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Madagascar is known for its high endemism and as many as 90% of this unique diversity are forest-dwellers. Unfortunately, the forest cover of Madagascar is decreasing at an alarming rate. This decrease can also affect aquatic insects, but our knowledge on aquatic insect diversity and distribution on Madagascar are limited. Although the eastern rainforests are considered the most diverse, the Central Highlands of Madagascar also harbors unique microendemic fauna but has been less studied. Here, we analyze the aquatic Adephaga beetle fauna of three remaining protected forests of the Central Highlands. Diversity, abundance, and uniqueness are compared between and within natural forests and surrounding grasslands. At least 15 undescribed species were found, highlighting the Central Highlands as an important area for endemism. The natural forests and the surrounding grasslands differed significantly in species assemblages. Interestingly, the three remaining forests differed in their assemblages with the geographically more distant Manjakatompo Ankaratra having the most unique fauna but also the highest altitude span. By contrast, the species composition was similar between the peripheral zones of each of the three remaining forests. The similarity of the fauna in the peripheral open habitats illustrates how some local forest endemics are replaced with widespread generalists in degraded habitats. Our study shows that the remaining forests of the Central Highlands of Madagascar are important refuges of unique fauna at high risk of extinction.

Resolving ecological-economic trade-offs between biodiversity and yields is a key challenge when addressing the biodiversity crisis in tropical agricultural landscapes. Here, we focused on the relation between seven different taxa (trees, herbaceous plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, and ants) and yields in vanilla agroforests in Madagascar. Agroforests established in forests supported overall 23% fewer species and 47% fewer endemic species than old-growth forests, and 14% fewer endemic species than forest fragments. In contrast, agroforests established on fallows had overall 12% more species and 38% more endemic species than fallows. While yields increased with vanilla vine density and length, non-yield related variables largely determined biodiversity. Nonetheless, trade-offs existed between yields and butterflies as well as reptiles. Vanilla yields were generally unrelated to richness of trees, herbaceous plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and ants, opening up possibilities for conservation outside of protected areas and restoring degraded land to benefit farmers and biodiversity alike. ispartof: Nature Communications vol:13 issue:1 ispartof: location:England status: published

Sustainable land-system transformations are necessary to avert biodiversity and climate collapse. However, it remains unclear where entry points for transformations exist in complex land systems. Here, we conceptualize land systems along land-use trajectories, which allows us to identify and evaluate leverage points, i.e., entry points on the trajectory where targeted interventions have particular leverage to influence land-use decisions. We apply this framework in the biodiversity hotspot Madagascar. In the northeast, smallholder agriculture results in a land-use trajectory originating in old-growth forests and spanning from forest fragments to shifting hill rice cultivation and vanilla agroforests. Integrating interdisciplinary empirical data on seven taxa, five ecosystem services, and three measures of agricultural productivity, we assess trade-offs and cobenefits of land-use decisions at three leverage points along the trajectory. These trade-offs and cobenefits differ between leverage points: Two leverage points are situated at the conversion of old-growth forests and forest fragments to shifting cultivation and agroforestry, resulting in considerable trade-offs, especially between endemic biodiversity and agricultural productivity. Here, interventions enabling smallholders to conserve forests are necessary. This is urgent since ongoing forest loss threatens to eliminate these leverage points due to path dependency. The third leverage point allows for the restoration of land under shifting cultivation through vanilla agroforests and offers cobenefits between restoration goals and agricultural productivity. The co-occurring leverage points highlight that conservation and restoration are simultaneously necessary to avert collapse of multifunctional mosaic landscapes. Methodologically, the framework highlights the importance of considering path dependency along trajectories to achieve sustainable land-system transformations. ispartof: Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences vol:119 issue:7 ispartof: location:United States status: Published online

