Perrier's sifaka

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Perrier's sifaka
Propithecus perrieri 001.jpg
CITES Appendix I  [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Indriidae
Genus: Propithecus
Species:
P. perrieri
Binomial name
Propithecus perrieri
Lavauden, 1931 [3]
Propithecus perrieri range map.svg
Distribution of P. perrieri [1]

Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri) is a lemur endemic to fragmented deciduous dry forests in northern Madagascar. Part of its range is in protected areas. Females are slightly larger than males.

Contents

It moves in small family groups through the canopy feeding on fruit, leaves, flowers, buds, and seeds. The main threats faced by this sifaka are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal gathering, and logging. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered". [1]

Etymology

Perrier's sifaka was named in honor of Henri Perrier de La Bâthie by Louis Lavauden in 1931. [4] The term "sifaka" is derivative of the terrestrial alarm vocalization produced by species of western sifakas belonging to the Propithecus verreauxi group. Because Perrier's sifaka belongs to the eastern (P. diadema) group, it does not produce such a vocalization. [5]

The Antankarana people refer to the species as radjako, rajako, jakoe, or jakoey in honor of a legendary hero of the same name from whom they believe Perrier's sifakas are descended. [6] : 570  [7] An alternative narrative states that Radjako was a man who was hit with a spoon by his wife, which transformed him into a Perrier's sifaka. Elsewhere in Madagascar, Radjako appears in similar etiological myths for other lemur species, including the ring-tailed lemur and the indri. [7] Radjako was borrowed into French as jacquot as a derogatory term for lemurs. Derivations of this term may be found in Bourbonnais Creole and Comorian languages. [8]

Perrier's sifaka is also known as ankomba joby, which is Malagasy for "black lemur." [7] This term can also refer to the male blue-eyed black lemur. [8] Ankomba is a derivation of the Swahili word komba, which means galago. [8]

Taxonomy

Perrier's sifaka belongs to the P. diadema group of eastern sifakas within the Propithecus genus. Like all eastern sifakas except for Milne-Edwards's sifaka (P. edwardsi), it has a somatic number of 2n = 42. [9] 18 autosomal chromosomes are metacentric, 14 are submetacentric, and eight are acrocentric. The X chromosome is metacentric, and the Y chromosome is acrocentric. [9] Perrier's sifaka could have previously had two additional acrocentric chromosomes that underwent a Robertsonian translocation, resulting in a metacentric chromosome. [10]

Changes in taxonomy

Like other eastern sifakas, Perrier's sifaka was previously considered to be a subspecies of a broader P. diadema species that also included the silky sifaka (P. candidus), the diademed sifaka (P. diadema), and Milne-Edwards's sifaka. [11] This consolidation of the eastern sifakas into a single species was widely accepted following the publication of Ernst Schwarz's 1931 revision of lemur taxonomy. [11] A fifth subspecies known as the black sifaka (P. d. holomelas) [9] was recognized prior to the 1980s, but was considered synonymous with Milne-Edwards's sifaka after Ian Tattersall found the two subspecies to be sympatric. [12] Perrier's sifaka was considered by Glover Morrill Allen to be a melanistic form of Coquerel's sifaka (P. coquereli; then known as P. v. coquereli), however Allen's arrangement was abandoned by the time of William Charles Osman Hill, who categorized Perrier's sifaka as a subspecies of the diademed sifaka. [11] The broad P. diadema species classification was largely abandoned due to mitochondrial evidence found by Mireya Mayor  et al. which indicated that the genetic distance between the four subspecies confirmed their specific status, as defined by the phylogenetic species concept. [13] [14]

Description

Perrier's sifaka is the smallest eastern sifaka. [6] : 570  It has a body length of 85–92 centimeters (33–36 in) with a 42–46 cm (17–18 in) tail. [15] It weighs between 4.3 and 5.0 kg (9.5 and 11.0 lb). [16]

Its skull is shorter and wider than other eastern sifakas'. [6] : 570  It has small, brown, forward-facing eyes. [6] : 570  The salivary glands are very large. [6] : 542  Its deciduous dental formula is 2.1.22.1.2. [17] : 253  The deciduous incisors erupt before birth. [6] : 552  Adolf Remane interpreted the permanent dental formula as 2.1.2.32.0.2.3, wherein the lower deciduous canines are not replaced. Other scholars, such as William Warwick James and Daris Swindler, have argued that the lower deciduous canines are instead replaced by an incisor-like tooth, and that it is two of the lower deciduous incisors that are not replaced, giving the appearance of 2.1.2.32.0.2.3 despite being 2.1.2.31.1.2.3. In either case, Perrier's sifaka differs from lemurs outside of the Indriidae and Daubentoniidae families in that its toothcomb consists of four, rather than six, incisor-shaped teeth, and it has two, rather than three, permanent premolars. [17] : 254 

