intensity in different populations. White-faced Sakis are found in Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname, and in the Brazilian states of Roraima, Amapá and Pará. 

The White-faced Saki, Pithecia pithecia. Marsh (2014).

The Golden-faced Saki, Pithecia chrysocephala, was first described in 1850 by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire of the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, but has been considered to be a subspecies of either Pithecia pithecia or Pithecia monacha for most of the last century. March re-elevates this group to full species level. Golden-faced Sakis resemble White-faced Sakis, but the face plates of the males are deep orange or reddish brown in colour. The Golden-faced Saki is found only in Brazil north of the Amazon.

The Golden-faced Saki, Pithecia chrysocephala. Marsh (2014).

The Hairy Saki, Pithecia hirsuta, was first described in 1823 by Johann Baptist von Spix of the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich, with the name remaining in use till today. This species shows little colour variation between the sexes, with both being black with some white stripping and some brown on the chest. The species is found in Brazil, Peru and Columbia between the Río Napoin and Rio Solimões in the south, the Río Caquetá and Rio Japurá in the north and Rio Negro to the east.

The Hairy Saki, Pithecia hirsuta. Marsh (2014).

Miller’s Saki, Pithecia milleri, was first described by Joel Allen of the American Museum of Natural History in 1914, but was reclassified as a subspecies of Pithecia monachus by Hershkovitz in 1987. Marsh re-elevates this taxon to full species status. Miller’s Saki resembles the Hairy Saki, but is more grizzled (greyer). The females are more distinctive in this species, being paler and shaggier than the males. Miller’s Saki is found in southwest Columbia and northeast Ecuador, and may also be present in neighbouring areas of Peru, though it has not been reported there.

Miller’s Saki, Pithecia milleri. Marsh (2014).

The Monk Saki, Pithecia monachus, was first described by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1812, and has been accepted as a valid species ever since, though several other species have been treated as members of this species at times. Males of this species tend to be black, with a little white stippling, mostly on the forearms and chest, and brown hair on the face. Females are more grizzled than the males, with brown hair only on the forehead. The species is found in eastern Peru and western Brazil.

The Monk Saki, Pithecia monachus. Marsh (2014).

The Burnished Saki, Pithecia inusta, was first described in 1824 by Johann Baptist von Spix, but was thought to be a population of Pithecia monachus by Hershkovitz in 1987. Marsh re-elevates this to full species status. Males are black with lighter stippling, the ruff is brown, with lighter brown hair tips, and can be buff or almost orange in older individuals. The face is an off-white colour. Females are similar to males, but with more white in their coats. 

The Burnished Saki, Pithecia inusta. Marsh (2014).

Cazuza’s Saki, Pithecia cazuzai, is a new species erected by Marsh, to describe three populations formerly assigned to the species Pithecia irrorata (Grey’s Bald Faced Saki). It is named in honour of the Brazilian primatologist José de Sousa e Silva-Júnior, (known as ‘Cazuza’), of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, for his contribution to South American taxonomy. Both sexes are black with white grizzling, the females being darker and less grizzled than the males. The species is known only from Brazil around the Rio Juruá.

Cazuza’s Saki, Pithecia cazuzai. Marsh (2014).

The Equatorial Saki, Pithecia aequatorialis, was first described by Philip Hershkovitz in 1987. The males are black, with grizzled white tips to their hairs, a horseshoe-shaped white band around the face and an orange ruff. Females are greyer and more grizzled, with a less pronounced ruff. The species is found in Peru, south of the Río Napo and Río Curaray and west of the Río Tigre.

The Equatorial Saki, Pithecia aequatorialis. Marsh (2014).

The Napo Saki, Pithecia napensis, was first described by  Einar Lönnberg of the Swedish Museum of Natural History as a subspecies of Pithecia monachus, though Hershkovitz did not accept that this was a valid taxon at all. Marsh re-introduces it, and elevates it to full species. Males are black, with grizzled white tips to their hair, a distinctive whit crown on the head and a white facial disk surrounding the face, fading to grey towards the bottom. The ruff is rusty or even bright orange. Females are greyer, with a brown ruff. The species is found in northeast Ecuador and northern Peru.