Drosophila (Sophophora) mylenae David & Yassin sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: B64DA5B1-4F29-456B-B75E-0E84DFB3DA98 Figs 1–2, 8 C–D, 9B, D, F Diagnosis Male abdominal tergites T5 and T6 with a distinct dark brown stripe expanding in the middle and fainting towards the margins (Fig. 8B); hypandrium broad with a short anterior phragma; outer paraphases posterior margin not curved; aedeagus pilosity broad at tip (Fig. 9B, D); female abdominal tergites T2–T4 with a diffuse pale region on the antero-distal margins, T5 with distinct dark stripe (Fig. 8D); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla, with anterior ovisensilla short and thick (Fig. 9F). Etimology A species dedicated to Mylène Dauvergne, co-collector of the type strain. Type material Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♂; Nosy Be; 13°20′ S, 48°15′ E; Jul. 2008 (ex-laboratory strain Feb. 2017); J.R. David and M. Dauvergne leg.; MNHN. Paratypes MADAGASCAR • 9 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; MNHN. Other material MADAGASCAR • 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZUAC. Description Male HEAD (Fig. 8C). Frons pale brown, frontal length 0.35 mm; frontal index = 1.00, frontal tapering ratio = 1.29. Frontal triangle concolorous; ocellar triangle slightly darker, about 43% of frontal length. Orbital plates about 86% of frontal length. Orbital setae black, distance of or3 to or1 = 50% of or3 to vtm, or1 / or3 ratio = 1.33, or2/or1 ratio = 0.38, postocellar setae = 29%, ocellar setae = 50%, vibrissal index = 1.00. Face white. Carina prominent, narrow. Cheek index about 12.00. Eye red, eye index = 1.15. Antennae whitish. Arista with four dorsal, three ventral branches, plus terminal fork. Proboscis brown. THORAX (Fig. 8C). Length 1.13 mm. Scutum mid brown, shining, darker before scutellum, six rows of acrostichal setulae. H index = 1.17. Transverse distance of dorsocentral setae 200% of longitudinal distance; dc index = 0.61. Scutellum dark; scut index = 0.80. Pleura slightly darker, shining. Legs whiteyellow, sex combs on protarsomeres 1 and 2, with about 18 and 13 peg-like setae, respectively. Wing dark, length 1.54 mm, length to width ratio = 2.08. Indices: C = 1.93, ac = 3.06, hb = 0.62, 4C = 1.72, 4v = 3.03, 5x = 0.56, M = 1.13, prox. x = 0.72. Haltere brown. ABDOMEN (Fig. 8C). Yellow, tergites T2–T4 with a diffuse brown posterior stripes, tergites T5 and T6 pale with small posterior stripes. TERMINALIA (Figs 3C, 9B, D). Epandrium pale brown, with 6 setae, the lower most being particularly long; ventral lobe with 5–7 bristles. Cercus pale brown; cercal ventral lobe yellow, partially separated from cercus, with a series of three strong, curved spines on the inner margin, and smaller spines along the ventral, outer and dorsal margins, larger dorsally. Surstylus with a regular row of five short, stout peg-like prensisetae, and a ventromedial cluster of prensisetae, the innermost pointing dorsally. Hypandrium yellow, slightly longer than broad, with a pointed medial posterior extension bearing two short, divergent thick bristles; posterior margin microtrichose with long fine hairs. Outer paraphyses large, ovoid, transverse, bearing three minute setulae. Inner paraphyses almost as long as aedeagus, swollen medially, tapering and incurved medioposteriorly. Aedeagus hirsute, broad at tip, subapically narrowed. Aedeagal apodeme yellow, broadened laterally. Female HABITUS (Fig. 8D). Similar to male, but with no sex combs on protarsi and with abdominal tergites brown. TERMINALIA (Fig. 9F). Valve of oviscapt mediodorsally mostly membranous, posteriorly rounded, ventrally slightly concave, with no discal and twelve marginal, peg-like, pointed-tipped, short and thick ovisensilla on the outer surface and one long, straight, subterminal and three tiny (microscopic) trichoidlike ovisensilla on the inner surface. Distribution Madagascar (endemic). Remarks Drosophila mylenae sp. nov. resembles D. vulcana in the shape of the male periphallic structures (compare Fig. 3C with figure 1 in Rafael 1984) and the female ovipositor (Fig. 9 E–F) as well as in the abdominal pigmentation pattern of females being darker than males (Fig. 8), which is rare among drosophilids. However, they differ in the degree of abdominal pigmentation for both sexes and in multiple phallic structures (Figs 8–9 A–D). The two species show a very low mitogenomic divergence of 0.5% (Figs 1–2). However, on the nuclear gene Amyrel they are quite distinct (Fig. 2), with an overall nuclear genome-wide divergence of 2.35% (Yassin, in prep.). Drosophila mylenae sp. nov. was only collected in the littoral forest on Nosy Be. It is absent from material collected from the inland, humid forests of Madagascar, i.e., Antananarivo, Mandraka, Andasibe and Ranomafana. It is also absent from Mayotte or other islands of the Western Indian Ocean. Females do not exhibit a sex-limited color dimorphism.

