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Observational Study
. 2023 Jan;64(1):9-15.
doi: 10.1007/s10329-022-01035-8. Epub 2022 Nov 16.

Mixed-species association and a record of a hybrid offspring between Trachypithecus pileatus and Trachypithecus phayrei in Bangladesh

Hassan Al-Razi  1   2 , Auritro Sattar  3 , Marjan Maria  1   2   4 , Chonchol Guala  2   5 , K A I Nekaris  6
Affiliations
Observational Study

Mixed-species association and a record of a hybrid offspring between Trachypithecus pileatus and Trachypithecus phayrei in Bangladesh

Hassan Al-Razi et al. Primates. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

The term mixed-species association has a broad range of definitions, from temporary foraging association to permanent group living. A mixed-species association mostly involves species from closely related taxa and is found in birds, mammals and fish. It ranges from passive association with little interaction to coordinated behavioural interactions between the group members of a mixed-species group. Mixed-species association can result in the production of hybrid offspring in the wild. In this study, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first observational evidence of mixed-species association between the two threatened primate species Phayre's langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) and capped langur (Trachypithecus phayrei), in fragmented forest patches of northeast Bangladesh. We also report a presumed hybrid offspring between these species. We conducted a short-term study from December 2021 to April 2022 in three forest patches based on information from eco-tourism guides. We confirmed the presence of three mixed-species troops; in two of the groups an adult male T. phayrei had permanently immigrated into a group of T. pileatus, and in the other one an adult male T. pileatus had permanently immigrated into a group of T. phayrei. A long-term detailed study is needed to elucidate the reasons for these mixed-species associations, their behavioural patterns, the fate of the presumed hybrid offspring, and to understand the genetic relatedness between the individuals.

Keywords: Conservation; Hybridization; Langur; Primates.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Location of the study areas and range of Trachypithecus phayrei and Trachypithecus pileatus in Bangladesh (BD). b Sites of mixed-species group occurrence. c Global range of T. phayrei and T. pileatus
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Variation in external features between a a juvenile capped langur, b the presumed hybrid juvenile langur and c a juvenile Phayre’s langur
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a The presumed hybrid sitting with his capped langur mother, and b the probable father (Trachypithecus phayrei) and mother (Trachypithecus pileatus) of the hybrid resting in a tree
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Al-Razi H, Hasan S, Ahmed T, Muzaffar SB. Home range, activity budgets and habitat use in the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in Bangladesh. In: Nekaris KAI, Burrows A, editors. Evolution ecology and conservation of lorises and pottos. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2020. pp. 193–203.

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