  The black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) is a neotropical primate
that faces the highest capture pressure for illegal trade in Argentina. We
evaluate the applicability of genetic assignment tests based on microsatellite
genotypic data to accurately assign individuals to their site of origin. The
search was conducted on a genetic database to determine the nearest sampled
population or to associate them to three clusters described here for the
Argentinean populations of A. caraya. We correctly assign 73% of the
individuals in the database to nearest population of origin, and 93.3% to their
cluster of origin. With this database, we were able to determine the probable
origin of 17 confiscated individuals, 12 of which were reintroduced in the
province of Misiones and 5 confiscated individuals reintroduced in the province
of Santa Fe. Moreover, we also determined the probable origin of 3 individuals
found dead in cities in northern Argentina. This approach highlights the
relevance of generating genotype indexing databases of species to assist with
in-situ and ex-situ conservation and management programs. Our results
underscore the importance of knowing the origin of individuals for
reintroduction and/or species recovery programs and to pinpoint the hotspots of
illegal capture of various species.