Drosophila (Sophophora) chocolata Yassin & David sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F34BF7C9-1143-4093-80E5-47A239D5C86C Figs 1–2, 4 G–H, 5D–F, 6G–H Diagnosis Male and female body pigmentation brown, halters white, with male femurs darker on all legs (Fig. 4 G– H); male abdominal tergites T2–T4 entirely dark brown, T5 and T6 entirely black (Fig. 4G); dorsalmost surstylus prensiseta on the same axis with remaining prensisetae (Fig. 5 D–E); hypandrial median process lobate; aedeagus spatulate (Fig. 5D, F); female T2–T7 entirely dark brown (Fig. 4H); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum not on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla (Fig. 6G), with anterior ovisensilla short and thick (Fig. 6H). Etimology In reference to body color. Type material Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♂; Andasibe; 17°20′ S, 48°54′ E; 16–17 Feb. 2008 (ex-laboratory strain Jul. 2014); J.R. David & A. Yassin leg.; MNHN. Paratypes MADAGASCAR • 9 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; MNHN. Other material MADAGASCAR • 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZUAC. Description Male HEAD (Fig. 4G). Frons brown, frontal length 0.38 mm; frontal index = 1.00, frontal tapering ratio = 1.47. Frontal triangle concolorous; ocellar triangle slightly darker, about 40% of frontal length. Orbital plates shining, apically slightly diverging from eye margin, about 87% of frontal length. Orbital setae black, distance of or3 to or1 = 67% of or3 to vtm, or1/or3 ratio = 1.29, or2/or1 ratio = 0.33, postocellar setae = 73%, ocellar setae = 47%, vibrissal index = 1.00. Face grayish. Carina flat. Cheek index about 12.50. Eye dark red, eye index = 1.39. Antennae dark brown. Arista with five dorsal, two ventral branches, plus terminal fork. Proboscis brown. THORAX (Fig. 4G). Length 1.2 mm. Scutum brown, shining, darker before scutellum and having a darker median stripe on dorsocentral region, six rows of acrostichal setulae. H index = 0.50. Transverse distance of dorsocentral setae 160% of longitudinal distance; dc index = 0.88. Scutellum dark brown; scut index = 0.83. Pleura dark brown, shining. Legs dark brown, sex combs on protarsomeres 1 and 2, with about 21 and 16 peg-like setae, respectively. Wing hyaline, veins reddish, length 2.02 mm, length to width ratio = 2.18. Indices: C = 2.20, ac = 2.46, hb = 0.52, 4C = 1.88, 4v = 3.68, 5x = 0.61, M = 1.38, prox. x = 0.94. Haltere white. ABDOMEN (Fig. 4G). Entirely brown, shining, tergites T5 and T6 completely black. TERMINALIA (Figs. 5 D–F). Epandrium black, with six setae, the lower most being particularly long; epandrial ventral lobe black with eight bristles. Cercus black; cercal ventral lobe yellow, partially separated from cercus, with a series of three strong, curved spines on the inner margin, and smaller spines along the ventral, outer and dorsal margins, larger dorsally. Surstylus with a regular row of five short, stout peg-like prensisetae, and a ventromedial cluster of prensisetae, the innermost pointing dorsally. Hypandrium black anteriorly, dark posteriorly, as long as broad, with a lobate medial posterior extension bearing two short, divergent thick bristles; posterior margin microtrichose with long fine hairs. Outer paraphyses large, S-curved, transverse, bearing three minute setulae. Inner paraphyses as long as aedeagus, swollen medially, broad and lobate apically. Aedeagus broad, hirsute, subapically narrowed. Aedeagal apodeme black anteriorly. Female HABITUS (Fig. 4H). Similar to male but with no sex combs on protarsi. TERMINALIA (Fig. 6 G–H). Valve of oviscapt mediodorsally mostly membranous, posteriorly rounded, ventrally slightly concave, with no discal and twelve marginal, peg-like, pointed-tipped, short and thick ovisensilla on the outer surface and one long, straight, subterminal and three tiny (microscopic) trichoid-like ovisensilla on the inner surface. The fourth peg-like ovisensillum characteristically dorsally positioned in respect to the main axis of ovisensilla insertion on the ventral margin of the oviscapt valve. Distribution Madagascar (endemic). Remarks Specimens of this species were collected from different localities in Madagascar:Andasibe (800–1200 m a.s.l.), Antananarivo (1300 m a.s.l.) and Mandraka (1400 m a.s.l.) during the 2008 expedition by J.R. David and A. Yassin. It was also collected from Ranomafana (600 m a.s.l.) in 2009 by J.R. David, V. Debat and A. Yassin. This indicates that D. chocolata sp. nov. is widespread and that, unlike D. ifestia Tsacas, 1984, is not mountainous. The species can be maintained on a ‘standard Drosophila medium’ in the laboratory.A mutant strain from Antananarivo was established having a light abdomen in both sexes, but both the mutant and the original strains were subsequently lost. The species resembles D. ifestia, a species endemic to high mountains in East Africa, in males having entirely dark abdomen. However, D. ifestia differs from D. chocolata sp. nov. in the color of the thorax being lighter with the halters reddish brown (Fig. 7 A–B), which are white in D. chocolata sp. nov. (Fig. 6 A–B), in the lack of long innermost prensiseta on the surstylus (present in all species of the ‘ D. seguyi species complex’), and in the shape of the hypandrial median process being broadly truncated in D. ifestia with the hypandrial bristles extending in parallel to each other (divergent in all species of the ‘ D. seguyi species complex’). We therefore concur with the conclusion of Tsacas (1984) that D. ifestia does not belong to any of the defined species complexes of the ‘ D. seguyi species subgroup’.

Drosophila (Sophophora) curta Chassagnard & Tsacas, 1997 Figs 1–2, 4 E–F, 5C, 6E–F Drosophila (Sophophora) curta Chassagnard & Tsacas in Chassagnard et al., 1997: 93. Diagnosis Male and female body pigmentation including halters and legs yellow (Fig. 4 E–F); male abdominal tergites T2–T4 with a broad black stripes expanding towards the margins, T5 and T6 completely black (Fig. 4E); dorsalmost surstylus prensiseta not on the same axis with remaining prensisetae; hypandrial median process truncated and serrated; aedeagus spatulate (Fig. 5C); female T2 with a thin black stripe expanding on the middle and fainting towards the margin, T3–T5 with a broad black stripe and an expanding grayish area on the margin (Fig. 4F); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla (Fig. 6C), with anterior ovisensilla long and thin, almost setiferous (Fig. 6D). Type material Holotype MALAWI • ♂; Cape Maclear; 14°01′ S, 34°51′ E; 30 Mar. 1991; D. Lachaise leg.; MNHN. Other material MADAGASCAR • 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Andasibe; 17°20′ S, 48°54′ E; 16–17 Feb. 2008 (ex-laboratory strain Jul. 2014); J.R. David & A. Yassin leg.; ZUAC. Description As in Chassagnard et al. (1997). Distribution Malawi (type) and Madagascar (new record). Remarks Yassin et al. (2016) included a Kenyan strain of D. curta in their phylogenetic analysis. However, the strain turned out to be a likely new species belonging to the ‘ D. tsacasi species complex’ depicted in Figs 1–2 as D. aff. tsacasi (see below). In Madagascar, D. curta was collected only from Andasibe during the expedition of 2008. Females have two color morphs (Yassin et al. 2016).

