Habitat use of an unstudied Lepilemur in the northwest Madagascar: L. mittermeieri

Biodiversity and endemism is very high in Madagascar and Genus Lepilemur is part of the endemic mammalian fauna of the island. Sportive lemurs have small distribution ranges, fairly small total populations and are particularly negatively affected by deforestation and habitat fragmentation, serious threats for the biological diversity of the island. Our research focus on one poorly-known taxon, Lepilemur mittermeieri. The distribution range of this endangered species is restricted to the Ampasindava peninsula in the northwest Madagascar and ecological information is essential for its preservation. The main objective of our study is to analyze habitat use and niche characteristics of the species and the impact of habitat degradation and fragmentation on these parameters in order to design robust conservation guidelines for the Ampasindava peninsula. In this talk, we will present the project as a whole and results of two 4-months field missions conducted in 2015 and in 2016. These field missions were designed to specifically 1)compare home range size between two sites 2)complete forest characterization of the home range of several radio-collared individuals. The methodology includes the monitoring of 16animals equipped with radio-collar (VHS telemetry) during 6hours per night for a number of days, GPS locations being recorded every 10 minutes. The home range is derived from the telemetry observation through MCP method.