An international team of scientists studying the elusive nocturnal
primate the slow loris in the jungles of Borneo have discovered an
entirely new species. The team’s analysis of the primate’s distinctive
facial fur markings, published in the American
Journal of Primatology, reveals the existence of one entirely
new species, while two species, previously considered as possible
sub-species, are being officially recognized as unique.
“Technological advances have improved our knowledge about the diversity
of several nocturnal mammals,” said Rachel Munds from the University of
Missouri Columbia. “Historically many species went unrecognized as they
were falsely lumped together as one species. While the number of
recognized primate species has doubled in the past 25 years some
nocturnal species remain hidden to science.”
The slow loris (Nycticebus) is a primate genus closely related to
the lemur. Found across South East Asia, from Bangladesh and China’s
Yunnan province to the island of Borneo, the slow loris is rare amongst
primates for having a toxic bite, and is rated as Vulnerable or
Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Slow lorises are recognized by their unique fur coloration on the body
and face, yet while traits such as fur patterns are often used to
distinguish between species; nocturnal species are cryptic in coloration
and have less obvious external differences. The team’s research focused
on the distinctive colorings of Borneo’s slow loris, whose faces have an
appearance of a mask, with the eyes being covered by distinct patches
and their heads having varying shapes of caps on the top.
Differences among these facemasks resulted in recognition of four
species of Bornean and Philippine lorises, N menagensis, N.
bancanus, N. borneanus and N. kayan. Of these Nycticebus
kayan is a new group unrecognized before as distinct. This new
species is found in the central-east highland area of Borneo and is
named for a major river flowing in its region, the Kayan.
The recognition of these new species strongly suggests that there is
more diversity yet to be discovered in the jungles of Borneo and on the
surrounding islands, including the Phillipines. However, much of this
territory is threatened by human activity so the possibility that more
slow loris species exist in small and fragile ranges raises urgent
questions for conservation efforts.
“The pet trade is a serious threat for slow lorises in Indonesia, and
recognition of these new species raises issues regarding where to
release confiscated Bornean slow lorises, as recognition by non-experts
can be difficult,” said co-author Professor Nekaris, from Oxford Brookes
University.
“In the first study to quantify facial mask differences we have
recognized three new species of slow loris, two of which were recognized
as subspecies at some point in the past, but are now elevated to species
status, and one previously unrecognized group.” concluded Ms Munds.
“This finding will assist in conservation efforts for these enigmatic
primates, although survey work in Borneo suggests the new species are
either very difficult to locate or that their numbers may be quite
small.”