Its pelage is almost entirely black, [15] although the ventral coat and shoulder have a rose-brown tint. [18] [16] The dorsal coat is dense and silky, while the ventral aspect of the coat tends to have shorter fur. [16] All but the face is furred, though some individuals' ears are bald. [18]

The digestive tract of Perrier's sifaka includes a long cecum without an appendix or appendix-like structure. [17] : 496  [19] The cecum typically exceeds the body length of an adult, though it is relatively smaller in immature individuals. The cecum has three rows of sacculations, which do not develop until after birth. Perrier's sifaka has two colons; the first is arranged as a large, oval-shaped spiral called a tortillon. [6] : 543  This differs from the smaller, corkscrew-shaped spirals seen in the colons of strepsirrhines outside of family Indriidae. The tortillon's shape may play a role in preventing blockages that could result from the species' voluminous diet. [17] : 498  Beyond the tortillon is a dorsal second colon, which terminates into the rectum without structural demarcation. Overall, the lower gastrointestinal tract of Perrier's sifaka is about nine times an individual's body length. [6] : 543 

Behavior

Social Structure

Perrier's sifakas live in groups of two to six individuals. [15] Dispersal of sex is unbiased, which is uncommon among most species. Groups maintain stable territories, and encounter other groups at rates which are tied to population density and the sizes of home ranges. It lives in a matriarchal society, although males are sometimes able to usurp feeding priority from females of subordinate social status. [14] : 317  The home ranges of Perrier's sifakas are less than 30 hectares (74 acres) in size, [16] differing from the typically large home ranges of fellow species in the eastern P. diadema group. Consequently, Perrier's sifaka occurs at a higher population density than other eastern sifakas, [14] : 314  with an average density 8.78 lemurs/km2 calculated across eight different sites. Population densities in areas with sandstone soil are more than twice those of areas with limestone soil. [16]

Reproduction

Like many lemur species, Perrier's sifaka is a seasonal breeder. The bodies of infant Perrier's sifakas develop slowly compared to other folivorous primates, although their dentition matures rapidly. Rapid dental maturation allows infants to quickly develop dietary independence from their mothers, which reduces the mother's metabolic cost for rearing her offspring. The highly seasonal breeding behavior of the species sets up weaning to occur during March, when food resources are most abundant, thereby making an infant's transition to food independence as risk-averse as possible. Infant mortality is high among Perrier's sifakas, as mothers follow a "bet-hedging" strategy wherein they prioritize their own survival by having a reduced investment in the survivability of their offspring. [14] : 318–319  Infants become independent at the age of two and reach sexual maturity at the age of four for females and five for males. Males use genital swelling to communicate that they are ready for sex. [20]

Diet

The diet of Perrier's sifaka resembles those of other sifaka species, consisting of fruit, leaves, flowers, buds, petioles, and seeds. Like other sifakas, Perrier's sifaka exhibits seasonal dietary variation. During the wet season, it spends about 70 to 90% of its feeding time consuming fruits and seeds, whereas most of the species' feeding time is spent eating leaves and flowers in the dry season. [14] : 311  Food items that are consumed by P. perrieri include the flowers of mango trees (Mangifera indica), tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and fig (Ficus pachyclada) fruit, and the leaves of bully trees (Sideroxylon sp.), mainbovitsika (Pittosporum ochrosiifolium), jobiampototra (Diospyros sp.), and kimbimba (Olax sp.). [21] Unlike other sifakas, Perrier's sifaka regularly descends to the ground to drink water from riverbeds. [16]

Distribution and habitat

Perrier's sifaka distribution, based on a 2012 survey Distribution of Propithecus perrieri (Jordi Salmona IGC PCG 2013).tif
Perrier's sifaka distribution, based on a 2012 survey

Perrier's sifaka has a very limited and fragmented distribution in the dry deciduous and semihumid forests of northeastern Madagascar. [15] [22] [16] The primary component of its range is found between the Irodo and Loky Rivers. [15] To the east, its range extends to the edges of the limestone massif of the Analamerana Special Reserve, and to the west it reaches the peaks of Ambohibe, northeast of Marivorahona. It occurs between sea level and 400 meters (1,300 ft) above sea level. A discontinuous population composed of at least two social groups is found in the Andavakoera Forest, south of the Andrafiamena mountains. [16]

