Molecular Genetics Analysis of mtDNA COII Gene Sequences Shows Illegal Traffic of Night Monkeys (Aotus, Platyrrhini, Primates) in Colombia

Night monkeys of the Aotus genus are employed by several laboratories in studies of malaria and other tropical diseases. Some institutions, such as the Centre for Reproduction and Conservation of Non-Human Primates (CRCP, IVITA) at Iquitos (Peru), breed exemplars of A. vociferans and A. nancymaae for laboratory purposes. However, as several Colombian journals and newspapers have reported, an important laboratory in Colombia (FIDIC) employs illegally imported individuals of the species, A. nancymaae, which is not part of the native primate fauna of this country. Our molecular analysis using mtDNA COII gene sequences demonstrates that the FIDIC’s laboratory contains A. nancymaae specimens which could have been acquired through illegal trafficking of this species. This laboratory does not possess a legal license to obtain and import specimens of this Aotus species from Peru or Brazil, where this species is native.