Slow Loris Nycticebus Coucang Research Articles

The role of male Sumatran slow loris Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785) in family at Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Bogor, West Java

Research has been conducted to identify the role of captive male sumatran slow loris Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert 1785) in family at Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) Rehabilitation Center, Bogor, West Java. The subjects were two male sumatran slow lorises living in shared cages with females and their infant. Focal animal sampling and ad libitum methods were used to observe interactions between male and female and their infant. The study took approximately 6 hours per day with 15 minutes non-stop interval in 24 days during October-November 2019. The total duration of the observation was equal to 8,628 minutes. Subjects spent 26.21 % of their time involved in social interactions with female and their infant. Interactions performed between subjects and female N. coucang occurred as much as 13.18 % with the most performed interactions being proximity, social grooming, and approach respectively. Interactions between subjects and their infant occurred as much as 13.03 % of total duration with the most performed interactions included social grooming, proximity, and social playing respectively. Social interactions performed by subjects were higher compared to their counterparts in the wild. Captive male N. coucang in YIARI played role as female’s social and sexual partner and in social development of their infant.

Dusky Langurs Trachypithecus obscurus (Reid, 1837) (Primates: Cercopithecidae) in Singapore: potential origin and conflicts with native primate species

The introduction of exotic species can have detrimental effects on local populations via factors such as resource competition and new threats from disease. Singapore has three native species of non-human primates: Sunda Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang, Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis, and Raffles’ Banded Langur Presbytis femoralis. Over the past few months, several non-native Dusky Langurs Trachypithecus obscurus were observed in Singapore. We document our observations, compile reports from social media, and attempt to assess the potential impacts on local primates. Whenever Dusky Langurs were encountered, we recorded the date, time, GPS coordinates, group demographics, and behaviour, including interactions with native primates. We also monitored sighting reports of Dusky Langurs posted on local major Facebook groups from 30 December 2019 to 31 January 2020, and privately messaged the person(s) for more information. On 31 August 2019, three Dusky Langurs were seen near a residential area in the northern part of Singapore, and two to three individuals were reported on 14 subsequent occasions. During one encounter on 18 January 2020, an adult male Long-tailed Macaque chased a group of Dusky Langurs from a feeding tree. The next day the same group of Dusky Langurs chased a group of 11 Banded Langurs from another feeding tree. The Dusky Langurs appeared to be healthy and wild, indicating that they may have swum across the Johor Strait and/or traveled on the Johor-Singapore Causeway from Malaysia. Further monitoring of these Dusky Langurs will be required to assess their impact on local primates.

The conservation status of slow lorises Nycticebus spp. in Singapore

Historically, the greater slow loris Nycticebus coucang has proven to be an elusive animal in Singapore, evading even the prolific British colonial animal collectors. In recent de - cades, sightings of the slow loris have increased remarkably, and these have coincided with an increase in nocturnal surveys. Past trade-record discrepancies, as well as the sighting in the wild of a non-native slow loris species, point to the importance of Singapore for global slow loris con- servation. The first ever ecological survey is documented in this paper, highlighting the difficulty of studying the slow loris in the wild, in habitats hemmed in by urban development, as well as the urgency of further work on Singapore's most poorly studied primate.

Illegal primate trade in Indonesia exemplified by surveys carried out over a decade in North Sumatra

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 11:201-205 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00276 Contribution to Theme Section 'Primate conservation: measuring and mitigating trade in primates' Illegal primate trade in Indonesia exemplified by surveys carried out over a decade in North Sumatra Chris R. Shepherd* Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, School of Social Sciences and Law, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK Present address: TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Unit 3-2, 1st floor, Jalan SS23/11, Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia *Email: cstsea@po.jaring.my ABSTRACT: The illegal and unsustainable trade in primates is increasingly recognized as an urgent threat to their conservation. From 1997 to 2008, 66 surveys were conducted at bird markets in Medan, North Sumatra, where primates are sold openly. In total,1953 primates of 10 species were observed, the most common of which were the long-tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis (774 ind.), the greater slow loris Nycticebus coucang (714 ind.) and the pig-tailed macaque M. nemestrina (380 ind.). Six of the species observed are totally protected in Indonesia, yet were openly traded. Trade in the remaining 4 species is regulated through a harvest and trade quota system, but no quotas are allotted for them to be traded as pets. Therefore, all trade in primates observed in these markets is deemed illegal. The Indonesian authorities should be encouraged to take action against this illegal trade in Medan. Markets selling illegal wildlife should be closed down, and individuals found illegally trading in primates should be prosecuted. KEY WORDS: CITES . Conservation . Primates . Wildlife trade Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Shepherd CR (2010) Illegal primate trade in Indonesia exemplified by surveys carried out over a decade in North Sumatra. Endang Species Res 11:201-205. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00276Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 11, No. 3. Online publication date: April 30, 2010 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.