Past distribution

In contrast to the other sifaka species, the golden-crowned sifaka (P. tattersalli) and Perrier's sifaka have disjunct and restricted distributions in northern Madagascar, far removed from the ranges of their congeners. Skeletal remains attributed to western sifakas of the P. verreauxi group and the eastern sifakas of the P. diadema group were found in Ankarana, with P. diadema-group remains also being reported at Andavakoera. These sifaka subfossils suggest that the paleodistributions of the golden-crowned sifaka and Perrier's sifaka were much wider than they are today, and were possibly overlapping. [23]

Perrier's sifaka was last observed in the Ankarana Special Reserve in the 1990s, and has not been recorded there since. [16] [24]

Demographic History

Perrier's sifaka underwent a major demographic decline after the mid-Holocene transition about 5,000 years ago. While this climatic transition alone would have triggered major demographic changes in many lemur species in northern Madagascar, early human settlements likely played an additional role in the loss and fragmentation of the forest cover in the past four millennia. [23]

Conservation status

Perrier's sifaka is one of the most endangered primates due to the limited distribution and low population density. [24] [25] It is listed in CITES Appendix I. [2] A recent conservation plan for Perrier's sifaka has been developed following the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (SSC) Lemur Red List reassessment meeting in Antananarivo in 2012. [26] [27] While selective logging still seems to be one of the main threads in Analamerana special reserve, deforestation for slash and burn agriculture and for charcoal production is predominant in Andrafiamena-Andavakoera protected area. Given the small total population size, persistence of local threats, and the paucity of wildlife patrols, an appraisal of its population levels and an effective control of habitat loss are urgently needed. This requires a unified regional management plan, since the species' natural range and potential areas of migration/seasonal presence overlap with three areas of different protective status, independently managed by Madagascar National Parks (Analamerana and Ankarana) and Fanamby (Andrafiamena). Given the diverse group of stakeholders involved (e.g. park services, ministries, universities, tour operators, local businesses, farmers, etc.), P. perrieri conservation requires a clearly defined institution, committed to leading its conservation plan with incentives for inclusive action that take advantage of the strengths of the different participants .

