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Subfossil lemur discoveries from the Beanka Protected Area in western Madagascar
- David A. Burney, Haingoson Andriamialison, Radosoa A. Andrianaivoarivelo, Steven Bourne, Brooke E. Crowley, Erik J. de Boer, Laurie R. Godfrey, Steven M. Goodman, Christine Griffiths, Owen Griffiths, Julian P. Hume, Walter G. Joyce, William L. Jungers, Stephanie Marciniak, Gregory J. Middleton, Kathleen M. Muldoon, Eliette Noromalala, Ventura R. Pérez, George H. Perry, Roger Randalana, Henry T. Wright
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- Journal:
- Quaternary Research / Volume 93 / January 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 October 2019, pp. 187-203
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- Article
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A new fossil site in a previously unexplored part of western Madagascar (the Beanka Protected Area) has yielded remains of many recently extinct vertebrates, including giant lemurs (Babakotia radofilai, Palaeopropithecus kelyus, Pachylemur sp., and Archaeolemur edwardsi), carnivores (Cryptoprocta spelea), the aardvark-like Plesiorycteropus sp., and giant ground cuckoos (Coua). Many of these represent considerable range extensions. Extant species that were extirpated from the region (e.g., Prolemur simus) are also present. Calibrated radiocarbon ages for 10 bones from extinct primates span the last three millennia. The largely undisturbed taphonomy of bone deposits supports the interpretation that many specimens fell in from a rock ledge above the entrance. Some primates and other mammals may have been prey items of avian predators, but human predation is also evident. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) suggest that fossils were local to the area. Pottery sherds and bones of extinct and extant vertebrates with cut and chop marks indicate human activity in previous centuries. Scarcity of charcoal and human artifacts suggests only occasional visitation to the site by humans. The fossil assemblage from this site is unusual in that, while it contains many sloth lemurs, it lacks ratites, hippopotami, and crocodiles typical of nearly all other Holocene subfossil sites on Madagascar.
23 - Ecological niche modeling of mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) and its implications for their species diversity and biogeography
- from Part V - Cheirogaleidae: conservation biogeography
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- By Jason M. Kamilar, University of Massachusetts, USA, Marina B. Blanco, Duke Lemur Center, USA, Kathleen M. Muldoon, Midwestern University, USA
- Edited by Shawn M. Lehman, University of Toronto, Ute Radespiel, Elke Zimmermann
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- Book:
- The Dwarf and Mouse Lemurs of Madagascar
- Published online:
- 05 March 2016
- Print publication:
- 07 April 2016, pp 449-461
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- Chapter
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Summary
Introduction
Recent studies of lemur species diversity have particularly focused on mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Microcebus) – small, nocturnal, and superficially monotypic creatures (Radespiel et al., 2012; Zimmermann and Radespiel, 2014). Microcebus are widespread across the diverse habitats of Madagascar, and are present in primary, secondary, and disturbed forest types where suitable area remains (Mittermeier et al., 2010). Until the end of the last century, it was assumed that diversity in mouse lemurs consisted only of two morphologically and geographically distinct species – a larger, grayish western morph, Microcebus murinus, and a smaller, reddish eastern species, M. rufus (Mittermeier et al., 1994). Each of these species was thought to have a broad distribution, encompassing a relatively diverse array of climates and habitats. In addition, mouse lemurs were believed to have largely allopatric distributions, with very little, if any, sympatry observed. However, the number of recognized mouse lemur species on Madagascar has vastly increased in recent years with an emphasis on methods to delineate cryptic species in the field (Mittermeier et al., 2010). There are currently 21 formally described species of mouse lemur, including some taxa that have sympatric distributions (Zimmermann and Radespiel, 2014).
Some controversy exists over the taxonomic validity over the newly named species, associated in large part with problems of sample size and geographic coverage, and difficulty in distinguishing clinal variation from distinct phylogenetic species (Tattersall, 2007; Markolf et al., 2011). Although cryptic species are often differentiated solely on the basis of genetics (Pastorini et al., 2001; Olivieri et al., 2007; Horvath et al., 2008; Groeneveld et al., 2009; Weisrock et al., 2012), integrative studies of primate taxonomy have recently used diet, social system, communication signals, sleeping site ecology, and reproductive behavior to delineate species boundaries (Kamilar, 2006; Radespiel et al., 2006; Zimmermann, 2013; Zimmermann and Radespiel, 2014). Such studies have demonstrated that sympatric species of Microcebus coexist in several regions of Madagascar (Yoder et al., 2005; Weisrock et al., 2010; Rasoloarison et al., 2013). Thus, mouse lemurs provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that allow species to coexist.