Sunda Flying Lemur

Sunda Flying Lemur[1]
Galeopterus variegatus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Dermoptera
Family:	Cynocephalidae
Genus:	Galeopterus Thomas, 1908
Species:	G. variegatus
Binomial name
Galeopterus variegatus (Audebert, 1799)
Sunda Flying Lemur range

The Sunda Flying Lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the Malayan Flying Lemur, is a species of colugo (see below for notes on the common name "flying lemur"). Until recently, it was thought to be one of only two species of flying lemur, the other being the Philippine Flying Lemur which is found only in the Philippines. The Sunda flying lemur is found throughout Southeast Asia in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.^[3]

The Sunda Flying Lemur is not a lemur and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal, is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits. After a 60-day gestation period, a single offspring is carried on the mother's abdomen held by a large skin membrane.^[4] It is a forest-dependent species.

Head-body length of Sunda Flying Lemur is about 34 to 38 cm. Its tail length is around 24 to 25 cm and weight is 0.9 to 1.3 kg.

The Sunda Flying Lemur is protected by national legislation. In addition to deforestation and loss of habitat, local subsistence hunting poses a serious threat to this animal. Competition with the Plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) represents another challenge for this species. More information is needed on population declines, but at present it is believed that the rate of the decline is probably not fast enough to trigger listing in any category other than Least Concern^{[citation needed]}.

Classification & Evolution

The Sunda Colugo has two forms which are not morphologically distinct from one another, the large form occurring on the mainland of the Sunda Shelf area and the mainland of Southeast Asia while the dwarf form occurring in Central Laos and some other adjacent Islands (Stafford and Szalay, 2000). According to Ruggeri and Etterson (1998), the Sunda Colugo from Laos specimen is smaller (about 20%) than the other known mainland population. Despite the large and dwarf form, there are four known subspecies of G. variegatus: G. v. variegatus (Java), G. v. temminckii (Sumatra), G. v. borneanus (Borneo), and G. v. peninsulae (Peninsular Malaysia and mainland of Southeast Asia) (Stafford and Szalay, 2000) incorporating on the genetic species concept due to geographic isolation and genetic divergence. Recent molecular and morphological data provide the evidence that the mainland, Javan and Borneo Sunda Colugo subspecies may be recognised as three separate species in the genus Galeopterus (Janecka et al., 2008).

Behaviour & Ecology

Vaughan (1986) stated that Sunda Colugos are skillful climbers but are helpless when on the ground. Their gliding membrane connects from the neck, extending along the limbs to the tips of the fingers, toes and nails (Feldhamer et al., 2003). This kite-shaped is known as a patagium, which is expanded for gliding. The Sunda Colugo can glide over a distance of 100 m with a loss of less than 10 m in elevation (Feldhamer et al., 2003). The Sunda Colugo can maneuver and navigate while gliding, but strong rain and wind can affect its ability to glide (Byrnes et al., 2008). Gliding usually occurs in open areas or high in the canopy, especially in dense tropical rainforest. According to Byrnes (2008), the Sunda Colugo needs a certain distance to glide and to land in order to avoid injury.

In general, the diet of Sunda Colugos consists mainly of leaves. They usually consume leaves with less potassium and nitrogen but with higher tannin (Agoramoorthy et. al., 2006). The Sunda Colugo also feeds on buds (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), shoots (Francis, 2008), coconut flowers, durian flowers (Ketol et al., 2006), fruits (Lim, 1967) and sap (Lim, 2007) from selected tree species. There were also notes on the Sunda Colugo to feed on insects in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo but the type of insect were not mentioned (Davis, 1958). The selected food source all depends on the localities, habitat, vegetation types and the availability of food sources (Sih, 1993).

The Sunda Colugo mainly forages in tree canopies. Occasionally, the it forages on several different tree species in a single night (Wischusen, 1990; Wischusen and Richmond, 1998). However, there may be some cases in which the Sunda Colugo forages on a single tree species throughout the night. The Sunda Colugo can also be seen licking tree barks of selected tree species to obtain water, nutrients, salts and minerals (Lim, 2007).

Distributions & Habitats

The Sunda Colugo is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from the Sunda Shelf mainland to other islands – Northern Laos (Ruggeri and Etterson, 1998), Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak), Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera, Bali, Java) (Corbet and Hill, 1992; Stafford, 2005) and many adjacent Islands (Francis, 2008). Conversely, the Philippine Colugo (C. volans) is confined to the southern parts of the Philippines only (Stafford, 2005).

The Sunda Colugo is adapted to many different vegetation types, including gardens, primary and secondary forest (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977), rubber and coconut plantation (Hill, 1993), fruit orchards (dusun) Ketol et al. (2006), mangrove swamps (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), lowlands and upland forests (Payne et al., 1985; Feldhamer et al., 2003), tree plantations (Francis, 2008), lowland dipterocarp forests and mountainous area (Lim, 1967). However, not all of the mentioned habitats can sustain large colugo populations.

