Abstract
There are 2 species of slender lorises found in Sri Lanka: the red slender loris, Loris tardigradus (Linnaeus, 1758), endemic to the wet zone and montane areas, and the grey slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus (Cabrera, 1908), which is widespread. In addition, currently there are 2 subspecies recognized for each of these 2 slender loris species of Sri Lanka. Yet their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood, and there are some preliminary data suggesting the presence of other subspecies. In this study, we have analysed the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequence of 21 Loris specimens collected from 7 different regions in Sri Lanka. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed based on the neighbour joining method and Bayesian approach revealed 2 clades with high branch supports (>60%), consistent with the 2 slender loris species. Moreover, the samples within the Loris lydekkerianus clade were divided into 3 taxa and the samples within the Loris tardigradus clade were divided into 4 taxa, all consistent with the 7 sampling zones. The results of the study have provided the first DNA barcoding analysis on slender lorises in Sri Lanka to resolve phylogenetic relationships. Further studies on Loris are necessary for decoding their taxonomic issues in Sri Lanka.
Highlights
The slender lorises (Suborder: Strepsirrhini, Family: Lorisidae, Genus: Loris É. (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1796) are small nocturnal primates inhabiting India and Sri Lanka (Groves, 1998, 2001; Nekaris and Jayawardene, 2004; Gamage et al, 2017)
The classification of slender lorises in Sri Lanka suggested by Gamage et al (2017) is as follows: the southwestern red slender loris Loris tardigradus tardigradus (Linnaeus, 1758), the montane slender loris Lori stardigradus nycticeboides, the northwestern red slender loris Loris tardigradus parvus (Gamage et al, 2017), the highland grey slender loris Loris lydekkerianus grandis (Hill,1953), northern grey slender loris Loris lydekkerianus nordicus (Hill, 1953), and the Uva red slender loris Loris
We analysed partial cytochrome oxidase I (CO1) sequences of 21 slender loris individuals sampled from 7 different locations in Sri Lanka, as the CO1 gene is widely used in phylogenetic and phylogeographical studies in mammals, including primates (Moore, 1995)
Summary
The slender lorises (Suborder: Strepsirrhini, Family: Lorisidae, Genus: Loris É. (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1796) are small nocturnal primates inhabiting India and Sri Lanka (Groves, 1998, 2001; Nekaris and Jayawardene, 2004; Gamage et al, 2017). Based on museum specimens, Groves (1998) recognised 2 species of slender loris within Sri Lanka: Loris tardigradus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Loris lydekkerianus (Cabrera, 1908). A Sri Lankan islandwide study conducted by Gamage et al (2017) further confirmed that the classification of these 2 species needed to be reviewed. We analysed partial cytochrome oxidase I (CO1) sequences of 21 slender loris individuals sampled from 7 different locations in Sri Lanka, as the CO1 gene is widely used in phylogenetic and phylogeographical studies in mammals, including primates (Moore, 1995). The aim of our study was to answer 2 specific questions: 1) are the 2 species (L. tardigradus, and L. lydekkerianus) phylogenetically distinct in the Sri Lankan context? The aim of our study was to answer 2 specific questions: 1) are the 2 species (L. tardigradus, and L. lydekkerianus) phylogenetically distinct in the Sri Lankan context? And 2) is there genetic support for the recent subspecies classification suggested by Gamage et al (2017)?
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