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In mammals, colouration patterns are often related to concealment, intraspecific communication, including aposematic signals, and physiological adaptations. Slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.) are arboreal primates native to Southeast Asia that display stark colour contrast, are highly territorial, regularly enter torpor, and are notably one of only seven mammal taxa that possess venom. All slow loris species display a contrasting stripe that runs cranial‐caudally along the median sagittal plane of the dorsum. We examine whether these dorsal markings facilitate background matching, seasonal adaptations, and intraspecific signaling. We analyzed 195 images of the dorsal region of 60 Javan slow loris individuals (Nycticebus javanicus) from Java, Indonesia. We extracted greyscale RGB values from dorsal pelage using ImageJ software and calculated contrast ratios between dorsal stripe and adjacent pelage in eight regions. We assessed through generalized linear mixed models if the contrast ratio varied with sex, age, and seasonality. We also examined whether higher contrast was related to more aggressive behavior or increased terrestrial movement. We found that the dorsal stripe of N. javanicus changed seasonally, being longer and more contrasting in the wet season, during which time lorises significantly increased their ground use. Stripes were most contrasting in younger individuals of dispersal age that were also the most aggressive during capture. The dorsal stripe became less contrasting as a loris aged. A longer stripe when ground use is more frequent can be related to disruptive colouration. A darker anterior region by younger lorises with less fighting experience may allow them to appear larger and fiercer. We provide evidence that the dorsum of a cryptic species can have multimodal signals related to concealment, intraspecific communication, and physiological adaptations., We present evidence for disruptive colouration and aposematic conspecific signaling in the dorsal pelage of a venomous mammal, the Javan slow loris. We also present the first evidence for pelage contrast seasonality in this species.

The Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) is an endemic primate species to Java Island, Indonesia. Currently, their conservation status is critically endangered due to habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade. As a consequence of the pet trade, wild-caught slow lorises are confiscated or handed over to centers like IAR Indonesia Rescue Center. Rescued lorises present multiple health issues following stress, trauma, and miss-treatment after being kept as pets. During the medical evaluation, besides physical examination, blood biochemistry provides valuable diagnostic information. However, data on physiological values are unavailable and therefore interpretation of results is difficult. The objective of this study was to establish blood biochemistry reference values for wild, rehabilitant healthy adult Javan slow lorises in captivity. We anesthetized 20 individuals of Javan slow loris (10 males and 10 females) for pre-release check-up procedures. Blood samples were collected for blood biochemistry analysis on an in-house Vetscan VS2 (Zoetis), after which the results were statistically analyzed for mean and standard deviation. Results showed different values between the male and female group, however, they were not significant (p>0,05). Comparison with available biochemistry data (ZIMS) for other loris species in captivity: Nycticebus pygmaeus and Nycticebus coucang, did not show significant differences. Although the sample size of this study was limited, this study provides the first preliminary reference ranges for healthy adult wild, rehabilitant Javan slow loris in captivity. Further data collection is necessary for more accurate ranges and will be done during the future pre-release health check.

India harbors a wide diversity of primates with 24 species that include lorises, macaques, langurs and gibbons. Systematic research on the primates in India started about 60 years ago. In order to develop a historical perspective, we recognize three broad phases of primate research: largely natural history and base line research, primarily behavioral ecology research, and increasingly question and hypothesis-driven research. We describe the old and the recent primate research in the country and suggest research areas for the future.

Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) is a slow moving nocturnal prosimian primate. Javan slow lorises are considered critically endangered by International Union for the Conservation of Nature. To date, there is limited source information available regarding wild loris ecology and behavior. In this study, home range areas and use space of wild Javan slow loris was carried out in Mount Halimun-Salak National Park. This study aims to measure home range size and to analyze activity budgets in natural forest conditions. Kernel Home Range methods were used to analyze home range areas, while Point Centered Quarter methods were used to collect habitat data, and five minute Instantaneous-Focal Animal Sampling was used to observe and record behavioral data. Two adult female lorises were observed. Analysis showed contiguous home range sizes of 5.43 and 5.58 hectares for Individuals I and II, respectively. These home ranges were larger than that reported in Malaysian Nycticebus coucang. Behavioral analysis showed that daily activities were dominated by travel, feeding, active, and foraging, which took place primarily in the lower canopy stratum, whereas sleeping typically occurred in the medium canopy stratum. The use of space of Javan slow loris correlated with height, substrat, contact, and size of branch.