Drosophila (Sophophora) seguyi Smart, 1945 Figs 1���2, 3A, 4 A���B, 5A, 6A���B Drosophila (Sophophora) seguyi Smart, 1945: 56. Diagnosis Male and female body pigmentation including halters and legs yellow (Fig. 4 A���B); male abdominal tergites T2���T4 with a thin black stripe expanding on the middle and fainting towards the margin, T5 with a broader stripe, T6 completely black (Fig. 4A); dorsalmost surstylus prensiseta on the same axis with remaining prensisetae, hypandrial median process weakly pointed, aedeagus finger-like (Fig. 5A); female T2���T5 with a broad black stripe and an expanding grayish area on the margin (Fig. 4B); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla (Fig. 6A), with anterior ovisensilla short and thick (Fig. 6B). Type material Holotype KENYA ��� ♂; Mount Elgon; 01��07��� N, 34��31��� E; 2490 m a.s.l.; 1932���1933; R. Jeannel leg.; MNHN. Distribution Kenya (type), Cameroon (new record), Malawi, island of Mayotte (new record), Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Remarks Two strains (K2 and K59) collected from Mombasa (Kenya) in 1979 and identified as D. seguyi by T. Okada were studied in genetic studies (Ohnishi & Watanabe 1984; Zhang et al. 2003; Li et al. 2012; Chen et al. 2013; M. Watada, pers. comm.). These strains were also sent to the laboratory of Gif-sur-Yvette in France, where L��onidas Tsacas and Marie-Th��r��se Chassagnard worked. Tsacas & Chassagnard (1992) considered the strain of D. vulcana of Bock & Wheeler (1972) to be the true D. seguyi. In Tsacas��� notebook recording the strains maintained at Gif-sur-Yvette, we found a note by him considering the K59 strain to be the true D. vulcana. This strain was used in the revision of the genus Drosophila Fall��n, 1823 of Da Lage et al. (2007), based on the nuclear gene Amyrel, although in the publication, Mount Selinda, the locality of the strain of D. vulcana of Bock & Wheeler (1972), was mistakenly mentioned as the source of the Amyrel sequence (J.-L. Da Lage, pers. comm.). In spite of the suggestion of Tsacas & Chassagnard (1992), we prefer for taxonomic stability to consider both Kenyan strains to belong to the true D. seguyi and to preserve the concept of D. seguyi of Bock & Wheeler (1972). A strain collected in Cameroon by J. Pool in 2004, and preserved in the Drosophila Species Stock Center, was identified based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (COII) as D. seguyi, indicating the broad distribution of this species in Africa. David et al. (2014) mentioned the presence of a strain of D. malagassya on the island of Mayotte (discussed under D. malagassya above). We have used this strain, as D. cf. malagassya, in our combined phylogenetic study of the montium clade and showed its close affinity to the Kenyan strains of D. seguyi (Yassin et al. 2016). Detailed morphological comparisons support the conspecificity of the strains from Kenya and Mayotte. Females of the strain of Mayotte exhibit the characteristic Mendelian color dimorphism, with the black morph being dominant (Yassin et al. 2016)., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on pages 9-13, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Tsacas L. & Rafael V. 1982. Drosophila malagassya nouvelle espece malgache du groupe melanogaster, sous-groupe montium (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Revue Francaise d'Entomologie 4: 86 - 90.","Chassagnard M. - T., Tsacas L. & Lachaise D. 1997. Drosophilidae (Diptera) of Malawi. Annals of the Natal Museum 38: 61 - 131.","Ohnishi S. & Watanabe T. K. 1984. Systematics of the Drosophila montium species subgroup: a biochemical approach. Zoological Science 1: 801 - 807.","Zhang Z., Inomata N., Cariou M. - L., Lage J. - L. & Yamazaki T. 2003. Phylogeny and the evolution of the Amylase multigenes in the Drosophila montium species subgroup. Journal of Molecular Evolution 56: 121 - 130. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 00239 - 002 - 2384 - 3","Li Y. - F., Wen S. - Y., Kawai K., Gao J. - J., Hu Y. - G., Segawa R. & Toda M. J. 2012. DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny of Drosophila lini and its sibling species. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology 2012: 1 - 9. https: // doi. org / 10.1155 / 2012 / 329434","Chen C. - C., Watada M., Miyake H., Katoh T. K., Sun Z., Li Y. - F., Ritchie M. G. &. Wen S. - Y. 2013. Courtship patterns in the Drosophila montium species subgroup: repeated loss of precopulatory courtship? Zoological Science 30: 1056 - 1062. https: // doi. org / 10.2108 / zsj. 30.1056","Tsacas L. & Chassagnard M. - T. 1992. L'identite de Drosophila (Sophophora) vulcana Graber (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France 96: 427 - 432.","Bock I. R. & Wheeler M. R. 1972. The Drosophila melanogaster species group. The University of Texas Publication 7213: 1 - 102.","Da Lage J. - L., Kergoat G. J., Maczkowiak F., Silvain J. - F., Cariou M. - L. & Lachaise D. 2007. A phylogeny of Drosophilidae using the Amyrel gene: questioning the Drosophila melanogaster species group boundaries. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 45: 47 - 63. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1439 - 0469.2006.00389. x","David J. R., Yassin A., Gidaszewski N. & Debat V. 2014. Drosophilids (Diptera) from Mayotte island: an annotated list of species collected in 2013 and comments on the colonisation of Indian Ocean Islands. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France 50: 336 - 342. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00379271.2014.938548","Yassin A., Delaney E. K., Reddiex A. J., Seher T. D., Bastide H., Appleton N. C., Lack J. B., David J. R., Chenoweth S. F., Pool J. E. & Kopp A. 2016. The pdm 3 locus is a hotspot for recurrent evolution of female-limited color dimorphism in Drosophila. Current Biology 26: 2412 - 2422. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. cub. 2016.07.016"]}

Drosophila (Sophophora) malagassya Tsacas & Rafael, 1982 Figs 1–2, 4 C–D, 5B, 6C–D Drosophila (Sophophora) malagassya Tsacas & Rafael, 1982: 86. Diagnosis Male and female body pigmentation including halters and legs yellow (Fig. 4 C–D); male abdominal tergites T2, T5 and T6 completely black; T3 and T4 with a broad black stripes not expanding towards the margins (Fig. 4C); dorsalmost surstylus prensiseta on the same axis with remaining prensisetae; hypandrial median process strongly pointed; aedeagus spatulate (Fig. 5B); female T2 almost entirely black, T3 and T4 with a broad black stripe and an expanding grayish area on the margin, T5 with a black stripe but no grayish area (Fig. 4B); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla (Fig. 6C), with anterior ovisensilla short and thick (Fig. 6D). Type material Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♂; Antananarivo, Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza; 18°55′ S, 47°31′ E; Sep. 1980; D. Lachaise leg.; MNHN. Other material examined MADAGASCAR • 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Andasibe; 17°20′ S, 48°54′ E; 16–17 Feb. 2008 (ex-laboratory strain Jul. 2014); J.R. David & A. Yassin leg.; ZUAC. Description As in Tsacas & Rafael (1982). Distribution Madagascar (endemic). Remarks The species was described from a laboratory strain collected from the Tsimbazaza Botanical Park in Antananarivo in 1980. With Jean R. David and Vincent Debat, we collected it in 2008 and 2010 from Andasibe, Mandraka and Ranomafana. Rafael (1984) showed that D. malagassya crossed readily with a Cameroonian strain attributed to D. bakoue, producing sterile F 1 males and females, and to a lesser degree with D. tsacasi, producing a few or unviable F1 flies. David et al. (2014) suggested the presence of D. malagassya on the island of Mayotte (Comoros archipelago), but the Mayotte strain turned out to be D. seguyi. The females of D. malagassya have two color morphs (Yassin et al. 2016).

