Discovery of Sympatric Dwarf Lemur Species in the High-Altitude Rain Forest of Tsinjoarivo, Eastern Madagascar: Implications for Biogeography and Conservation

Vol. 80, No. 1, 2009

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Original Article

Discovery of Sympatric Dwarf Lemur Species in the High-Altitude Rain Forest of Tsinjoarivo, Eastern Madagascar: Implications for Biogeography and Conservation
Marina B. Blanco^a, Laurie R. Godfrey^a, Mamihasimbola Rakotondratsima^b, Vololonirina Rahalinarivo^b, Karen E. Samonds^c, Jean-Luc Raharison^d, Mitchell T. Irwin^c

^aDepartment of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass., USA;
^bDépartement de Paléontologie et d'Anthropologie Biologique, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar;
^cRedpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada;
^dDépartement de Biologie Animale, Écologie-Environnement, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Address of Corresponding Author

Folia Primatol 2009;80:1-17 (DOI: 10.1159/000173716)

Key Words

Morphometrics
Dental morphology
Cheirogaleus
Cheirogaleidae
Dwarf lemur
Sympatry

Abstract

The number of species within the Malagasy lemur genus Cheirogaleus is currently under debate. Museum collections are spotty, and field work, supplemented by morphometric and genetic analysis, is essential for documenting geographic distributions, ecological characteristics and species boundaries. We report here field evidence for 2 dwarf lemur species at Tsinjoarivo, an eastern-central high-altitude rain forest: one, from a forest fragment, displaying coat and dental characteristics similar to C. sibreei (previously described only from museum specimens) and the other, from the continuous forest, resembling individuals of Cheirogaleus found today at Ranomafana National Park, further to the south. This study represents the first confirmation of a living population of grey-fawn, C.-sibreei-like, dwarf lemurs in Madagascar.

Author Contacts

Marina B. Blanco
Department of Anthropology, 240 Hicks Way
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (USA)
Tel. +1 413 545 3802, Fax +1 413 545 9494
E-Mail mbblanco@anthro.umass.edu

Article Information

Received: May 19, 2008
Accepted after revision: August 7, 2008
Published online: November 20, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 17
Number of Figures : 8, Number of Tables : 8, Number of References : 30

Medline Abstract (ID 19023214)

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