Abstract
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and is inhabited by a rich fauna of endemic lemuriform primates. Recent morphological and molecular, studies indicate that the biogeography of Malagasy lemurs is far more complex than previously thought. Small scale patterns of vegetation and river barriers seem to have been more important than large present-day barriers. Rivers can act as both barriers and corridors. Most significantly, there is increasing evidence that the major phylogenetic distinctions are between northern and southern taxa rather than between eastern and western forms. Lemur systematics is still in a state of ongoing revision, and additional surveys of poorly-known regions are needed to understand the complex biogeography of Malagasy primates.
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Ganzhorn, J.U., Goodman, S.M., Nash, S., Thalmann, U. (2006). Lemur Biogeography. In: Primate Biogeography. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-31710-4_8
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