Discipline | Conservation |
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Language | English |
Edited by | Russell A. Mittermeier and Anthony B. Rylands |
Publication details | |
Former name(s) | IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group Newsletter |
History | 1981–present |
Publisher | Conservation International, Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, and Department of Anatomical Sciences of Stony Brook University on behalf of Primate Specialist Group |
Frequency | Annual (rolling) |
yes | |
Standard abbreviations | |
ISO 4 | Primate Conserv. |
Indexing | |
ISSN | 0898-6207 |
Links | |
Primate Conservation is a journal published by the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Primate Specialist Group about the world's primates. First published as a mimeographed newsletter in 1981, the journal today publishes conservation research and papers on primate species, particularly status surveys and studies on distribution and ecology. [1] Besides these regular papers, the journal has also been a significant place for primatologists to publish descriptions of new primate species in Primate Conservation.
Conservation's goals include protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services and protecting biological diversity. A range of values underlie conservation, which can be guided by biocentrism, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism and sentientism. There has recently been a movement towards evidence-based conservation which calls for greater use of scientific evidence to improve the effectiveness of consecration efforts.
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline at the boundary between mammalogy and anthropology, and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos. Primatologists study both living and extinct primates in their natural habitats and in laboratories by conducting field studies and experiments in order to understand aspects of their evolution and behaviour.
From South America, this includes the Caquetá titi (Callicebus caquetensis) described in 2010 [2] [3] and the Madidi titi (Plecturocebus aureipalatii, Syn.: Callicebus aureipalatii). [4] From the island of Madagascar, new lemur species scientifically described in the pages of the journal include the Montagne d'Ambre dwarf lemur or Andy Sabin's dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus andysabini), [5] the Ankarana dwarf lemur Cheirogaleus shethi, [6] and two new species of mouse lemurs (Microcebus). [7]
The Caquetá titi, Plecturocebus caquetensis, also known as the red-bearded titi or the bushy-bearded titi, is a species of titi monkey endemic to Colombia found in the Department of Caquetá region. Taxonomically, it is a member of the "Callicebus cupreus group", following Shunsuke Kobayashi's Callicebus grouping. It was first described by Thomas Defler, Marta Bueno and Javier Garcia in 2010. It is highly endangered due to habitat fragmentation and a small population.
The Madidi titi, also known as the GoldenPalace.com monkey or the golden palace monkey, is a titi, a kind of New World monkey, discovered in western Bolivia's Madidi National Park in 2004. Its scientific name is Plecturocebus aureipalatii, the specific epithet meaning "of the Golden Palace", in reference to GoldenPalace.com, an online casino which paid US$650,000 to have the species named after them, with benefits going toward the nonprofit organization that maintains the park where the titi was discovered.
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately 400 kilometres off the coast of East Africa. At 592,800 square kilometres (228,900 sq mi) Madagascar is the world's 2nd largest island country. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats.
The Cheirogaleidae are the family of strepsirrhine primates containing the various dwarf and mouse lemurs. Like all other lemurs, cheirogaleids live exclusively on the island of Madagascar.
The titis, or titi monkeys, are the New World monkeys of the subfamily Callicebinae, which contains three extant genera, Cheracebus, Callicebus, and Plecturocebus. This subfamily also contains the extinct genera Xenothrix, Antillothrix, Paralouatta, Carlocebus, Lagonimico, and possibly also Tremacebus.
The giant mouse lemurs are a genus of strepsirrhine primates. Two species have been formally described; the northern giant mouse lemur and Coquerel's giant mouse lemur. Like all other lemurs, they are native to Madagascar, where they are found in the western dry deciduous forests and further to the north in the Sambirano valley and Sahamalaza Peninsula. First described in 1867 as a single species, they were grouped with mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs. In 1870, British zoologist John Edward Gray assigned them to their own genus, Mirza. The classification was not widely accepted until the 1990s, which followed the revival of the genus by American paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall in 1982. In 2005, the northern population was declared a new species, and in 2010, the World Wide Fund for Nature announced that a southwestern population might also be a new species.
Mittermeier's mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur known only from Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve in Madagascar. The species is named in honor of primatologist Russell Mittermeier, who is President of Conservation International.
The Amber Mountain fork-marked lemur, also known as the Montagne d'Ambre fork-crowned lemur or Tanta, is a small primate, and like the other lemurs, can only be found on the island of Madagascar. The species is named after the Amber Mountain National Park where they are found.
The dwarf lemurs are the lemurs of the genus Cheirogaleus. All of the species in this genus, like all other lemurs, are native to Madagascar.
Arnhold's mouse lemur or the Montagne d'Ambre mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. Its holotype was first collected on 27 November 2005, and was first described in 2008. According to genetic tests, it is genetically distinct from its closest sister taxa, the Sambirano mouse lemur.
Margot Marsh's mouse lemur or the Antafondro mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. Its holotype was first collected on 21 May 2006, proposed in 2006 by Andriantompohavana et al., and was formally described in 2008 by E. Lewis, Jr., et al. According to genetic tests, it is genetically distinct from its closest sister taxon, Claire's mouse lemur.
Lemurs were first classified in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, and the taxonomy remains controversial today, with approximately 70 to 100 species and subspecies recognized, depending on how the term "species" is defined. Having undergone their own independent evolution on Madagascar, lemurs have diversified to fill many ecological niches normally filled by other types of mammals. They include the smallest primates in the world, and once included some of the largest. Since the arrival of humans approximately 2,000 years ago, lemurs have become restricted to 10% of the island, or approximately 60,000 square kilometers (23,000 sq mi), and many face extinction. Concerns over lemur conservation have affected lemur taxonomy, since distinct species receive increased conservation attention compared to subspecies.
The Montagne d'Ambre dwarf lemur or Andy Sabin's dwarf lemur is a species of dwarf lemur known only from Amber Mountain National Park and the surrounding area in northern Madagascar. It was identified in 2005, but not formally described until 2015. Its conservation status has not been determined, but it is at risk from deforestation and possibly hunting from nearby human populations.
The Ankarana dwarf lemur or Sheth's dwarf lemur is a species of dwarf lemur, part of the C. medius group, known only from northern Madagascar. It has been found in two reserves as well as two protected areas. It was identified in 2014, but not formally described until 2016. Its conservation status has not been determined, but it is at risk from habitat destruction due to daily resource extraction by local human populations.
Groves' dwarf lemur is a species of dwarf lemur known from Ranomafana and Andringitra national parks and surrounding areas in southeastern Madagascar. The identification was based on comparison of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences with other members of the C. crossleyi group. Individuals from this clade first came under genetic study in 1999 and were recognized as a new species in 2014, but it was not formally described until 2017. The lemur was named after mammalologist Colin Groves. Known from altitudes from 754 to 999 m, it is significantly larger than other members of the C. crossleyi group, with a 20 cm body length, a 29 cm tail, and a weight of 0.41 kg. While the conservation status of the new species has not yet been assessed, its presence in several national parks does not guarantee that it will not be threatened by deforestation ongoing on the island, or possibly by hunting.
Plecturocebus is a genus of monkeys known as titis.