New Lemur Species Broken Down
The number of known lemur species from Madagascar has now been increased by three more species based on genetic studies.
Originally, this study by an international research team led by Yves Rumpler from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg was only intended to break down the family tree of the meadow macaw (Lepilemur). The phylogenetic development of this genus and the family relationships of the species are still controversial. In order to clarify discrepancies, the scientists decoded the complete mitochondrial gene for cytochrome b from 68 weasel lemurs of the eight species known to date. When making their selection, Rumpler and his colleagues also took into account that all important animal populations were represented.
The results confirmed the previously known eight species of meadow macaws, their genome showed correspondingly large differences. In addition, however, there were such large genetic deviations in the populations of the lesser meadow lemur (Lepilemur ruficaudatus), which are geographically separated by larger rivers, that the species should be split into three species. The same applies to the gray-backed lemur (Lepilemur dorsalis), whose occurrences on the Sahamalaza Peninsula and the Ambanja/Nosy Be region now each form their own species. Externally, however, the three new members of the Wielkopolski family have no obvious differences in physique or coloring.