Drosophila (Sophophora) vulcana Graber, 1957 Figs 1���2, 8 A���B, 9A, C, E Drosophila (Sophophora) vulcana Graber, 1957: 309. Diagnosis Male abdominal tergites T5 with a contiguous diffuse dark brown stripe, T6 light with a very faint dark stripe (Fig. 8A); hypandrium narrow with an elongated anterior phragma; outer paraphyses posterior margin curved; aedeagus pilosity tapering at tip (Fig. 9A, C); female abdominal tergites T2���T4 without a diffuse pale region on the antero-distal margins, T5 with diffusely dark stripe (Fig. 8B); oviscapt fourth posterior peg-like outer ovisensillum on the same axis with the third and fifth ovisensilla, with anterior ovisensilla short and thick (Fig. 9E). Type material Holotype DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ��� ♂; Kivu Province, Mount Bugulumiza; 1954; ZMUZ. Description As in Graber (1957) for the type material and Bock & Wheeler (1972) for a strain from Mount Selinda (Zimbabwe). Distribution Democratic Republic of the Congo (type), Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Remarks The type material of Graber (1957) consisted of six males and six females from Kivu Province (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Tsacas & Chassagnard (1992) examined this material and found five males and six females (probably the male used by Graber for dissection and genitalia illustration was lost). Of the five remaining males, only one belonged to a ��� D. montium species group��� that Tsacas (1984) considered D. ifestia. Of the six females, five belonged to the ��� D. montium species group���. Two females sojourned in alcohol and lost coloration, whereas the remaining three females were pinned and had dark wings, pleurae and legs in agreement with the original description of Graber (1957). For abdominal coloration, this description indicates ���uniform schwarzbraune gl��nzende Tergite��� (uniform black-brown shining tergite). Bock & Wheeler (1972) described a strain from Mount Selinda (Zimbabwe) attributed to D. vulcana by S. Paterson. They showed, however, the presence of two types of male genitalia in this strain. Tsacas & Chassagnard (1992) reanalyzed this strain and found that only one of the two types existed at the time of their examination. They concluded that the original strain consisted of two distinct species with one having subsequently gone extinct. They also suggested that male genitalia of the type of S��guy (1938) for D. seguyi corresponded to the genitalia of the surviving species in this strain. We dissected males from the strain of Mount Selinda and found that the illustration of Tsacas & Chassagnard (1992) of the holotype of D. seguyi lacks the partial fusion of the cercal ventral lobe (secondary clasper), characteristic of the strain of Mount Selinda. Moreover, the pale male abdominal pigmentation of the strain of Bock & Wheeler (1972) (Fig. 4G) clearly contrasts with the description of S��guy (1938) of D. seguyi: ���tergites largement bord��s de brun noir, dernier segment d���un noir luisant��� [tergites with large brownish black stripe, last segment shiny black]. On the contrary, abdominal pigmentation of the strain of Mount Selinda corresponded to the abovementioned original description of Graber (1957). Therefore, we concur with Bock & Wheeler (1972) for considering the strain of Mount Selinda to belong to D. vulcana. Okada et al. (1988) recorded this species from Tanzania, and Takada et al. (1990) indicated its presence in Kenya, suggesting its widespread distribution in East Africa. Females do not exhibit a sex-limited color dimorphism., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on page 20, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Graber H. 1957. Afrikanische Drosophiliden als Blutenbesucher. Zoologische Jahrbucher 85: 305 - 316.","Bock I. R. & Wheeler M. R. 1972. The Drosophila melanogaster species group. The University of Texas Publication 7213: 1 - 102.","Tsacas L. & Chassagnard M. - T. 1992. L'identite de Drosophila (Sophophora) vulcana Graber (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France 96: 427 - 432.","Tsacas L. 1984. Nouvelles donnees sur la biogeographie et l'evolution du groupe Drosophila melanogaster en Afrique. Description de six nouvelles especes (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Annales de la Societe entomologique de France 20: 419 - 438.","Seguy E. 1938. Mission scientifique de l'Omo. Diptera. I. Nematocera et Brachycera. Memoires du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris 8: 319 - 380.","Okada T., Asada N. & Kawanaka K. 1988. A result of drosophilid survey in Tanzania. African Study Monographs 8: 159 - 163.","Takada H., Woodruff R. C. & Thompson J. N. 1990. Collections of Drosophilidae (Diptera) in Kenya, with description of a new species of Dettopsomyia. Entomological News 101: 246 - 255."]}

