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Subspecies were traditionally defined by identifying gaps between phenotypes across the geographic range of a species, and may represent important units in the development of conservation strategies focused on preserving genetic diversity. Previous taxonomic research proposed that phenotypic variation between scattered Indri indri populations warranted the naming of two distinct subspecies, I. i. indri and I. i. variegatus. We tested these subspecific designations using mitochondrial sequence data generated from the control region or D-loop (569 bp) and a large section (2362 bp) of multiple genes and tRNAs known as Pastorini's fragment and nuclear microsatellite markers. This study used 114 samples of I. indri from 12 rainforest sites in eastern Madagascar, encompassing the entire range of the species. These genetic samples represent multiple populations from low- and high-elevation forests from both putative subspecies. Molecular analyses of the mitochondrial sequence data did not support the two proposed subspecies. Furthermore, the microsatellite analyses showed no significant differences across the range beyond population level differentiation. This study demonstrates the utility of incorporating multiple lines of evidence in addition to phenotypic traits to define species or subspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic data can be combined with ecological data to study the demographic history of a species, identify landscape features that influence migration patterns, and guide conservation efforts. Perrier's sifaka ( Propithecus perrieri) is a Critically Endangered, rare, and elusive social lemur living in a very restricted, fragmented landscape. To assess the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic diversity of the Perrier's sifaka population we examined 24 microsatellite markers genotyped for 67 samples corresponding to 42 individuals. Perrier's sifaka shows a low current effective population size ( ca. 52-105) and a strong heterozygosity excess, suggesting a historically large but dwindling population. Moreover, we identified a pattern of isolation by distance, typical of continuous habitat, suggesting that sifakas were still able to cross the grasslands between forest fragments in the recent past. Our study calls for a unified conservation plan covering the two protected areas where the species is still present, if not the whole area of its past distribution. Further studies inferring the past demographic history of Perrier's sifaka may confirm the population decline and shed light on its potential causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen dinucleotide microsatellite loci were isolated from the genome of Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi . All loci were polymorphic when genotyped on a minimum of 16 animals. The number of alleles across these loci ranges from two to 11. Additionally, seven of these loci were genotyped across a minimum of 200 animals in order to estimate heterozygosity and their potential for parentage assignment in this population. Using these seven loci, the mean heterozygosity in this population is 0.705, and the combined probability of these seven loci to exclude a random individual from parentage, when one parent is known, is 0.996. These data suggest that these loci will be useful for estimating a variety of population genetic and genealogical parameters in P. v. verreauxi populations. Am. J. Primatol. 55:253–259, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report we describe the development and characterization of six dinucleotide microsatellite loci for the ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta). The new markers were isolated from the genomic DNA of L. catta and all loci were found to be polymorphic when evaluated by genotyping a minimum of 34 individuals. Mendelian inheritance of each locus was verified using four families of captive ring-tailed lemurs. The loci presented will facilitate the genetic survey of free-ranging L. catta, enabling study of their social organization and mating patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]