DIETA DEL MONO ARAÑA MARRÓN ATELES HYBRIDUS EN UN FRAGMENTO DE BOSQUE EN LA RESERVA FORESTAL DE CAPARO, VENEZUELA EN TEMPORADA SECA

The brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) lives in Colombia and Venezuela and is a Critically Endangered species.The objective was to characterize the diet of A. hybridus, in a forest fragment of the Caparo Forest Reserve, Venezuela.We used the animal-focal continuous recording method for monitoring 316 h.The 21 identified group members fed on 30 plant species, including only eight species that consumed fruits.The diet was composed of 71% fruit, 25% leaves, 1% flowers and 3% other.The principal fruits were: Attalea butyracea (Arecaceae), Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaceae) and Inga sp.(Fabaceae).The Shannon diversity index for food consumption frequency was 2.49.Although results indicate a greater diversity of leaf species consumed, fruit, including immature fruits, appears to be the main food resource.Leaves remain an important component in the dry season diet of A. hybridus. RESUMENPalabras clave: alimentación -Ateles hybridus -