Drosophila (Sophophora) bakoue Tsacas & Lachaise, 1974 Fig. 2 Drosophila (Sophophora) bakoue Tsacas & Lachaise, 1974: 197. Diagnosis Male with sex combs on the two first tarsomeres of the foreleg and completely yellow abdominal tergites; surstylus without dorsal tooth-like protuberance. Type material Holotype IVORY COAST ��� ♂; Lamto; 6��13��� N, 5��02��� W; 22 Dec. 1970; D. Lachaise leg.; MNHN. Distribution Ivory Coast (type), Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Nigeria, and S��o Tom�� Island (new location). Remarks D. bakoue resembles the species of the ��� D. nikananu species complex��� Tsacas & Chassagnard, 1992 in males having completely yellow abdominal tergites. However, it differs from the species of the ��� D. nikananu species complex��� in males having sex combs on the two first tarsomeres of the foreleg (the comb is lost or reduced on the second tarsomere in the ��� D. nikananu species complex���) and lacking a dorsal tooth-like protuberance on the surstylus. Lachaise (1979) attributed a laboratory strain collected from Makoukou (Gabon) to this species, and showed that it could produce fertile F 1 females and sterile F 1 males when its females were crossed with males of the strain of D. vulcana of Bock & Wheeler (1972). Rafael (1984) attributed another strain from Kunden (Cameroon) to D. bakoue and showed that it could not hybridize with the same strain of D. vulcana or with the strain of D. tsacasi of Bock & Wheeler (1972). Intriguingly, Rafael (1984) pointed out that both the Gabonese and Cameroonian strains of D. bakoue showed some differences in body size and pigmentation from the type material from Ivory Coast. She also found that the Cameroonian strain hybridized readily with D. malagassya, though both F1 sexes were sterile. Kopp (2016) analyzed a strain collected from the island of S��o Tom�� and attributed to D. bakoue by J.R. David, and found that it produced sterile F 1 males and females when crossed with the same strain of D. tsacasi. Da Lage et al. (2007) analyzed the sequence of the nuclear gene Amyrel from a strain collected from Benin and found it to be sister to the strain of D. tsacasi of Bock & Wheeler (1972). Prigent et al. (2017) partially sequenced the mitochondrial gene COI from two specimens from Mount Oku in Cameroon and did not recover such affinity (Fig. 2). These results suggest that at least two different species may have been attributed to D. bakoue, from which the strains from Benin and S��o Tom�� are closely related to D. tsacasi, whereas the strains from Gabon and Cameroon are distant. The relation of these species with the true D. bakoue from Ivory Coast needs more investigations., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on page 8, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Tsacas L. & Lachaise D. 1974. Quatre nouvelles especes de la Cote-d'Ivoire du genre Drosophila, groupe melanogaster, et discussion de l'origine du sous-groupe melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Annales de l'Universite d'Abidjan 7: 193 - 211.","Tsacas L. & Chassagnard M. - T. 1992. L'identite de Drosophila (Sophophora) vulcana Graber (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France 96: 427 - 432.","Lachaise D. 1979. Speciation, Coevolution et Adaptation des Populations de Drosophilides en Afrique Tropicale. PhD Thesis, University of Paris VI, France.","Bock I. R. & Wheeler M. R. 1972. The Drosophila melanogaster species group. The University of Texas Publication 7213: 1 - 102.","Rafael V. 1984. Relations interspecifiques dans le nouveau complexe africain de Drosophila bakoue du groupe melanogaster, sous-groupe montium (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Bulletin de la Societe zoologique de France 109: 179 - 189.","Kopp A. 2016. Strong reproductive isolation among African species of the Drosophila montium subgroup. Drosophila Information Service 99: 33 - 35.","Da Lage J. - L., Kergoat G. J., Maczkowiak F., Silvain J. - F., Cariou M. - L. & Lachaise D. 2007. A phylogeny of Drosophilidae using the Amyrel gene: questioning the Drosophila melanogaster species group boundaries. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 45: 47 - 63. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1439 - 0469.2006.00389. x","Prigent S. R., Suwalski A. & Veuille M. 2017. Connecting systematic and ecological studies using DNA barcoding in a population survey of Drosophilidae (Diptera) from Mt Oku (Cameroon). European Journal of Taxonomy 287: 1 - 20. https: // doi. org / 10.5852 / ejt. 2017.287"]}

��� D. vulcana species complex��� new complex Figs 1���2, 3C, 8 A���D, 9A���F Diagnosis Male abdominal tergites yellow, T2���T4 with broad brown or black stripes, T5 and T6 with a thin black stripe expanding on the middle and fainting towards the margin (Fig. 8A); cercal ventral lobe (secondary clasper) partially separated from cerci with two or three very large curved black medial teeth on the internal margin; surstylus with a lateral row of strong, short prensisetae on the outer and inner margins (no medial prensisetae), the innermost one significantly long; hypandrial median process tapering (Fig. 3C); aedeagus hirsute with cuticular scales; inner paraphyses as long as aedeagus, with finely serrated margins (Fig. 9 A���D). Female abdominal tergites darker than male���s (Fig. 8B). Remarks Chassagnard et al. (1997) mentioned a species, named ��� Drosophila (Sophophora) sp. C���, belonging to the ��� D. montium species group��� in Malawi with males having diffuse brown T2���T4 and pale T5 and T6. This species either belongs to one of the two species of this complex or represents a new species belonging to the complex. Elucidating its identity needs further investigation. Taxon content D. vulcana Graber, 1957. D. seguyiana sp. nov., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on page 18, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Chassagnard M. - T., Tsacas L. & Lachaise D. 1997. Drosophilidae (Diptera) of Malawi. Annals of the Natal Museum 38: 61 - 131.","Graber H. 1957. Afrikanische Drosophiliden als Blutenbesucher. Zoologische Jahrbucher 85: 305 - 316."]}

