Data from: Color discrimination in the tufted capuchin monkey, Sapajus spp.

The present study evaluated the efficacy of an adapted version of the Mollon-Reffin test for the behavioral investigation of color vision in capuchin monkeys. Ten tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp., formerly referred to as Cebus apella) had their DNA analyzed and were characterized as the following: one trichromat female, seven deuteranope dichromats (six males and one female), and two protanope males, one of which was identified as an “ML protanope.” For their behavioral characterization, all of the subjects were tested at three regions of the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) 1976 u′v′ diagram, with each test consisting of 20 chromatic variation vectors that were radially distributed around the chromaticity point set as the test background. The phenotypes inferred from the behavioral data were in complete agreement with those predicted from the genetic analysis, with the threshold distribution clearly differentiating between trichromats and dichromats and the estimated confusion lines characteristically converging for deuteranopes and the “classic” protanope. The discrimination pattern of the ML protanope was intermediate between protan and deutan, with confusion lines horizontally oriented and parallel to each other. The observed phenotypic differentiation confirmed the efficacy of the Mollon-Reffin test paradigm as a useful tool for evaluating color discrimination in nonhuman primates. Especially noteworthy was the demonstration of behavioral segregation between the “classic” and “ML” protanopes, suggesting identifiable behavioral consequences of even slight variations in the spectral sensitivity of M/L photopigments in dichromats.

本研究评估了改良版莫隆-赖芬测试（Mollon-Reffin test）用于卷尾猴色觉行为学研究的有效性。受试对象为10只卷尾猴（Sapajus spp.，原归类为黑帽卷尾猴Cebus apella），通过DNA分析将其划分为以下表型：1只三色视者（trichromat）雌性、7例绿色盲型二色视者（deuteranope dichromats，含6只雄性与1只雌性）以及2例红色盲型二色视雄性（protanope males），其中1只为“M/L型红色盲（ML protanope）”。

行为学表征测试中，所有受试对象均在国际照明委员会（Commission International de l'Eclairage, CIE）1976年u'v'色度图的三个区域内开展测试，每项测试包含20个围绕作为测试背景的色度点呈径向分布的色变矢量（chromatic variation vectors）。

从行为学数据推导的表型与基因分析预测的表型完全一致：阈值分布可清晰区分三色视者与二色视者，且绿色盲型二色视者与“经典型”红色盲者的估算混淆线（confusion lines）呈典型汇聚特征。M/L型红色盲者的辨别模式介于红色盲与绿色盲之间，其混淆线呈水平走向且彼此平行。

本次观测到的表型分化证实，莫隆-赖芬测试范式可作为评估非人灵长类动物色觉辨别能力的有效工具。

尤为值得关注的是，本研究证实“经典型”与“M/L型”红色盲者存在行为学层面的表型分化，这表明二色视者的M/L视色素（M/L photopigments）光谱敏感性即便存在微小差异，也会产生可识别的行为学后果。