Briefly


SPOTLIGHT ON PRIMATES New mouse lemur identified.. . Molecular genetic studies have revealed a new, relatively large, reddish brown, small- eared mouse lemur. The species inhabits a community protected forest around the vil- lage of Ambavala, just west of Mananara- Nord in the province of Analanjirofo, north- western Madagascar. Microcebus jonahi was described by Dominik Schüßler and nu- merous colleagues, and named after Jonah Ratsimbazafy, co-founder and president of theMadagascar Primate Study and Research Group, andHouston Zoo’sDirector of Mada- gascar Programs. Jonah has dedicated his life to the conservation of lemurs. Five dis- tinct Microcebus lineages have now been de- scribed from a 130-km-wide stretch of low- land rainforest in north-east Madagascar, making it one of the most species-rich areas so far identified for mouse lemurs, a micro- endemism hotspot. Microcebus jonahi brings the number of known mouse lemur species to 25, and the number of lemur species to 112. Sources: American Journal of Primatology (2020) doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23180&Science (2020) science.science mag.org/content/369/6501/230


.. . and almost all lemur species threatened with extinction Verreaux’ssifaka Propithecus verreauxi was once common across the south of Mada- gascar, but this lemur species is now ca- tegorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, a status sadly shared by many of its cousins. A recent IUCN Red List update found more than half of African primates outside Madagascar are under threat. InMadagascar, rampant deforestation and hunting have decimated lemur pop- ulations: c. 95%of known lemurspecies are now threatened with extinction. Increasing trade in lemurs as pets has also emerged as a new pressure, and traditional values that once offered protection are changing. For ex- ample, local taboos banning the hunting of Verreaux’s sifaka had previously helped pre- serve the species, but as charcoal production booms and new people are moving to the forests they occupy, that protection has evaporated. The species is active in the day, making it potentially suitable for eco- tourism, which has played an important role in protecting some of Africa’s primates. Source: New Scientist (2020) newscientist. com/article/2248508-almost-all-lemur- species-are-now-officially-endangered


Monkey species native to Malaysia spotted in Singapore Scientists in Singapore are assessing how the presence of a new monkey could affect the country’s two native species, the long-tailed macaque and Raffles’ banded langur. Three dusky langurs, a species native to Malaysia but not Singapore, were first seen in wood- lands in August 2019. By December, two of them had reached Thomson Nature Park where they remained until January 2020. The third individual was not seen after September last year, and could have died or left the group. By March the researchers found that the two remaining individuals, both male, had ventured farther south to WindsorNature Park. The langurs appeared healthy and wild, which indicates that they could have swum across the narrow Johor Strait or entered Singapore via the Cause- way. Numerous encounters between the dusky langurs and Singapore’s two native monkey species have been documented since. Further monitoring will be required to assess their impact on local primates. Sources: Journal of Threatened Taxa (2020) doi.org/10.11609/jott.5818.12.9.15967-15974 & Straits Times (2020) straitstimes.com/ singapore/environment/monkey- species-native-to-malaysia-spotted-here


Corridors for white-headed langurs and black lion tamarins The first biological corridor for primates in China was established in Guangxi’s Chongzuo White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve. It will allow white-headed langurs tomove freely between their habitats, which were separated by a national highway. The species is Critically Endangered and na- tive to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Re- gion, with a population of c. 1,000.InBrazil, The Black Lion Tamarin Conservation Pro- gramme created a series of forest corridors to connect areas with isolated populations of this Endangered primate, of which only c. 100 were left in the wild in the 1970s. Thanks to the Programme, which was founded in 1984, there are now c. 1,800 black lion tamarins. Endemic to inland São Paulo, a region of heavy agricultural activity, the species is most threatened by forest fragmentation. Sources: China Global Television Network (2020) news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-19/ First-biological-corridor-for-primates-in- China-established-in-Guangxi-SfuM1 wnyve/index.html & Mongabay(2020) news.mongabay.com/2020/07/the- woman-building-the-forest-corridors- saving-brazils-black-lion-tamarin


Oryx, 2020, 54(6), 753–758 © Fauna & Flora International 2020 doi:10.1017/S0030605320000897


Treetop cameras capture first known video of a wild roloway monkey When conservationists set up treetop cam- eras in Côte d’Ivoire’s Tanoé-Ehy forest, they hoped to capture videos of the elusive Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey Piliocolobus waldroni, a Critically Endangered species that has not been spotted in 42 years. But in- stead, another rare primate presented itself: the roloway monkey Cercopithecus roloway. This is the first time a wild roloway mon- key has ever been filmed. Roloway monkeys used to live across southern Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, but hunting and trapping greatly reduced the species’ range.Nowthese animals primarily live in the Tanoé-Ehy forest in south-east Côte d’Ivoire, with a much smaller population in the Kwabré forest in Ghana, and possibly a few individuals in the central coastal region of Côte d’Ivoire. The roloway monkey is Critically Endangered, with fewer than 2,000 individuals left in the wild, ac- cording to a 2019 assessment. A more recent survey estimates that only c. 300 individuals remain. There are efforts to protect the spe- cies in theTanoé-Ehy forest through research, education, community engagement, surveil- lance and habitat preservation. Source:Mongabay (2020) news.mongabay. com/2020/07/treetop-cameras-capture-first- known-video-of-a-wild-roloway-monkey


Rare gorillas with infants captured on camera in Nigeria Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River goril- las with multiple infants in Nigeria’sMbe Mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing. Only c. 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolatedmountain cluster inNigeria andCameroon. Experts do not know how many Cross River gorillas re- main, and have been trying to track the sub- species for sometime. Some 50 cameraswere set up in 2012 andmultiple images have been captured in Cameroon’s Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary and in Nigeria’s Mbe Moun- tains community forest and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. But Cross River gorillas are notoriously difficult to capture together on camera and no images had capturedmul- tiple infants. An alliance of nine local com- munities, the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains, has been working with the Wildlife Conservation Society since the mid 1990s to help protect the Cross River gorilla. Since that time, there have been no recorded deaths in Nigeria. Source: AP News (2020) apnews.com/ 462d53e0f258141f579487a6406ae9b9


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