��� D. tsacasi species complex��� new complex Figs 1���2, 3B Diagnosis Male abdominal tergites T2���T5 yellowish with usually distinct black stripes, T6 usually black; cercal ventral lobe (secondary clasper) fused to cerci with four or five very large curved black medial teeth arising from long dark chitinous roots on the internal margin; surstylus lobate with a lateral row of long, irregularly spaced prensisetae on the outer margin and a cluster of prensisetae on the inner margins (no medial prensisetae), the innermost one significantly long (Fig. 3B). Female abdominal tergites lighter than male���s or concolorously light. Remarks This complex contains two described species, D. tsacasi and D. seguyiana, and two putatively new species, D. aff. tsacasi (see above under D. curta) and D. aff. bakoue (see above under D. bakoue). The molecular, morphological and reproductive isolation between these species requires further investigation. Taxon content D. tsacasi Bock & Wheeler, 1972. D. seguyiana Chassagnard & Tsacas, 1997., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on page 17, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Bock I. R. & Wheeler M. R. 1972. The Drosophila melanogaster species group. The University of Texas Publication 7213: 1 - 102.","Chassagnard M. - T., Tsacas L. & Lachaise D. 1997. Drosophilidae (Diptera) of Malawi. Annals of the Natal Museum 38: 61 - 131."]}

��� D. seguyi species complex��� Lachaise, 1971 Figs 1���2, 3A, 4, 5 E���F, 6 ��� D. seguyi species complex��� Lachaise, 1971: 1623. ��� D. bakoue species complex��� Rafael, 1984: 179, syn. nov. Diagnosis Male abdominal tergites T2 to T4 yellowish with very distinct black stripes or entirely dark brown, T5 with broader stripe or completely black, T6 shiny black (Fig. 4); cercal ventral lobe (secondary clasper) fused to cerci with two or three very large curved black medial teeth on the internal margin; surstylus quadrate with a lateral row of strong, short prensisetae on the outer and inner margins (with two medial prensisetae in D. chocolata sp. nov.), the innermost one significantly long; hypandrial median process tapering; aedeagus hirsute with fine cuticular scales; posterior parameres as long as aedeagus (slightly shorter in D. chocolata sp. nov.), with finely serrated margins (Figs 3A, 5). Female abdominal tergites lighter than male���s or concolorously dark (Fig. 4). Remarks The original ��� D. seguyi species complex��� was renamed ��� D. bakoue species complex��� without new definition or justification (Rafael 1984). We consider here the ��� D. bakoue species complex��� to be a junior synonym for the ��� D. seguyi species complex���. Chassagnard et al. (1997) discussed a ��� D. seguyi species complex��� comprising D. curta, D. seguyi and D. seguyiana in a table legend, but considered all these species members of the ��� D. bakoue species complex��� in the main text. We restrict here the ��� D. seguyi species complex��� to four monophyletic species, while placing D. seguyiana in the ��� D. tsacasi species complex��� (see below). David et al. (2014) referred to three of these species as geographical strains of D. malagassya with partial reproductive isolation. Closer examination of their material revealed, however, that each strain was a distinct species (namely, D. seguyi, D. malagassya and D. curta). Taxon content D. seguyi Smart, 1945. D. malagassya Tsacas & Rafael, 1982. D. curta Chassagnard & Tsacas, 1997. D. chocolata sp. nov., Published as part of Yassin, Amir, Suwalski, Arnaud & Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala H., 2019, Resolving the synonymy and polyphyly of the ' Drosophila bakoue species complex' (Diptera: Drosophilidae: ' D. montium species group') with descriptions of two new species from Madagascar, pp. 1-26 in European Journal of Taxonomy 532 on page 9, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.532, http://zenodo.org/record/3251569, {"references":["Lachaise D. 1971. Repartition du complexe D. seguyi (Dipt. Drosophilidae) au contact \" savane-galerie \", dans une savane preforestiere de Cote-d'Ivoire. Comptes Rendus des Seances de l'Academie des Sciences 237: 1623 - 1624.","Rafael V. 1984. Relations interspecifiques dans le nouveau complexe africain de Drosophila bakoue du groupe melanogaster, sous-groupe montium (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Bulletin de la Societe zoologique de France 109: 179 - 189.","Chassagnard M. - T., Tsacas L. & Lachaise D. 1997. Drosophilidae (Diptera) of Malawi. Annals of the Natal Museum 38: 61 - 131.","David J. R., Yassin A., Gidaszewski N. & Debat V. 2014. Drosophilids (Diptera) from Mayotte island: an annotated list of species collected in 2013 and comments on the colonisation of Indian Ocean Islands. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France 50: 336 - 342. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00379271.2014.938548","Tsacas L. & Rafael V. 1982. Drosophila malagassya nouvelle espece malgache du groupe melanogaster, sous-groupe montium (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Revue Francaise d'Entomologie 4: 86 - 90."]}

Site-based conservation is widely recognized as a fundamental requirement for the maintenance of biodiversity. We carried out a rapid biological assessment from 17 March to 14 May 2011 in the southwestern part of the provisionally protected rainforest corridor between Marojejy, Anjanaharibe-Sud and Tsaratanana protected areas (COMATSA), northern Madagascar, to assess its biodiversity richness and species conservation status. We recorded 248 endemic vertebrate species, including 80 amphibians, 52 reptiles, 79 birds, 27 small mammals and 10 lemurs. Of these 248 species, 36 are threatened including one Critically Endangered (one lemur), nine Endangered (two amphibians, four reptiles and three lemurs) and 26 Vulnerable (10 amphibians, six reptiles, four birds, one small mammal and five lemurs). For herpetofauna species, the pair COMATSAc –cMarojejy was the only site that had a similarity value greater than 0.50. For birds and lemurs, values of similarity in three pairs of sites COMATSAc –c Marojejy, COMATSA c –c Anjanaharibe-Sud and Marojejyc –c Anjanaharibe-Sud exceeded those of herpetofauna in COMATSAc –c Marojejy. The inclusion of the COMATSA into the new protected area network in Madagascar is supported by our findings. Il est dorénavant largement reconnu que pour maintenir la biodiversité, il est fondamental de réaliser la conservation de la nature au niveau des sites. Un inventaire biologique rapide a été mené du 17 mars au 14 mai 2011 dans la partie sud-ouest du couloir forestier reliant les parcs et réserves du Marojejy, d’Anjanaharibe- Sud et du Tsaratanana (COMATSA). L’inventaire de ce couloir qui bénéficie d’un statut de protection temporaire dans la partie septentrionale de Madagascar, était destiné à évaluer la richesse de sa biodiversité et le statut de conservation des espèces de vertébrés qu’il héberge. Les résultats ont montré que parmi les 248 espèces endémiques de vertébrés recensées, 80 sont des amphibiens, 52 des reptiles, 79 des oiseaux, 27 des petits mammifères mammifères et 10 des lémuriens. Sur ces 248 espèces, 36 sont menacées, dont une espèce qui est en Danger Critique d’Extinction (lémurien), neuf en Danger (deux amphibiens, quatre reptiles et trois lémuriens) et 26 Vulnérables (1 0 amphibiens, six reptiles, quatre oiseaux, un micromammifère et cinq lémuriens). Ce couloir forestier présente un coefficient de similarité élevé, d’une valeur supérieure à 0.50 avec le Marojejy pour les amphibiens et les reptiles. Pour les oiseaux et les lémuriens, les coefficients sont encore plus importants, plus particulièrement dans les comparaisons COMATSAc –c Marojejy, COMATSAc –c Anjanaharibe- Sud et Marojejyc –c Anjanaharibe-Sud. Cette étude confirme l’importance d’intégrer le COMATSA dans le réseau des Aires Protégées de Madagascar pour renforcer la protection des espèces de vertébrés endémiques et menacées.

