From XVI to XXI century: old and recent records of Brachyteles arachnoides (Primates, Atelidae) in the State of Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT. Two muriqui species are currently described in the literature: the southern muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides (E. Geofroy, 1806) and the northern muriqui, Brachyteles hypoxanthus (Kuhl, 1820). Nowadays, the distribution of the southern muriqui is restricted to forest patches of the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná, while the northern muriqui occurs in Espírito Santo, Bahia and Minas Gerais. Both are threatened species, but there are still many gaps in our knowledge of their occurrence, especially for southern muriquis in the state of RJ. The purpose of this work is precisely to identify the primary areas of occurrence of the muriqui in Rio de Janeiro through historical reports by naturalists, adventurers and others since the 16th century. Thus, allowing to assist in the establishment and conservation strategies of the species.