The Philippines is considered a megadiverse country. However, there are few published studies on its nonhuman primate (NHP) species (Carlito syrichta, Macaca fascicularis, and Nycticebus menagensis). Understanding the nature and extent of existing NHP research in the Philippines would help us to determine research gaps and opportunities. Thus, studies on NHPs of Philippine origin were retrieved from online databases including Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Primate Lit, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), and relevant authors. Of a total of 107 studies on Philippine NHP from 1989 to 2019, most focused on Philippine long-tailed macaque (52.78%), and Philippine tarsier (42.59%), with far fewer on Philippine slow loris (4.63%). Fewer studies were based on fieldwork (26.17%); more were based on research on captive animals or that undertaken in the laboratory (34.58%), or used only existing specimens or data (33.64%). Studies on wild NHPs were mostly conducted in Bohol Island. In terms of the type of research, studies on diseases (38.60%) were the most prevalent for macaques; ecological studies (23.91%) for tarsiers; evolutionary, taxonomic, and systematic studies (40%), and ecological and natural history studies (40%) for lorises. Philippine researchers and collaborations with foreign researchers contributed fewer studies (43.93%) than foreign-only researchers (56.07%). In conclusion, although research on Philippine NHPs is increasing, there is a bias with regards to the species studied, the type of research, and study location. Conservation-driven studies are also lacking. These gaps offer opportunities for further research to identify threats to the survival of NHPs in the Philippines, and for the development of plans and effective strategies for their conservation.

Precise knowledge of a species’ habitat requirements is essential for its conservation. Very little information exists on the habitat requirements of the Malabar slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus malabaricus), a nocturnal primate, making it difficult to formulate conservation action plans. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ecological determinants of t he Malabar slender loris at the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India. We conducted surveys in a 1-km2 area in the southwest end of the sanctuary. We overlaid the study site with 1-ha grids and selected 83 grids for sampling. We surveyed each grid on five consecutive nights for the presence and abundance of lorises. We measured tree species richness, basal area, mean tree height, percentage shrub cover, percentage climber cover, climber species richness, percentage canopy cover, tree felling and branch lopping, paths, and the time taken to walk the trail. We built 19 models for occupancy and 17 models for abundance using PRESENCE 12.9. We detected 69 lorises in total in a 57.05-km walk with an encounter rate of 1.33 ± 0.21 SE individuals/km. The detection probability was 0.25 ± 0.04 SE for occupancy, and 0.13 ± 0.04 SE for abundance. The naive occupancy estimate for loris was 0.48, but the occupancy estimate of the top model with covariates was 0.67 ± 0.12 SE. The estimate of abundance (λ) was 2.40 ± 1.04 SE per grid cell. Basal area, species richness of the trees, and tree felling and branch lopping were the major positive determinants of loris occupancy and abundance. In contrast, the percentage climber cover negatively influenced occupancy and abundance. This suggests that climbers do not provide a complete platform for the lorises to move, while tree species richness and basal area reflect a greater number of trees that provide more connectivity than climbers. Detailed investigations using the methods we employed can be undertaken throughout the range of this species to determine occupancy and formulate conservation and management plans.

Vertebrate predation and consumption by wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus spp.) is rare. In contrast to recorded observations of slow loris consumption by Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), no cases of this have been previously published for Bornean orangutans in the wild. In 2017, we observed the capture and consumption of a slow loris (Nycticebus borneanus) by an adult unflanged male Bornean orangutan at Tuanan Orangutan Research Station, which is located in the Kapuas region of Central Kalimantan. The unflanged male was together with an adult female and her 3.5-year-old offspring throughout the event. However, despite the mother and her offspring watching the male closely and occasionally begging while he consumed the loris, he resisted all food-taking attempts. This study reports, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented case of slow loris predation and consumption by a Bornean orangutan, and thus provides an important data point for understanding primate predation on other primate species.

There are 2 species of slender lorises found in Sri Lanka: the red slender loris, Loris tardigradus (Linnaeus, 1758), endemic to the wet zone and montane areas, and the grey slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus (Cabrera, 1908), which is widespread. In addition, currently there are 2 subspecies recognized for each of these 2 slender loris species of Sri Lanka. Yet their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood, and there are some preliminary data suggesting the presence of other subspecies. In this study, we have analysed the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequence of 21 Loris specimens collected from 7 different regions in Sri Lanka. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed based on the neighbour joining method and Bayesian approach revealed 2 clades with high branch supports (>60%), consistent with the 2 slender loris species. Moreover, the samples within the Loris lydekkerianus clade were divided into 3 taxa and the samples within the Loris tardigradus clade were divided into 4 taxa, all consistent with the 7 sampling zones. The results of the study have provided the first DNA barcoding analysis on slender lorises in Sri Lanka to resolve phylogenetic relationships. Further studies on Loris are necessary for decoding their taxonomic issues in Sri Lanka.

In the first systematic study about the Italian detective novel (1979), Loris Rambelli dates the beginnings of the genre to 1929, the publication year of the first of publisher Mondadori's ‘Yellow Books’ (Libri Gialli), the series of yellow-covered books which made the ‘giallo’ synonymous with a crime novel. Nonetheless, texts dealing with mysteries, criminals, police, trials and detection enthralled Italian readers from the 1850s on, complying with the modern dynamics of mass phenomena, contributing to the modern conception of the genre, and playing a crucial role in the culture and society of a recently unified Italy. Not conforming to a recognizable genre-structure, the pre-1929 period has been defined the “prehistory of Italian crime fiction” or protogiallo and has become a topic of academic interest only in recent years. The newness of the scholarship explains the methodological difficulties researchers have to face, such as the classification problem – it is very complex to establish common critical criteria for analyzing diverse materials such as feuilletons, novels, short stories and famous trials journals – and the objective delay in the development of the genre in Italy, especially compared to the British, American and French cases. Building on the recent line of investigation, this paper examines such critical issues in order to identify a methodological approach and a theoretical framework useful to study the prehistory of Italian crime fiction.

Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot with high human density that contributes to increasing human-monkey conflict (HMC). In 50 years of primate studies there, the development of HMC has been documented, and many workshops and interventions organized to ameliorate HMC. These activities prompted the present survey. In the extensive lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka, the affected nonhuman primates are the toque macaque, gray and purple-faced langurs and slender loris. We surveyed and evaluated the attitudes of rural residents towards these four species in an effort to contribute to an ethnoprimatological approach to conservation, i.e., promote a coexistence and sharing of habitat between humans and monkeys. We selected 13 villages near Polonnaruwa, located centrally in the dry zone. The four nonhuman primate species differ in their behavioral ecologies, and this influenced how frequently they were thought of as pests. Most HMC was with the macaque and gray langur, less with the purple-faced langur and least with the loris. The underlying sentiment among stakeholders towards monkeys was generally either neutral or positive. Nonetheless, the majority (80%) of people desired a translocation of the troublesome monkeys from their properties to protected areas, which is impractical. Few (< 1%) openly wanted monkeys destroyed. While a traditional reverence for monkeys provides a solid basis for science and media-based education, it also contributes to the feeding of monkeys and consequent unnatural population growth, and enhanced HMC. Public understanding of the underlying causes of HMC was poor, hindering effective solutions. A combination of a feeding ban, possibly contraceptive intervention at localized HMC trouble spots, and extensive education may be the only benign alternatives to the destruction of wild primates by a powerful minority. Coexistence through strengthening and expansion of exclusive suitable protected habitats for all wildlife is a priority.

Author(s): Colasanto, Elisa; Galli, Loris | Abstract: Pycnogonida is a poorly known class of marine arthropods represented by nearly 1350 species described worldwide. We examined data about these organisms available on seven websites for photographs and information sharing among recreational naturalists. We found 384 observations, mainly with data about locality and date. Photos about 65 of them resulted correctly identified to the species level with certainty. The others refer to species whose identification requires a more in-depth analysis under a microscope. Unfortunately, this problem is common to a high percentage of pycnogonids. Therefore it seems unlikely that citizen scientists could contribute significantly to their knowledge. Nevertheless, for some species this would be possible and data on the presence of the taxon could be useful for more general studies at community level.

A necropsy study of the Lemur Lori was carried out. Physiologically, Lemurs have a very sensitive gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, these animals almost keep the lead in the incidence of pathologies of the oral cavity, stomach, and intestines. The study was carried out in the dissection room of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty of the Altai State Agrarian University. The object was the animal corpse of a Lemur Loris: animal species: monkey; gender: female; age: 1.5 years; breed: Loris; the owner is a private zoo; provisional diagnosis: not known. The following methods were used: history taking; postmortem examination according to Shor’s method with a description of the results obtained; photographing; analysis of the data obtained with the help of fact-finding. As a result of the postmortem examination, the following changes were recorded: pulmonary edema, acute congestive hyperemia and emphysema; acute expansion of the right atrium and ventricle of the heart; acute catarrhal-hemorrhagic esophagitis and gastroenteritis; acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis; acute serous-hemorrhagic lymphadenitis of the mesenteric lymph nodes; liver and kidneys fatty degeneration; cyanosis of the conjunctiva, tunica mucosa of the mouth; obesity. Thus, death occurred as a result of pulmonary arrest (pulmonary edema), which was the result of autointoxication (inflammatory processes in the stomach, intestines, pancreas). The cause of autointoxication is a long-term and major violation of the norms of feeding and maintenance, stress, and presumably a drug that was administered to the animal, namely, an incorrect dose or individual intolerance of its constituent components.

Background: LORIS is a multi-centre, randomised (1:1) controlled trial of Surgery v Active Monitoring with annual mammography in patients with low risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). During a 2 year Feasibility Study potential patients were invited to complete the Clinical Trials Questionnaire (CTQ)1 and participate in a semi structured telephone interview about the verbal, written and DVD based trial information. The DVD was produced to complement the patient information sheet (PIS) and incorporates simple graphics and a Q&A session with women asking the Chief Investigator questions about the trial. Aims:To examine the reasons for trial participation/rejection and obtain feedback about the clarity, timing and usefulness of the PIS and DVD in order to identify potential communication drivers and barriers to trial recruitment. Methods: Participants completed the CTQ1 prior to randomisation and with their consent were contacted following randomisation for an interview. Women declining the trial were issued with an optional pack containing the CTQ1 and the researchers' contact details if they wanted an interview. The CTQ1 comprises16 reasons that might influence a decision to either accept or decline a trial. For each statement participants register their agreement or disagreement on a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) and indicate the most important reason for their decision. Interviews explored factors such as, attitudes about randomisation, and usefulness of the trial information provided. Results: 41 patients were randomised during feasibility; 20 surgery, 21 active monitoring, 16 patients declined the trial. 40/41(98%) acceptors and 9/16 (56%) decliners completed the CTQ1. The main reason for joining LORIS was:- “I thought the trial offered the best treatment available” 13/40 (32%) and for decling the trial was “The idea of randomisation worried me” (4/9; 44%). 35 interviews were conducted (31/41 (76%) accepted and 4/16 (25%) declined LORIS). At interview acceptors commented that the PIS was very useful and clear (84%; 26/31 & 90%; 28/31, respectively). 74% (23/31) of women who joined LORIS watched the DVD and the majority (19/23; 83%) found it “very useful” and 22 (22/23; 96%) “very easy to understand”. A third of women (10/31) said the PIS and the DVD helped them decide to participate in LORIS. Women who declined the trial had clear treatment preferences; 2/4 did not watch the DVD. Three quarters of women interviewed (19/25) watched the DVD with family members/friends and found it reassuring. One commented it was “Put in words you can understand and not be baffled by”. The most popular aspect was the Q&A session (13/25; 52%). Conclusions:The LORIS DVD was a useful, easy to understand recruitment tool, complementing the PIS. Many women felt reassured that the content was consistent with, and added to that provided by healthcare professionals. Opinions of family and friends, worries about randomisation and personal preferences exert an influence of those declining these types of trial. Fallowfield LJ, Jenkins V, et al. (1998) Attitudes of patients to randomised clinical trials of cancer therapy. Eur J Cancer 34(10):1554–1559. Citation Format: Fallowfield LJ, Matthews L, Jenkins VA, May SF, Francis A, Rae D, Wallis M. Interview data from women contemplating LORIS trial entry during the feasibility study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-08-01.

Wildlife trade can present a major threat to primate populations. In Vietnam, slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) are subject to local, regional and international demand for diverse uses including as medicine, as meat and for pets. Ethnographic approaches explore the nuances of human-primate interactions in complex sociocultural contexts. We combined ethnographic interviews of key informants with information from questionnaires, focus groups and a movie broadcast on Vietnamese television to explore diverse knowledge and values related to slow lorises and their use in trade in Vietnam. We infer prices, uses and networks for expanding targeted regional and international markets as compared to the opportunistic local one. We highlight key findings related to gendered knowledge about slow lorises and more-than-human ontologies of slow lorises as active participants in human-slow loris interactions. We suggest that conservation efforts should pay attention to the clarification of vernacular names, and use names that highlight ecological or behavioural qualities of slow lorises, rather than other names that could be confused with medicinal remedies. Our results confirm the dynamic complexity of trade in Vietnam, highlighting the importance of ethnographic methods to explore diverse knowledge and values for place-based or site-appropriate conservation management of primates and other highly traded taxa.

Mammalian skeletal muscle is influenced by the functional demands placed upon it. Functional morphology of facial expression musculature, or mimetic musculature, is largely unknown. Recently, primate mimetic musculature has been shown to respond to demands associated with social factors. Body size has also been demonstrated to affect many aspects of primate functional morphology and evolutionary morphology. The present study was designed to further examine the role of social variables and body size in influencing the morphology of primate mimetic musculature using a broad phylogenetic range of primates, primates with varying body sizes, and those that exploit differing time of day activity cycles and social group sizes. Gross data on mimetic musculature morphology were gathered from tarsiers (Tarsius bancanus), slender lorises (Loris tardigradus), ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus), black lemurs (E. macaco), owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus), and howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) and compared to previous results from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), gibbons and siamangs (hylobatids), rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), Sulawesi macaques (M. nigra), common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), and greater bushbabies (Otolemur spp.). Mimetic muscle presence/absence was observed and recorded. Results revealed that phylogenetic position determines the overall mimetic muscle groundplan, with anthropoids having a high number of muscles in the superciliary and midface regions, strepsirrhines having a high number of muscles in the external ear region, and tarsiers displaying an intermediate condition. Within these broad taxonomic categories body size had an effect on mimetic musculature, while time of day activity and social group size had smaller effects. Anat Rec, 301:202-215, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers are socially and ecologically diverse primates that include some of the most endangered mammals. We review results of long-term studies of 15 lemur species from 7 sites in Madagascar and 1 species each of loris and tarsier in Indonesia. We emphasize that the existence of long-term study populations is a crucial prerequisite for planning and conducting shorter studies on specific topics, as exemplified by various ecophysiological studies of lemurs. Extended studies of known individuals have revealed variation in social organization within and between ecologically similar species. Even for these primates with relatively fast life histories, it required more than a decade of paternity data to characterize male reproductive skew. The long-term consequences of female rank on reproductive success remain poorly known, however. Long-term monitoring of known individuals is the only method to obtain data on life-history adaptations, which appear to be shaped by predation in the species covered here; long-term studies are also needed for addressing particular questions in community ecology. The mere presence of long-term projects has a positive effect on the protection of study sites, and they generate unique data that are fundamental to conservation measures, such as close monitoring of populations.