References

  1. 1 2 3 Heriniaina, R.; Hosnah, H.B.; Zaonarivelo, J. (2020). "Propithecus perrieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T18361A115573556. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T18361A115573556.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  4. ↑ Lavauden, L. (1931). "Lavauden, L. "Un nouveau propithèque de Madagascar (Propithecus perrieri, sp. nov.)". Comptes Rendus des Séances de l’Académie des Sciences, Paris (in French). 193: 77–79.
  5. ↑ Powzyk, J.A. (1997). The Socio-Ecology of Two Sympatric Indriids: Propithecus diadema diadema and Indri indri, A Comparison of Feeding Strategies and Their Possible Perercussions on Species-Specific Behaviors (PhD thesis). Duke University. ProQuest   304344985 . Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hill, W.C.O. (1953). "Family III. Indriidae". Primates: Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  7. 1 2 3 Anania, A.; Salmona, J.; Rasolondraibe, E.; Jan, F.; Chikhi, L.; Fichtel, C.; Kappeler, P.M.; Rasoloarison, R. (23 May 2018). "Taboo adherence and presence of Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri) in Andrafiamena forest". Madagascar Conservation & Development. 13 (1): 6. doi: 10.4314/mcd.v13i1.1 .
  8. 1 2 3 Blench, R. & Walsh, M. 2009. Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast .
  9. 1 2 3 Tattersall, I. (1982). The Primates of Madagascar. New York City, NY: Columbia University Press. pp. 102–104. ISBN   0231047045.
  10. ↑ Rumpler, Y.; Andriaholinirina, N.; Warter, S.; Hauwy, M.; Rabarivola, C. (July 2004). "Phylogenetic history of the Sifakas (Propithecus: Lemuriformes) derived from cytogenetic studies". Chromosome Research. 12 (5): 453–463. doi:10.1023/B:CHRO.0000034738.18012.05. PMID   15252241.
  11. 1 2 3 Groves, C.P.; Helgen, K.M. (December 2007). "Craniodental Characters in the Taxonomy of Propithecus" . International Journal of Primatology. 28 (6): 1363–1383. doi:10.1007/s10764-007-9226-5 . Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Tattersall, I. (14 February 1986). "Notes on the Distribution and Taxonomic Status of Some Subspecies of Propithecus in Madagascar". Folia Primatologica. 46 (1): 51–63. doi:10.1159/000156236.
  13. ↑ Mayor, M.I.; Sommer, J.A.; Houck, M.L.; Zaonarivelo, J.R.; Wright, P.C.; Ingram, C.; Engel, S.R.; Louis Jr, E.E. (2004). "Specific status of Propithecus spp" . International Journal of Primatology. 25 (4): 875–900. doi:10.1023/B:IJOP.0000029127.31190.e9 . Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Irwin, M. "Ecologically Enigmatic Lemurs: The Sifakas of the Eastern Forests (Propithecus candidus, P. diadema, P. edwardsi, P. perrieri, and P. tattersalli)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Garbutt, N. (2007). Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide. pp. 189–191.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mittermeier, R.A.; Reuter, K.E.; Rylands, A.B.; Louis Jr., E.E.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Rene de Roland, L.A.; Langrand, O.; Schwitzer, C.; Johnson, S.E.; Godfrey, L.R.; Blanco, M.B.; Borgerson, C.; Eppley, T.M.; Andriamanana, T.; Volampeno, S.; Andriantsaralaza, S.; Wright, P.C.; Rajaobelina, S. (2023). Lemurs of Madagascar (5th ed.). Barcelona, CT: Lynx Nature Books. pp. 752–757. ISBN   978-1-7372851-6-8.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Ankel-Simons, F. (2007). Primate Anatomy: An Introduction (3rd ed.). London: Elsevier Science & Technology. ISBN   978-0-12-372576-9 . Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  18. 1 2 Mittermeier, R.A.; Louis Jr, E.E.; Richardson, M.; Schwitzer, C.; Langrand, O.; Rylands, A.B.; Hawkins, F.; Rajaobelina, S.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Rasoloarison, R.; Roos, C.; Kappeler, P.M.; Mackinnon, J. (2010). "Indriidae". Lemurs of Madagascar (3rd ed.). Arlington, Va: Conservation International. p. 574. ISBN   978-1-934151-23-5.
  19. ↑ Fisher, R.E. (2000). "The Primate Appendix: A Reassessment". The Anatomical Record. 261 (6): 228–236. doi:10.1002/1097-0185(20001215)261:6<228::AID-AR1005>3.0.CO;2-O . Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Facts about Perrier's Sifaka (Propithecus perrieri)" . Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  21. ↑ Lehman, S.M.; Mayor, M. (February 2004). "Dietary patterns in Perrier's sifakas ( Propithecus diadema perrieri ): A preliminary study". American Journal of Primatology. 62 (2): 115–122. doi:10.1002/ajp.20007.
  22. ↑ Schwitzer, C.; Arnoult, O.; Rakotosamimanana, B. "An international conservation and research programme for Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri Lavauden, 1931) in northern Madagascar" (PDF). Lemur News Vol. 11, 2006. Lemur News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  23. 1 2 Salmona, J.; Heller, R.; Quéméré, E.; Chikhi, L. (2017). "Climate change and human colonization triggered habitat loss and fragmentation in Madagascar". Molecular Ecology. 26 (19): 5203–5222. Bibcode:2017MolEc..26.5203S. doi:10.1111/mec.14173. ISSN   1365-294X. PMID   28488335. S2CID   27524388.
  24. 1 2 Salmona, J.; Jan, F.; Rasolondraibe, E.; Zaranaina, R.; Ousseni, D.S.; Mohamed-Thani, I.; Rakotonanahary, A.; Ralantoharijaona, T.; Kun-Rodrigues, C.; Carreira, M.; Wohlhauser, S.; Rainirson, P.; Zaonarivelo, J.R.; Rabarivola, J.C.; Chikhi, L. (2013). "Survey of the critically endangered Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri) across most of its distribution range" (PDF). academia.edu. Lemur News. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
  25. ↑ Banks, M.A.; Ellis, E.R.; Wright, P. C. (May 2007). "Global population size of a critically endangered lemur, Perrier's sifaka". Animal Conservation. 10 (2): 254–262. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2007.00102.x.
  26. ↑ Salmona, J.; Zaonarivelo, J.R.; Banks, M.A. (2013). "Analmerana and Andrafiamena, site-based action plan for Perrier's sifaka conservation". In Schwitzer, C.; Mittermeier, R.A.; Davies, N.; Johnson, S.E.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Razafindramanana, J.; Louis Jr., E.E.; Rajaobelina, S. (eds.). Lemurs of Madagascar: a strategy for their conservation 2013–2016. Bristol, UK: IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation, and Conservation International. pp. 140–141.
  27. ↑ Schwitzer C, Mittermeier RA, Davies N, Johnson S, Ratsimbazafy J, Razafindramanana J, Louis Jr EE, Rajaobelina S (2013). "Lemurs of Madagascar A Strategy for their Conservation 2013–2016. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation, and Conservation International, Bristol, UK" (PDF). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
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