New World monkeys are a diverse primate group and a model for understanding hearing in mammals. However, comparable audiograms do not exist for the larger monkeys, making it difficult to test the hypothesized relationship between interaural distance and high-frequency hearing limit (i.e., the allometric model). Here, the auditory brainstem response (ABR) method is used to assess auditory sensitivity in four tufted capuchins (Sapajus apella), a large monkey with a large interaural distance. A primate-typical four-peak pattern in the ABR waveforms was found with peak latencies from ca. 2 to 12 ms after stimulus onset. Response amplitude decreased linearly with decreasing stimulus level (mean r2 = 0.93, standard deviation 0.14). Individual variation in each threshold was moderate (mean ± 7 dB). The 10-dB bandwidth of enhanced sensitivity was 2–16 kHz—a range comparable to smaller monkeys and congruent with the bandwidth of their vocal repertoire. In accord with the general principles of the allometric model, the 60-dB high-frequency limit of S. apella (26 kHz) is lower than those of smaller-headed monkeys; however, it is substantially lower than 44.7 kHz, the value predicted by the allometric model. These findings and other exceptions to the allometric model warrant cautious application and further investigation of other potential selective factors.
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