Speciation in the Lesser Galagos

Masters, Judith

doi:10.1159/000052724

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These woodland species occupy different areas of floral endemism, and it is possible that speciation in lesser galagos might have taken place alongside that of their plant hosts, in response to the increasing aridity during the Middle Pleistocene [101]. Our study recovered Galago moholi as paraphyletic, possibly as a consequence of taxonomic misclassification of GenBank sequences and/or captive animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…In contrast, the clade including Galago senegalensis and Galago moholi was inferred to be quite recent (~1.2 Ma), as suggested by Masters [101]. These woodland species occupy different areas of floral endemism, and it is possible that speciation in lesser galagos might have taken place alongside that of their plant hosts, in response to the increasing aridity during the Middle Pleistocene [101].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A multilocus phylogeny reveals deep lineages within African galagids (Primates: Galagidae)

2014

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BackgroundBushbabies (Galagidae) are among the most morphologically cryptic of all primates and their diversity and relationships are some of the most longstanding problems in primatology. Our knowledge of galagid evolutionary history has been limited by a lack of appropriate molecular data and a paucity of fossils. Most phylogenetic studies have produced conflicting results for many clades, and even the relationships among genera remain uncertain. To clarify galagid evolutionary history, we assembled the largest molecular dataset for galagos to date by sequencing 27 independent loci. We inferred phylogenetic relationships using concatenated maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses, and also coalescent-based species tree methods to account for gene tree heterogeneity due to incomplete lineage sorting.ResultsThe genus Euoticus was identified as sister taxon to the rest of the galagids and the genus Galagoides was not recovered as monophyletic, suggesting that a new generic name for the Zanzibar complex is required. Despite the amount of genetic data collected in this study, the monophyly of the family Lorisidae remained poorly supported, probably due to the short internode between the Lorisidae/Galagidae split and the origin of the African and Asian lorisid clades. One major result was the relatively old origin for the most recent common ancestor of all living galagids soon after the Eocene-Oligocene boundary.ConclusionsUsing a multilocus approach, our results suggest an early origin for the crown Galagidae, soon after the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, making Euoticus one of the oldest lineages within extant Primates. This result also implies that one – or possibly more – stem radiations diverged in the Late Eocene and persisted for several million years alongside members of the crown group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multilocus phylogeny reveals deep lineages within African galagids (Primates: Galagidae)

2014

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“…The extant lesser galago radiation appears to be fairly recent [Masters, 1998]. Because torpor in mammals occurs in the phylogenetically older taxa [Geiser, 1998], the phylogenetic position of the lesser ga-lagos may explain the lack of torpor.…”

Section: Phylogenetic Positionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of Torpor in Free-Ranging Southern Lesser Galagos, Galago moholi: Ecological and Physiological Considerations

Mzilikazi¹,

Masters²,

Lovegrove³

2006

IJFP

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Studies investigating heterothermy under natural conditions are particularly scarce for tropical species. However, heterothermy patterns in tropical and subtropical environments often differ markedly from those observed in arctic and temperate species. The investigation of heterothermy in strepsirhine primates has focussed largely on the Malagasy cheirogaleids. In addition, a physiological verification of torpor occurrence in mainland strepsirhines is important with regard to arguments pertaining to the colonization of Madagascar by strepsirhine primates. We measured body temperatures of 11 free-ranging Galago moholi, between February 2002 and September 2003, for 3 consecutive months for each animal. No incidents of heterothermy were recorded throughout the study period. We considered how physiological and ecological aspects of G. moholi biology might have obviated the use of torpor. It was suggested that the breeding pattern observed in G. moholi prevented torpor use whilst increasing fecundity, and that the ecological costs of torpor far outweighed the energetic costs. This study highlights the need for more studies on free-ranging animals to elucidate the physiological, ecological and phylogenetic constraints and determinants of torpor use. Furthermore, if convincing arguments are to be made regarding the possible role of heterothermy in species dispersal, more data from free-ranging animals are needed.

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“…Some galagine groups are represented by a diverse array of relatively young species and subspecies, many of which are only now being recognized. The current surge of interest on the topic of galago diversity [3,[185][186][187][188], and the rethinking of speciation mechanisms [189][190][191][192] and species concepts in primatology [193], are the subjects of other papers in this volume [194,195]. These current studies are examples of how lorisids continue to play an important role in topics of general interest in anthropology and evolutionary biology [196].…”

Section: Evolution and Ecology In Modern Africa And Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary History of Lorisiform Primates

Rasmussén¹,

Nekaris²

1998

IJFP

102

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We integrate information from the fossil record, morphology, behavior and molecular studies to provide a current overview of lorisoid evolution. Several Eocene prosimians of the northern continents, including both omomyids and adapoids, have been suggested as possible lorisoid ancestors, but these cannot be substantiated as true strepsirhines. A small-bodied primate, Anchomomys, of the middle Eocene of Europe may be the best candidate among putative adapoids for status as a true strepsirhine. Recent finds of Eocene primates in Africa have revealed new prosimian taxa that are also viable contenders for strepsirhine status. Plesiopithecus teras is a Nycticebus-sized, nocturnal prosimian from the late Eocene, Fayum, Egypt, that shares cranial specializations with lorisoids, but it also retains primitive features (e.g. four premolars) and has unique specializations of the anterior teeth excluding it from direct lorisiform ancestry. Another unnamed Fayum primate resembles modern cheirogaleids in dental structure and body size. Two genera from Oman, Omanodon and Shizarodon, also reveal a mix of similarities to both cheirogaleids and anchomomyin adapoids. Resolving the phylogenetic position of these Africa primates of the early Tertiary will surely require more and better fossils. By the early to middle Miocene, lorisoids were well established in East Africa, and the debate about whether these represent lorisines or galagines is reviewed. Neontological data are used to address the controversial branching sequences among extant lorisid clades. Data from the skin and scent glands, when integrated with other lines of evidence, suggest that Asian and African lorisines share a common lorisine ancestry. The hypothesis of an African clade containing both pottos and galagos to the exclusion of Asian lorisines is less tenable. True galagines are found in the fossil record of Namibia, while true lorisines are known from the Miocene of Asia. The hypothetical branching sequences can be integrated with behavioral and morphological features to develop an adaptive model of lorisoid divergence. By specializing on two different foraging modes early in their radiation, lorisines and galagines subsequently underwent a chain of integrated evolutionary changes eventually having an impact on many components of locomotor behavior, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, life history, and social behavior. Ongoing evolutionary studies of extant galagines are illuminating population phenomena and processes of speciation in an ecological context.

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Speciation in the Lesser Galagos

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

A multilocus phylogeny reveals deep lineages within African galagids (Primates: Galagidae)

A multilocus phylogeny reveals deep lineages within African galagids (Primates: Galagidae)

Lack of Torpor in Free-Ranging Southern Lesser Galagos, Galago moholi: Ecological and Physiological Considerations

Evolutionary History of Lorisiform Primates

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