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Bogdanova R, Youlatos D, Spassov N. Terrestriality as reflected in the humerus of Mesopithecus delsoni (Cercopithecidae, Colobinae) from Hadjidimovo, Bulgaria. J Hum Evol 2023; 180:103383. [PMID: 37244094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The fossil colobine genus Mesopithecus is the oldest European monkey, ranging from the Late Miocene to the earliest Pleistocene. It is one of the most successful genera of Old World monkeys since the late Neogene. Its ecology, as an indicator of Late Miocene environments, is of particular interest. Several investigations have clarified the locomotor adaptations of the middle and late Turolian Balkan Mesopithecus pentelicus, but such studies are virtually absent for the earliest known taxon, the early Turolian Mesopithecus delsoni, due to the lack of fossil material. However, a large collection of postcranial material of M. delsoni from the Bulgarian Early Turolian locality of Hadjidimovo provides the first opportunity for such an analysis. The present study examines the functional morphology of the fossil humeri of M. delsoni from Hadjidimovo, Bulgaria, and of M. pentelicus from Bulgarian and Greek fossil localities. We provide detailed comparative qualitative descriptions and use univariate and multivariate quantitative analyses of one angular and 12 linear measurements in comparison with 149 extant Cercopithecidae, representing 14 genera and 34 species. Our analyses demonstrate that the humeral elements from Hadjidimovo show important morphological differences from those of M. pentelicus from Pikermi, Kalimantsi, and Gorna Sushitsa, suggesting strong terrestrial tendencies for M. delsoni. This finding, when considered together with the paleobiologial inference of semiterrestriality for the early cercopithecoid Victoriapithecidae, might indicate that the first colobines (still unknown) were also semiterrestrial. Finally, the morphological features related to terrestriality in M. delsoni, which differ from those of the later M. pentelicus, provide additional data in support of the idea that the older taxon represents a separate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralitsa Bogdanova
- Department of Paleontology and Mineralogy, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BG-1000, Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | - Dionisios Youlatos
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikolai Spassov
- Department of Paleontology and Mineralogy, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BG-1000, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Yang Y, Lin AK, Garber PA, Huang Z, Tian Y, Behie A, Momberg F, Grueter CC, Li W, Lwin N, Xiao W. The 10th anniversary of the scientific description of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): It is time to initiate a set of new management strategies to save this critically endangered primate from extinction. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23372. [PMID: 35262940 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, the genus Rhinopithecus (Milne-Edwards, 1872, Primates, Colobinae) included four allopatric species, restricted in their distributions to China and Vietnam. In 2010, a fifth species, the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) was discovered in the Gaoligong Mountains located on the border between China and Myanmar. Despite the remoteness, complex mountainous terrain, dense fog, and armed conflict that characterizes this region, over this past decade Chinese and Myanmar scientists have begun to collect quantitative data on the ecology, behavior and conservation requirements of R. strykeri. In this article, we review the existing data and present new information on the life history, ecology, and population size of R. strykeri. We discuss these data in the context of past and current conservation challenges faced by R. strykeri, and propose a series of both short-term and long-term management actions to ensure the survival of this Critically Endangered primate species. Specifically, we recommend that the governments and stakeholders in China and Myanmar formulate a transboundary conservation agreement that includes a consensus on bilateral exchange mechanisms, scientific research and monitoring goals, local community development, cooperation to prevent the hunting of endangered species and cross-border forest fires. These actions will contribute to the long-term conservation and survival of this Critically Endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Yang
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.,School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.,International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Aung Ko Lin
- Fauna & Flora International, Myanmar Programme, Sanchaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Paul A Garber
- International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Department of Anthropology, Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Zhipang Huang
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Yinping Tian
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan, China
| | - Alison Behie
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Frank Momberg
- Fauna & Flora International, Myanmar Programme, Sanchaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Weibiao Li
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan, China
| | - Ngwe Lwin
- Fauna & Flora International, Myanmar Programme, Sanchaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
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Yang Y, Youlatos D, Behie AM, Belbeisi RA, Huang Z, Tian Y, Wang B, Zhou L, Xiao W. Positional behavior and canopy use of black snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus strykeri in the Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan, China. Curr Zool 2021; 68:401-409. [PMID: 36090144 PMCID: PMC9450169 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on positional behavior and canopy use are essential for understanding how arboreal animals adapt their morphological characteristics and behaviors to the challenges of their environment. This study explores canopy and substrate use along with positional behavior in adult black snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus strykeri, an endemic, critically endangered primate species in Gaoligong Mountains, southwest China. Using continuous focal animal sampling, we collected data over a 52-month period and found that R. strykeri is highly arboreal primarily using the high layers of the forest canopy (15–30 m), along with the terminal zone of tree crowns (52.9%), medium substrates (41.5%), and oblique substrates (56.8%). We also found sex differences in canopy and substrate use. Females use the terminal zones (56.7% versus 40.4%), small/medium (77.7% versus 60.1%), and oblique (59.9% versus 46.5%) substrates significantly more than males. On the other hand, males spend more time on large/very large (39.9% versus 22.3%) and horizontal (49.7% versus 35.2%) substrates. Whereas both sexes mainly sit (84.7%), and stand quadrupedally (9.1%), males stand quadrupedally (11.5% versus 8.3%), and bipedally (2.9% versus 0.8%) more often than females. Clamber, quadrupedalism, and leap/drop are the main locomotor modes for both sexes. Rhinopithecus strykeri populations never enter canopies of degenerated secondary forest and mainly use terminal branches in the middle and upper layers of canopies in intact mid-montane moist evergreen broadleaf forest and hemlock coniferous broadleaf mixed forests across their habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Yang
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
| | - Dionisios Youlatos
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Greece
| | - Alison M Behie
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Roula Al Belbeisi
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Greece
| | - Zhipang Huang
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
| | - Yinping Tian
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan 673229, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan 673229, China
| | - Linchun Zhou
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan 673229, China
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China
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