References

1. ^ Stafford, Brian J. (16 November 2005). "Order Dermoptera (p. 110)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12000006. 
2. ^ Boeadi & Steinmetz, R. (2008). Galeopterus variegatus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 December 2008.
3. ^ Malayan Flying Lemur
4. ^ David Burnie & Don E. Wilson (eds), ed (2005-09-19). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife (1st paperback edition ed.). Dorling Kindersley. pp. 114. ISBN 0-7566-1634-4. 

Agoramoorthy, G., Sha, C.M., and Hsu, M.J. (2006). Population, diet and conservation of malayan flying lemurs in altered and fragmented habitats in Singapore. Biodiversity and Conservation. 15: 2177-2185.

Anon, (2008). Flying lemurs mating, Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wavNc4nuVyk. Accessed date October 7, 2008.

Boeadi and Steinmetz, R. 2008. Galeopterus variegatus. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/41502/0. Accessed date April 8, 2010.

Burnie, D. (2001). Animal. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London.

Byrnes, G., Norman T.-L. Lim., and Andrew, J. Spence. (2008). Take-off and landing kinetics of a free-ranging gliding mammal, the Malayan Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275(1638): 1007-1013.

Chapman, H.C. (1902). Observations upon Galeopithecus volans. Proceedings of the Academy of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia. 54: 241-254. Chasen, F.N. and Kloss, C.B. (1929). Notes on flying lemurs (Galeopterus). Bulletin of the Raffles Museum. 2: 12-22.

Corbet, G.B. and Hill, J.E. (1992). The mammals of the indomalayan region: A systematic review. Natural History Museum Publications. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Dzulhelmi, M.N. and Abdullah, M.T. (2009a). An ethogram construction for the malayan flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus) in Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation. 5(1): 31-42.

Dzulhelmi, M.N. and Abdullah, M.T. (2009b). The foraging ecology of the Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal. 61(4): 285-294.

Dzulhelmi, M.N. and Abdullah, M.T. (2010). Distribution of the Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in Malaysia (Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak). Journal of Tropical Life Sciences Research. 21(2): 69-83.

Dzulhelmi, M.N., Marzuki, H. and Abdullah, M.T. (2010). Observation on the roosting selection of the Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Proceedings of Conference on Natural Resources in the Tropics3: Harnessing Tropical Natural Resources Through Innovations and Technologies. pp. 433-439.

Dzulhelmi, M.N. (2011). Behavioural Ecology of the Sunda Colugo Galeopterus variegatus (Mammalia: Dermoptera) in Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia . MSc. Dissertations. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan.

Ellerman, J.R. and Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. (1955). Supplement to Chasen, F.N. (1940): A handlist of malaysian mammals. British Museum. Tonbridge Printers Ltd, London.

Feldhamer, G.A., Drickamer, L.C., Vessey, S.H. and Merritt, J.F. (2003). Mammalogy: adaptation, diversity and ecology. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., New York.

Francis, C.M. (2008). A field guide to the mammals of south-east Asia. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, London.

Henry, C. and Chapman, M.D. (1902). Observation upon Galeopithecus volans. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 54(1): 241-254.

Hill, J.E. (1993). Flying lemurs (in encyclopedia of animals). Weldon Owen Pty Limited, Singapore.

Janecka, J.E., Miller, W., Pringle, T.H., Wiens, F., Zitzmann, A., Helgen, K.M., Springer, M.S., and Murphy, W.J. (2007). Molecular and genomic data identify the closest living relative of primates. Science. 318(5851): 792-794.

Janecka, J.E., Helgen, K.M., Lim, N.T.L., Baba, M., Izawa, M., Boeadi, and Murphy, W.J. (2008). Evidence for multiple species of Sunda Colugo. Current Biology. 18: 21.

Karim, C., Tuen, A.A. and Abdullah, M.T. (2004). Mammals. Sarawak Bau Limestone Biodiversity. Sarawak Museum Journal. 6(80): 221-234.

Ketol B., Abdullah M.T. and Tedong, S. (2006). Short notes: Distribution records of the rare flying lemur in Kota Samarahan and Kuching Area, Sarawak. Sarawak Museum Journal. 83: 237-241.

Khan, M.M. (1992). Mamalia semenanjung Malaysia. Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Kuala Lumpur.

Kool, K.M. and Nawi, Y. (1995). Catalogue of skin in Sarawak museum, Kuching, Sarawak. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan.

Lekagul, B. and McNeely, J.A. (1977). Mammals of Thailand. Kurusapha Ladprao Press, Bangrak (Bangkok).

