Here, we revisit the issue of Ateles phylogenetics and biogeography
and offer a new hypothesis for the evolutionary history of the
genus. Our analysis differs from previous ones in that it encompasses
a wider number of putative taxa sampled from across the
geographic distribution of the genus, takes advantage of longer
genetic sequences (3.9 kb of primarily coding mtDNA sequences),
and uses improved methods of phylogenetic inference. Using these
sequence data, we also estimate the times of divergence of the
major clades of spider monkeys and use those data to consider
alternative biogeographic scenarios.