Unexpected diversity of slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.) within the Javan pet trade: implications for slow loris taxonomy

Since the 1950s, Sundaland (Borneo, Java, Sumatra and their surrounding islands) was thought to be inhabited by a single slow loris species, the greater slow loris Nycticebus coucang. Early taxonomies as well as recent morphological and genetic studies, however, point to at least three species native to this region: N. coucang, N. menagensis, and N. javanicus. In the light of this taxonomy, all Sundaland slow lorises, previously considered Least Threatened, have been listed as Vulnerable or Endangered. Of particular concern is the fact that slow lorises are the most common protected primate species in the rampant Southeast Asian pet trade, resulting in their recent transferral to CITES Appendix I precluding all international commercial trade. Due to lack of knowledge regarding morphological differences between the three species, they are still managed as one, with potential serious affects to wild populations, as hard-release of individuals of unknown geographic origin is common. This paper examines morphological variability of 34 live slow lorises, all of which were rescued from the wildlife trade in Java, Indonesia. Morphometric data and diagnostic images were collected, various species descriptions were considered and statistical analyses were conducted and compared with other taxonomists’ classifications. A discriminant function analysis provided support for four distinct groupings: Nycticebus coucang and N. javanicus, as well as evidence for two new taxa that correspond closely to N. hilleri and N. ornatus. The morphological traits that varied significantly and the external characteristic trends described in this study that contributed to these groupings might provide a baseline to classify Nycticebus taxa. This information is pertinent for appropriate captive management and specific designation of rescued individuals and for designing proper in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies.

Social structure of the solitary slow loris Nycticebus coucang (Lorisidae)

AbstractThe social structure and social interactions of the nocturnal slow loris Nycticebus coucang are described from locational as well as observational data on wild animals. Data were collected during 600 h of nocturnal radio‐tracking and 400h spent radio‐locating sleeping slow lorises during the day. Data are also presented on morphometrics, injuries and ectoparasites, and dispersal. The slow loris is generally described as solitary, but although close‐range encounters were rare, animals were observed to form stable social units (‘spatial groups’) characterized by home‐range overlap and friendly interactions among members and non‐overlap between units. Four spatial groups were observed, each consisting of a single adult female, a single adult male and a varying number of younger individuals. Group composition, together with relatively small testis volume and natal dispersal occurring in both sexes, hints towards a monogamous mating system. One extended family group was formed by the delayed dispersal of a primary pair's offspring. We did not find another often quoted correlate of monogamy – a weak sexual size dimorphism. Friendly interactions among members of a spatial group included allogrooming, following, alternate click‐calls, and sleeping in contact. Yet, members did not engage in any co‐operative behaviour of the types usually thought to be responsible for group formation in gregarious mammals. One important factor contributing to the sharing of space between slow lorises is probably that chances of successful dispersal are low. However, subtle benefits arising from the presence of conspecifics (allogrooming, transfer of information on food resources) may also be crucial for the formation or maintenance of slow loris spatial groups.

Molecular evolution of an ancient mariner transposon, Hsmarl, in the human genome

A confident consensus sequence for Hsmarl, the first mariner transposon recognized in the human genome, was generated using three genomic and 15 cDNA sequences. It is thought to represent the ancestrally active copy that invaded an early primate genome. The consensus is 1287 base pairs (bp) long, has 30 bp perfect inverted terminal repeats (ITRs), and encodes a 343 amino acid (aa) mariner transposase. Each copy has diverged from the consensus largely independently of the others and mostly neutrally, and most are now defective. They differ from the consensus by an average of 7.8% in DNA sequence and 7.5 indels per kilobase, both of which values indicate that the copies were formed about 50 Myr ago. On average, only 20% of the 73 surmised CpG hypermutable sites in the consensus remain. A remarkable exception to this loss of functionality is revealed by a set of ten cDNA clones derived from a particular genomic copy that has diverged only 2.4% from the consensus, retained 54% of its hypermutable CpG pairs, and which has a full-length transposase open reading frame. The complete sequence of one of these cDNAs (NIB1543) indicates that the transposase gene of this copy may have been conserved because it is spliced to a human cellular gene encoding a SET domain protein. A specific PCR assay was used to reveal the presence of Hsmarl copies in all primates examined representing all major lineages, but not in close relatives of primates. PCR fragments cloned and sequenced from a representative sample of primates confirmed that Hsmarl copies are present in all major lineages, and also revealed another cecropia subfamily mariner in prosimians only, and a third highly divergent mariner present in the greater slow loris Nycticebus coucang. There are about 200 copies of Hsmarl in the human genome, as well as ±2400 copies of a derived 80 bp paired ITR structure and ±4600 copies of solo ITRs. Thus, this transposon had a considerable insertional mutagenic effect on past primate genomes.

Excretion of radiolabeled estradiol metabolites in the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang).

The excretion pattern of estradiol was studied in the slow loris Nycticebus coucang) and the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) in order to compare steroid excretion in two representative prosimian species. Daily urinary estrone conjugate measurements in the female loris provided little information when applied over prolonged periods. As a result of these negative data, a metabolic study was performed to determine if estrogen excretion patterns in the slow loris differed from those in the lemur, where urinary assays proved a useful tool in characterizing reproductive cycles. Radio-labeled estradiol was injected intravenously, and serial urine and fecal collections were analyzed for radiolabeled metabolites. The results of these studies demonstrate that more than 92% of the radiolabel was excreted in the feces of the loris, in contrast to only 16% excreted in the feces of the lemur.