A photo of the new discovery is unavailable to date, but this example of Cacajao calvus rubicundus, the bald uakari is typical of the uakaris.
Photo credit: Roy Fontaine.

The New Scientist of January 16, 2008 reports the discovery of a new uakai monkey living in north-western Amazonia, which belongs to a species unknown to science until recently. It is now named Cacajao ayresii in honor of Brazilian biologist Marcio Ayres, who pioneered field studies on uakaris.

The new species has a very restricted distribution, says Jean-Philippe Boubli of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, who describes it in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Primatology.

It should be declared endangered, he notes.