Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur

Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur
Conservation status

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lemuridae
Genus: Hapalemur
Species: H. alaotrensis
Binomial name
Hapalemur alaotrensis
Rumpler, 1975[3]
Distribution of H. alaotrensis[1]

The Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), also known as the Lac Alaotra gentle lemur, Alaotran bamboo lemur, Alaotran gentle lemur, or locally as the bandro, is a bamboo lemur. It is endemic to the reed beds in and around Lac Alaotra, in northeast Madagascar. This lemur is the only primate specifically adapted to living in papyrus reeds. Unlike other bamboo lemurs, the Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur does not eat bamboo; instead, it feeds on the stems of papyrus reeds, shoots of the grass Phragmites communis, and two other species of grasses (Echinochloa crus-galli and Leersia hexandra).[4]

Its tail and body are both 40 cm on average, and it weighs between 1.1 and 1.4 kg, with males slightly larger than females.[5] Its dense, woolly fur is a gray-brown on the back, lighter gray on the face and chest, and chestnut brown on the head and neck.[5]

The classification of the bandro is disputed, with some classifying it as a subspecies of Hapalemur griseus,[1] while others see it as a separate species.[3] Current genetic data do not support species status.[6] Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the two populations H. g. griseus and H. g. alaotrensis are interspersed with each other on the phylogenetic tree.[7] Moreover, average genetic distances between the two subspecies are within the range of within-taxon comparisons and not in the range of between-taxon comparisons. A final assessment of species versus subspecies status requires filling in gaps in sampling and the use of nuclear loci. GenBank, the universal repository for genetic sequence information, has not accepted the species status of the Aloatran lemur and lists it as a subspecies.[8]

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has a Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur conservation program.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Andriaholinirina, N. et al. (2014). "Hapalemur alaotrensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  2. ↑ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M, eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 116. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
  4. ↑ Mutschler, T. (1999). "Folivory in a Small-Bodied Lemur". In Berthe Rakotosamimanana; Hanta Rasamimanana; Jörg U. Ganzhorn; Steven M. Goodman. New Directions in Lemur Studies. pp. 221–239. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-4705-1_13. ISBN 978-1-4613-7131-1.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mittermeier, Russell A., Konstant, William R., Hawkins, Frank , Louis, Edward E., and Langrand, Olivier (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar (2nd edition ed.). Conservation International. pp. 222–225. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  6. ↑ Pastorini, J., Forstner, M. R. J. and Martin, R. D. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships of gentle lemurs (Hapalemur). Evolutionary Anthropology 11, 150-154.
  7. ↑ Figure 1 of Pastorini, J., Forstner, M. R. J. and Martin, R. D. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships of gentle lemurs (Hapalemur). Evolutionary Anthropology 11, 150-154
  8. ↑ NCBI taxonomy database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi