Tropical forests harbor extremely high levels of biological diversity and are quickly disappearing. Despite the increasingly recognized high rate of habitat loss, it is expected that new species will be discovered as more effort is put to document tropical biodiversity. Exploring under-studied regions is particularly urgent if we consider the rapid changes in habitat due to anthropogenic activities. Madagascar is known for its extraordinary biological diversity and endemicity. It is also threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. It holds more than 100 endemic primate species (lemurs). Among these, Microcebus (mouse lemurs) is one of the more diverse genera.We sampled mouse lemurs from several sites across northern Madagascar, including forests never sampled before. We obtained morphological data from 99 Microcebus individuals; we extracted DNA from tissue samples of 42 individuals and amplified two mitochondrial loci (cytb and cox2) commonly used for species identification. Our findings update the distribution of three species (Microcebus tavaratra, Microcebus arnholdi, and Microcebus mamiratra), including a major increase in the distribution *Gabriele Maria Sgarlata and Jordi Salmona are shared first co-authors. area of M. arnholdi. We also report the discovery of a new Microcebus lineage genetically related to M. arnholdi. Several complementary approaches suggest that the newly identified Microcebus lineage might correspond to a new putative species, to be confirmed or rejected with additional data. In addition, morphological analyses showed (a) clear phenotypic differences between M. tavaratra and M. arnholdi, but no clear differences between the new Microcebus lineage and the sister species M. arnholdi; and (b) a significant correlation between climatic variables and morphology, suggesting a possible relationship between species identity, morphology, and environment. By integrating morphological, climatic, genetic, and spatial data of two northern Microcebus species, we show that the spatial distribution of forestdwelling species may be used as a proxy to reconstruct the past spatial changes in forest cover and vegetation type.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSwas not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/216382 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Nov. 8, 2017; frequency of these four factors vary among forest types suggesting that differences may exist 35 but still require research efforts for ecological and environmental differences among regions to 36 be fully understood. 37Key words: Madagascar, Microcebus, habitat alteration, human impact, degraded forest. 38 39 . CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license It is made available under a was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/216382 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Nov. 8, 2017; INTRODUCTION 40Madagascar is considered one of the world's "hottest" biodiversity hotspots due to its areas (Deppe, Randriamiarisoa, Schütte, & Wright, 2007; Ganzhorn, 1987), and in garden 59 environments (Irwin et al., 2010). Aside these evidences, mouse lemurs are forest-dwelling 60 species, and depend on forest for survival (Ganzhorn & Schmid, 1998; Karanewsky & Wright, 61 . 8, 2017; 2015). Thus, DF might only harbor sink populations. Understanding the use of DF by mouse 62 lemurs may therefore be crucial to their conservation (Schwitzer et al., 2013). CC-BY-NC4.0 International license It is made available under a was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/216382 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Nov. 63Dry and humid forest species typically have a different diet (Kappeler & Rasoloarison, 2003; 64 Radespiel, 2007), and dry forests generally harbor higher population densities than humid 65 forests (Randrianambinina et al., 2010;Setash et al., 2017). In addition, western dry and eastern

Subsistence hunting is an essential livelihood strategy of Indigenous people in the Amazon. The present study examines the aspects influencing hunting practices by the Indigenous Maraguá people in the central Amazon, Brazil. We used a Generalized Additive Model to test the effects of economic (breeding of domestic animals), demographic (individual age), cultural (preference for hunting vs. fishing), and religious (Adventism, an Evangelical denomination vs. other Christian beliefs) factors on the frequency of hunting. We used a Principal Coordinate Analysis to assess how religious taboos associated with Adventism determine the composition of target taxa. The average hunting frequency of the 26 interviewees was 10.2 trips per month. Sixty-five percent (n = 17) of the interviewees were non-Adventists, and 35% (n = 9) were Adventists. Both younger and older people hunted less frequently than those in the middle age group (c. 50 years old). We found no influence of religious affiliation or breeding of domestic animals on the frequency of hunting. Ten taxa were cited as favorite game by the informants, and while Adventists avoided eating several mammalian taxa, non-Adventists did not declare any religious dietary restrictions. This study is one of the first to approach the influence of modern Christian belief systems on hunting habits of Indigenous Amazonian people. We highlight the importance of considering of cultural and religious particularities in research on subsistence hunting and design of management plans for Indigenous lands in Amazonia.