Lewis, R.E. (1986). A rain-forest raptor in danger. Oryx. 20: 170-175.

Lim, B.L. (1967). Observations on the food habits and ecological habitat of the malaysian flying lemur. International Zoo Yearbook. Scotland, Aberdeen University Press. 7: 196-197.

Lim, N.T. (2004). Autecology and a preliminary population census of the malayan flying lemur Cynocephalus variegatus in Singapore. BSc. Final Year Project. National University of Singapor, Singapore.

Lim, N. (2007). Malayan colugo: The flying lemur of South-East Asia. Draco Publishing and Distribution Pte Ltd, Singapore.

Martin, R.D. (2008). Colugos: obscure mammals glide into the evolutionary limelight. Journal of Biology. 7: 13.

Maryanto, I., Anang, S.A., and Agus, P.K. (2008). Mamalia dilindungi perundang-undangan Indonesia. LIPI Press, Jakarta.

Medway, L. (1978). The wild mammals of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) and Singapore. Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd-Azlan, J. and Fauzi, M.F. (2006). Ethnozoological survey in selected areas in Sarawak. Sarawak Museum Journal. 83: 185-200.

Miller, G.S., Jr. (1906). The nomenclature of flying lemur. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 19: 41-48.

Nie, W., Fu, B., O’Brian, P.C.M., Wang, J., Su, W., Tanomtong, A., Volobouev, V., Ferguson-Smith, M.A. and Yang, F. (2008). Flying lemurs – the “flying tree-shrews”? molecular cytogenetic evidence for a Scandentia-Dermoptera sister clade. BMC Biology. 6: 18.

Novacek, M.J. (1992). Fossils, topologies, missing data, and higher level phylogeny of eutherian mammals. Systematics Biology. 41(1): 58-73.

Novacek, M.J. (1993). Mammalian phylogeny: morphology and molecules. Trends in Ecological and Evolution. 8(9): 339-340.

Nowak, R.M. (1999). Mammals of the world. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Parr, J.W.K., Komolphalin, K. and Wongkalasin, M. (2003). A guide to the large mammals of Thailand. Sarakadee Press, Bangkok.

Payne, J., Francis, C.M. and Phillipps, K. (1985). A field guide to the mammals of Borneo. Sabah Society, Kota Kinabalu.

Penry, D.L. (1993). Digestive constraints on diet selection. In diet selection: An interdisciplinary approach to foraging behaviour (Hughes, R.N. eds). Blackwell Scientific Publications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Pettigrew, J.D. (1995). Flying primates: crashed or crashed through?. Symp. Zoological Society of London. 67: 3-26.

Ruggeri, N. and Etterson, M. (1998). The first record of colugo (Cynocephalus variegatus) from the Lao P.D.R. Mammalia. 62: 450-451.

Schmitz, J., Ohme,M., Suryobroto, B. and Zichler, H. (2002). The colugo (Cynocephalus variegatus), Dermoptera: the Primates’ gliding sister? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 19: 2308-2312.

Schmitz, J., Ohme, M., and Zichler, H. (2003). A novel family of tRNA-derived SINEs in the colugo and two new retrotransposable markers separating dermopterans from primates. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 28: 341-349.

Sih, A. (1993). Effects of ecological interactions on forager diets: Competition, predation risk, parasitism and prey behaviour. In diet selection: An interdisciplinary approach to foraging behaviour (Hughes, R.N. eds). Blackwell scientific publications. Cambridge University Press, England.

Stafford, B.J. and Szalay, F.S. (2000). Craniodental functional morphology and taxonomy of Dermopterans. Journal of Mammalogy. 81: 360-385.

Stafford, B.J. (2005). Order Dermoptera. In mammals species of the world, taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd Ed (Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. eds). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.

Stephen, D.W. and Krebs, J.R. (1986). Foraging theory. Princeton University Press, England.

Vaughan, T.A. (1986). Mammalogy. 3rd edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia.

Wharton, C.H. (1950). Notes on the life history of the flying lemur. Journal of Mammalogy. 31: 269-273.

Wischusen, E.W. (1990). The foraging ecology and natural history of the Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans). PhD Thesis. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Wischusen, E.W. and Richmond, M.E. (1989). Techniques for capturing and marking the Philippine flying lemurs (Cynocephalus volans). Malayan Nature Journal. 43: 100-105.

Wischusen, E.W. and Richmond, M.E. (1998). Foraging ecology of the Philippine Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus volans). Journal of Mammalogy. 79(4) 1288-1295.

Yasuma, S. and Andau, M. (2000). Mammals of Sabah Part-2, habitat and ecology. Tian Sing Printing Co. Sdn.Bhd, Kota Kinabalu.