Daubentonia Research Articles

Survey and management proposals for a tropical deciduous forest reserve at Ankarana in Northern Madagascar

A detailed survey was conducted of the fauna and flora of a Special Reserve in Madagascar. Ankarana is a dramatic limestone massif, dissected by canyons and caves that link areas of isolated forest, some of which have never been visited by man. A rich fauna of endemic Malagasy animals was discovered including only the third population known of the white-breasted mesite Mesitornis variegata, one sighting of the Madagascar fish eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides and at least six species of lemurs. Feeding damage provided evidence for the presence of two more lemurs, the aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis and the rare greater bamboo lemur Hapalemur simus. Detailed studies were conducted to ascertain the status of the mesite, crowned lemur Lemur coronatus and Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus populations in the reserve. Despite some formidable terrain, the most vital area of deciduous forest is easily accessible via an old logging trail. Forest clearance, poorly controlled grassland fires and free-ranging grazing of livestock are threatening Ankarana. We suggest some management proposals which involve upgrading the Special Reserve to a warden-controlled National Park. Funding could be provided, in part, by developing tourism in the less ecologically vulnerable southern half of the massif, where the scenery is dramatic and the caves are arguably among the most impressive in the world.

Aye-Aye, Primate... Stateside at Last

Aye-Aye, Primate... Stateside at Last

Modified subfossil aye-aye incisors from southwestern Madagascar: species allocation and paleoecological significance.

Two of the three drilled aye-aye incisors collected in 1901 by Grandidier at the subfossil site of Lamboharana were recently rediscovered in uncatalogued collections of the Institut de Paléontologie in Paris. These teeth are not much wider or thicker than those of the extant aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), but their arc of curvature is noticeably greater. These facts indicate that the teeth probably belong to D. robusta, a large extinct aye-aye whose dentition is otherwise unknown. No other remains referable to Daubentonia have been reported from Lamboharana, although D. robusta is known from other localities in the southwest. The presence of Daubentonia in southern Madagascar does not demonstrate that this region was markedly more humid or densely forested in the recent past. It remains to be established whether the extinction of D. robusta throughout its range in southern Madagascar, and local disappearance of D. madagascariensis everywhere but in the eastern forest biotope, is due to late Holocene climatic change, to anthropogenic effects, or both factors combined.

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) found in the eastern rainforest of Madagascar.

In the course of a study on the ecology of nocturnal lemurs several aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) were seen in the eastern rainforest of Madagascar near Perinet. These observations of the aye-aye in a forest of higher altitude suggest a still much wider distribution of this species than previously thought.

Cyto- and myeloarchitectural studies on the lateral tuberal nucleus in simian Callithricidae and Prosimiae.

The cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture of the lateral tuberal nucleus (LTN) were examined in five species of Callithricidae and in 21 species of Prosimiae. In this study, the LTN of the Callithricidae is described in detail and the LTN of prosimian Lemuriformes is clearly demonstrated for the first time. The LTN could not be detected in other prosimians, Lorisiformes, Tarsiformes and Tupaiiformes. In coronal sections, the LTN of Callithricidae is a round nucleus embedded within the longitudinal fiber bundles in the lateral hypothalamic area. The cytological characteristics and the rostracaudal extent of the nucleus are the same as in the LTN of higher primates and man. In prosimian Lemuriformes (Daubentonia madagascariensis, all Indrioidea examined and some Lemuroidea), the LTN is similar to that of the Callithricidae, although it is smaller and less prominent.

A few Rough Notes on the Aye-aye

A few Rough Notes on the Aye-aye

Notes on the Aye-Aye of Madagascar

Notes on the Aye-Aye of Madagascar

The Food of the Aye-Aye

<i>The Food of the Aye-Aye</i>