Symbiotic bacteria are known to play important roles in the biology of insects, but the current knowledge of bacterial communities associated with mosquitoes is very limited and consequently their contribution to host behaviors is mostly unknown. In this study, we explored the composition and diversity of mosquito-associated bacteria in relation with mosquitoes' habitats. Wild Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were collected in three different geographic regions of Madagascar. Culturing methods and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of the rrs amplicons revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the major phyla. Isolated bacterial genera were dominated by Bacillus, followed by Acinetobacter, Agrobacterium and Enterobacter. Common DGGE bands belonged to Acinetobacter, Asaia, Delftia, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae and an uncultured Gammaproteobacterium. Double infection by maternally inherited Wolbachia pipientis prevailed in 98% of males (n=272) and 99% of females (n=413); few individuals were found to be monoinfected with Wolbachia wAlbB strain. Bacterial diversity (Shannon-Weaver and Simpson indices) differed significantly per habitat whereas evenness (Pielou index) was similar. Overall, the bacterial composition and diversity were influenced both by the sex of individuals and by the environment inhabited by the mosquitoes; the latter might be related to both the vegetation and the animal host populations that Aedes used as food sources.

Avec les lémuriens, les baobabs sont certainement reconnus dans le monde comme l’un des groupes les plus emblématiques de Madagascar. La Grande Île abrite six espèces endémiques dont trois ‘En Danger’ sur la liste rouge de l’UICN et trois ‘Quasi - menacées’. Cet article se propose de passer en revue les dispositions mises en place ainsi que les opportunités et limites de la conservation et de la gestion durable des baobabs endémiques de Madagascar. En ratifiant les conventions internationales sur la diversité biologique (CDB) et sur le commerce international des espèces menacées (CITES), Madagascar s’est engagé à assurer la conservation et la gestion durable des baobabs, plus particulièrement celles des espèces menacées. Cependant, selon l’Arrêté n° 2915/87 du 7 septembre 1987 sur les produits accessoires des forêts, les baobabs de Madagascar sont considérés comme des produits forestiers non ligneux pouvant être exploités et aucune disposition n’a été prise pour gérer durablement leur exploitation. La présence des baobabs est confirmée dans 35 zones protégées mais, à l’exception de l’Allée des Baobabs et de la Montagne des Français, les baobabs ne sont pas considérés comme des cibles de conservation mais davantage comme des éléments profitant d’une protection intrinsèque en faisant partie intégrante d’habitats ciblés pour la conservation. Seule Adansonia grandidieri bénéficie de mesures de conservation régionales par la mise en place du Dinan’ny Menabe et de la stratégie de conservation de l’espèce dans la Région du Menabe. Or les pressions observées actuellement et les prospectives portant sur l’aire de distribution des deux autres espèces classées ‘En Danger’ que sont A. perrieri et A. suarezensis justifient la mise en place de stratégies de conservation.With lemurs, baobabs are the most emblematic species of Madagascar internationally. Seven species of the nine existing in the world are Madagascan endemic. This fact testifies the high rate of the biodiversity of the island. Having signed a number of international conventions, Madagascar intends to underline its commitment to the management and conservation of its natural resources. The international system of conservation framing is used for the implementation of national strategy. Thus, in addition to the international system of conservation systems such as the CBD, IUCN or CITES, baobabs of Madagascar are considered as non - timber forest products according to Decree N. 2915/87 of 7 September 1987 related to products accessories forest even if no term is clearly stipulated in this text. Moreover, there is no regulatory framework or specific text about conservation or exploitation of baobabs in Madagascar. Protected areas are then the only protection structures for baobabs. All species of Malagasy baobabs are represented in protected areas but their representation differs depending on the distribution of each species. Except for two protected areas, the baobab is not yet among the specific targets of conservation of protected areas in Madagascar. Adansonia grandidieri is an exception. It benefits indeed from two regional frameworks that specify measures to protect the species and priority activities to be undertaken for the species with the Dinan'ny Menabe and the regional conservation strategy for the species validated in 2013. At the local level, tools and instruments governing the management transfer could constitute framing elements for the management of baobabs. Some species have in fact non-negligible economic values without forgetting the cultural and religious values of some baobab trees. The implementation of the strategy for the conservation of each species is necessary at all levels especially in protected areas as three species are classified as ‘Endangered’ by IUCN. The conservation is necessary to ensure both sustainability of the species and integrity of all uses of baobabs.