The Napo Saki, Pithecia napensis. Marsh (2014).

Isobel’s Saki, Pithecia isabela, is a new species erected by Marsh to describe several populations of Saki Monkeys in northern Peru, formerly assigned to the species Pithecia monachus but now recognized as distinct. Pithecia isabela is named in honour of Isabel Grameson Godin des Odonais, who mounted an expedition into the forests of French Guyana in search of her lost husband in 1768. The males have black coats, often with a coppery sheen, and a dark rusty-orange ruff. The face is black, and surrounded by a ring of light brown hair in younger males, though as they get older it darkens to black. The facial disk is dark, but lighter grizzling which makes it appear grey or even white; there are also white patches above the eyes. Females are similar to males, with a black coat with a coppery sheen, though on females this is heavily grizzled. The hair of the ruff is black with brown tips and the facial disk black. 

Isobel’s Saki, Pithecia isobela. Marsh (2014).

The Buffy Saki, Pithecia albicans, was first described as a species by John Edward Gray of the British Museum of Natural History (now the Natural History Museum) in 1860, and has been recognized as a valid species ever since. This is a very distinctive species, larger than other members of the genus and covered in blond or orange fur, except for the back and tail, which are black. This species is found only in Brazil, between the lower Rio Purus and Rio Tefé and the Rio Solimões-Amazonas in Amazonas State.

The Buffy Saki, Pithecia albicans. Marsh (2014).

Gray’s Bald Faced Saki, Pithecia irrorata, was first described by species by John Edward Gray of the British Museum of Natural History (now the Natural History Museum) in 1842, and has been recognized as a valid species ever since. These Sakis are black with heavily grizzling that makes them appear grey or even whitish all over. The males have a white band or crown above the face, which is hairless and pink. This species is known from Peru and Brazil, though the known populations are somewhat scattered, and its full distribution is probably not known.

Gray’s Bald Faced Saki, Pithica irrorata. Marsh (2014).

Vanzolini’s Bald Faced Saki, Pithecia vanzolinii, was first described by Philip Hershkovitz in 1987. These are black or dark grey on their backs and tails, with cream or yellowish bellies and limbs. The males have a thicker coat than the females. This species is known only from southwest Brazil.

Vanzolini’s Bald Faced Saki, Pithica vanzolinii. Marsh (2014).

Mittermeier’s Tapajós Saki, Pithecia mittermeieri, is a new species named by Marsh in honour of Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International and long-time Chairman of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Primate Specialist Group. The species comprises populations found south of the Rio Amazonas between the Rio Madeira and Rio Tapajós in Brazil, which were formerly assigned to Pithecia irrorata. These have black coats, but heavily grizzled with white hair, making them appear almost white, males have black faces and both sexes tend to get darker as they get older.

Mittermeier’s Tapajós Saki, Pithecia mittermeieri. Marsh (2014).

Ryland’s Bald-faced Saki, Pithecia rylandsi, is a new species named by Marsh in honour of Anthony Rylands, Senior Research Scientist at Conservation International, Deputy Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Primate Specialist Group, a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, former professor of Vertebrate Zoology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and founding editor for the journal Neotropical Primates. The species comprises populations of Sakis from southern Peru, northwest Bolivia and southwest Brazil, which have formerly been assigned to several other species. These have black coats heavily grizzled with white, but turn completely white as they age. The faces are black in both sexes.

Ryland’s Bald-faced Saki, Pithecia rylandsi. Marsh (2014).

Pissinatti’s Bald-faced Saki, Pithecia pissinattii, is a new species named by Marsh in honour of Alcides Pissinatti, a Brazilian veterinarian, director and co-founder of the Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro as well as Vice President of the Brazilian Academy of Veterinary Sciences, for his work on captive breeding programs of Saki Monkeys. The species comprises populations in Brazil previously assigned to Pithecia irrorata and Pithecia hirsuta. These are very grizzled Sakis with bare faces, the males become brownish with age.

 

Pissinatti’s Bald-faced Saki, Pithecia pissinattii. Marsh (2014).

The approximate distributions of the Saki Monkeys, Pithecia, following the classification proposed. Stephen Nash in Marsh (2014).

See also…

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 Burmese Snub-nosed Monkey found in China.

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