Morphometries and pelage characterization of longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from Pulau Bintan, Indonesia; Singapore; and Southern Vietnam

Jason S. Villano, Bryan E. Ogden, Peggy P. Yong, Natividad M. Lood, Patrick E. Sharp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cynomolgus (or longtailed) macaques (Macaco, fascicularis) are used extensively as laboratory animals in biomedical research. Their use in Singapore, an emerging biomedical hub in Southeast Asia, is now increasing widely, with research subjects currently originating from Singapore, Vietnam, and Pulau Bintan, Indonesia. Limited data exist on the genetic and phenotypic polymorphisms and phylogenetic relationships of these groups, and the animals are used as research subjects without regard to potential differences or homogeneity. Here we characterize their phenotypes by using established primatology tools to detail morphometries and pelage erythrism and saturation. Pelage analyses supported the Gloger rule, in which heavily pigmented forms predominate near the equator, with Singaporean and Bintan macaques having darker pelage than Vietnamese macaques. Morphometric variation patterns suggest a tendency toward insular dwarfism and correlate generally with the Bergmann rule, in which body mass increases with latitude and colder climate. Although the 3 populations all belong to the nominotypical subspecies M. f. fascicularis, phenotypic differences are evident and are valuable tools to analyze their phylogeographic history and phylogenetic relationships.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)727-733
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
Volume48
Issue number6
StatePublished - Nov 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Animal Science and Zoology

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