The value of the spineless monkey orange tree (Strychnos madagascariensis) for conservation of northern sportive lemurs (Lepilemur milanoii and L. ankaranensis)

Tree hollows provide shelters for a large number of forest-dependent vertebrate species worldwide. In Madagascar, where high historical and ongoing rates of deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for a major environmental crisis, reduced availability of tree hollows may lead to declines in hollow-dwelling species such as sportive lemurs, one of the most species-rich groups of lemurs. The identification of native tree species used by hollow-dwelling lemurs may facilitate targeted management interventions to maintain or improve habitat quality for these lemurs. During an extensive survey of sportive lemurs in northern Madagascar, we identified one tree species, Strychnos madagascariensis (Loganiaceae), the spineless monkey orange tree, as a principal sleeping site of two species of northern sportive lemurs, Lepilemur ankaranensis and L. milanoii (Lepilemuridae). This tree species represented 32.5% (n=1 50) of the 458 sleeping sites recorded. This result suggests that S. madagascariensis may be valuable for the conservation of hollow-dwelling lemurs.FCT grant: (SFRH/BD/64875/2009), GDRI Madagascar, the Laboratoire d’Excellence (LABEX) entitled TULIP (ANR-1 0-LABX-41 ), the Rufford Small Grant Foundation grant: (10941 -1), Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, the LIA BEEG-B (Laboratoire International Associé - Bioinformatics, Ecology, Evolution, Genomics and Behaviour) (CNRS), National Science Foundation grant: (DEB-1 25791 6)