Nycticebus spp, commonly known as the slow lorus, is a small nocturnal primate found mainly in Asia. The adult slow loris weighs between 265 g and 1150 g depending on the type of species. It has a characteristic round head with large, forward-facing eyes. Slow lorises are known for their poisonous bite and are the only venomous primates. To date, there have been two published cases of slow loris bite in humans. This case report illustrates a case of anaphylactic shock following a bite of a wild Kayan slow loris (Nycticebus kayan) to a young man at Mulu District, in a remote area of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The patient developed dyspnoea, a feeling of suffocation, swollen lips and cramp-like sensations over both hands. He subsequently developed syncope and hypotension. The patient was clinically stable following intramuscular injection of adrenaline 0.5 mg stat dose.

'Macrosmatic' mammals have dedicated olfactory regions within their nasal cavity and segregated airstreams for olfaction and respiratory air-conditioning. Here, we examined the 3D distribution of olfactory surface area (SA) and nasal airflow patterns in the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), a primate with primitive nasal cavities, except for enlarged eyes that converge upon the posterodorsal nasal region. Using the head of an adult loris cadaver, we co-registered micro-computed tomography (CT) slices and histology sections to create a 3D reconstruction of the olfactory mucosa distribution. Histological sections were used to measure olfactory surface area and to annotate CT reconstructions. The loris has a complex olfactory recess (∼19% of total nasal SA) with multiple olfactory turbinals. However, the first ethmoturbinal has a rostral projection that extends far anterior to the olfactory recess, lined by ∼90% non-olfactory epithelium. Only one (of three) frontoturbinals bears olfactory mucosa. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of nasal airflow and odorant deposition revealed that there is some segregation of respiratory and olfactory flow in the loris nose, but that it is not as distinct as in well-studied 'macrosmats' (e.g. the dog). In the loris, airflow is segregated medially and laterally to vertically elongated, plate-like first ethmoturbinals. Thus, lorises may be said to have certain macrosmatic anatomical characteristics (e.g. olfactory recess), but not segregated nasal airflow patterns that are optimized for olfaction, as in canids. These results imply that a binary 'microsmatic/macrosmatic' dichotomy does not exist. Rather, mammals appear to exhibit complex trends with respect to specialization of the turbinals and recesses.

Joint impacts of anthropogenic disturbance and climate change are of pressing concern for modern conservationists. Climate change patterns have various diminishing effects on the biodiversity of an ecosystem, requiring an understanding of a species’ ability to adapt. Agricultural practices are expanding at an altitudinal gradient on the Indonesian island of Java, forcing endemic species to range at increased elevation with lower temperatures, and in human-populated areas. One example is the Critically Endangered Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus), which finds itself increasingly restricted to montane regions with extreme climate patterns and habitat disturbance. We observed wild N. javanicus in a highly fragmented, montane agroforest area to determine if climate variables and forest connectivity influence activity budget and behavior. Lorises ranged at different altitudes (1275 m above sea level (asl)—1570 m asl) and were observed for six months in Cipaganti, West Java. Using multinomial regression analyses, we found loris individuals were most likely to engage in increased foraging, feeding and travelling behavior than resting when relative humidity increases and in habitats with greater forest connectivity. Regression analyses found effects of relative humidity and forest connectivity to be the most significant predictors of N. javanicus foraging behavior (P = 0.001, P = 0.030). We suggest that future-climate shifts and increased anthropogenic disturbance will detrimentally influence wild populations of N. javanicus, requiring immediate plans for mitigation in conserving these already scarce wild populations. We also suggest the altering of reintroduction protocols in relation to climate and geographic region.