Microhabitat use of the western black-crested gibbon inhabiting an isolated forest fragment in southern Yunnan, China: implications for conservation of an endangered species.

Due to the synergistic effects of hunting and habitat loss, populations of the western black-crested gibbon are currently restricted to isolated forest fragments. The home range use of this species in fragmented forests is presumptively related to spatial, food and vegetation attributes, as in other primates. We examined the distributions of different food resources, the structure of the vegetation (tree density, DBH, and height), and the microhabitat use of one gibbon group in an isolated and disturbed forest at Bajiaohe in southern Yunnan, China. The results indicated that the gibbons used the edge habitat frequently, which was subject to more anthropogenic disturbance than the interior forest, and they appeared to adapt to discontinuous canopy cover by using bamboo and tsaoko plants for travel. The group also modified its diet in response to fluctuations in food availability and the local flora. However, the gibbons intensively used areas with high tree fruit availability across the two study periods. It is suggested that the microhabitat use by the group was mostly affected by the distribution of particular food resources and canopy gaps caused by selective logging. Protecting the current distribution area and planting native important food species to boost habitat quality and connectivity should be considered as part of conservation plans of the western black crested gibbon living in limited areas.

Dietary variability in the western black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) inhabiting an isolated and disturbed forest fragment in Southern Yunnan, China.

Forest fragmentation and isolation can reduce the size of available habitat and lead to lower food availability for some primate species. The persistence of nonhuman primates in fragments depends largely on their ability to adjust their diet in response environmental change. The western black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) is distributed in northern Vietnam, northwestern Laos, and southwestern China, but little is known about its diet except from studies in the well-protected forests of Mt. Wuliang and Mt. Ailao, central Yunnan. We studied food abundance and diet over 2 years in a small group surviving in an isolated and disturbed forest at Bajiaohe, southern Yunnan, and drew a comparison with the population at Dazhaizi in Mt. Wuliang. We found that gibbons at Bajiaohe consumed mostly fruit, but did not eat figs, unlike most other gibbon populations. Liana fruits and mature leaves were used as alternative foods during periods of tree fruit scarcity. Our results indicate that gibbons in Bajiaohe respond to habitat fragmentation and isolation by consuming a variety of plant species, depending on those that are locally available, and increasing time spent feeding on fruits of trees and lianas rather than increasing time spent consuming leaves.

Two new species of the genus Temnaspis Lacordaire, 1845, (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea: Megalopodidae) from China and Myanmar, with notes on the biology of the genus.

Two new species of the genus Temnaspis Lacordaire, 1845, family Megalopodidae, are described from China and Myanmar: Temnaspis puae Li & H.B. Liang, sp. nov., Temnaspis syringa Li & H.B. Liang, sp. nov. Biological notes are provided for Temnaspis syringa. Temnaspis flavicornis Jacoby, 1892 is redescribed and a lectotype designated. A key to species of the genus Temnaspis with black elytra in China and adjacent areas is provided.