Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov;86(11):e23631.
doi: 10.1002/ajp.23631. Epub 2024 May 2.

Ethnoprimatology reveals new extended distribution of critically endangered banded langur Presbytis femoralis (Martin, 1838) in Pahang, Malaysia: Insights from indigenous traditional knowledge and molecular analysis

Hidayah Haris  1 , Nursyuhada Othman  1 , Munian Kaviarasu  1   2 , Muhammad Faudzir Najmuddin  1 , Nurfatiha Akmal Fawwazah Abdullah-Fauzi  1 , Farah Farhana Ramli  1 , Nur Hartini Sariyati  1 , Mohd Lokman Ilham-Norhakim  1   3   4 , Badrul Munir Md-Zain  5 , Muhammad Abu Bakar Abdul-Latiff  1
Affiliations

Ethnoprimatology reveals new extended distribution of critically endangered banded langur Presbytis femoralis (Martin, 1838) in Pahang, Malaysia: Insights from indigenous traditional knowledge and molecular analysis

Hidayah Haris et al. Am J Primatol. 2024 Nov.

Abstract

The banded langur (Presbytis femoralis) is a critically endangered primate, which within Malaysia has not been known to extend significantly outside the state of Johor. Traditionally, distribution studies on this highly threatened primate have relied on conventional methods such as DNA identification, live counting, and camera trapping. However, ethnoprimatology offers an alternative approach to data collection, involving the active participation of indigenous and local communities possessing valuable knowledge and experience with local primate species. This study employed an integrated approach incorporating ethnoprimatology by utilizing pooled local expert opinion, local surveys, interviews, and fecal DNA analysis, resulting in a novel distribution range for the banded langur. The combination of expert opinions revealed this species' most optimistic distribution scenario across Johor and Pahang, inhabiting various ecosystems, including lowland forests, peat swamps, and human-modified landscapes. Further interviews and surveys conducted within the Orang Asli community in Tasik Chini and Tasek Bera have provided additional support for the revised distribution, documenting occurrences of banded langur utilization in indigenous practices, such as food consumption, cultural beliefs, medicinal applications, and craftsmanship. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated genetic differentiation between populations in Johor and Pahang, with the populations in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia likely serving as ancestral sources for other populations. Consequently, this study not only elucidated the updated distribution of banded langur through DNA records and direct observations but also established the efficacy of ethnoprimatology as a precursory tool for uncovering the present distribution patterns of other primate species in Malaysia.

Keywords: colobinae; ethnozoology; indigenous people; man and biosphere reserve; ramsar site; wildlife.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abdul‐Latiff, M. A. B., Afiqah, M. A., Zahari, F., Othman, N., Haris, H., Najmuddin, M. F., & Md‐Zain, B. M. (2021). The ethnozoology, wildlife utilisation and hunting practices of the Semoq Beri Tribe in Pahang, Resource Use and Sustainability of Orang Asli: Indigenous Communities in Peninsular Malaysia (pp. 109–136). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64961-6_9
    1. Abdul‐Latiff, M. A. B., Aifat, N. R., Yaakop, S., & Md‐Zain, B. M. (2017). A non‐invasive molecular approach: Exploiting species‐locus‐specific PCR primers in defeating numts and DNA cross‐contamination of cercopithecidae. Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 27(3), 1015–1023.
    1. Abdul‐Latiff, M. A. B., Baharuddin, H., Abdul‐Patah, P., & Md‐Zain, B. M. (2019). Is Malaysia's banded langur, Presbytis femoralis femoralis, actually Presbytis neglectus neglectus? Taxonomic revision with new insights on the radiation history of the Presbytis species group in Southeast Asia. Primates, 60(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-018-0699-y
    1. Abdul‐Latiff, M. A. B., Najmuddin, M. F., Haneef, S. K., Nabil, A., Shahrool‐Anuar, R., & Md‐Zain, B. M. (2019). Transforming ranging behaviour of Schlegel's Banded Langur (Presbytis neglectus) into PrimaTourism product, In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 269, p. 012005). IOP Publishing. No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/269/1/012005
    1. Abdul‐Latiff, M. A. B., Ruslin, F., Faiq, H., Hairul, M. S., Rovie‐Ryan, J. J., Abdul‐Patah, P., Yaakop, S., & Md‐Zain, B. M. (2014). Continental monophyly and molecular divergence of peninsular Malaysia's Macaca fascicularis fascicularis. BioMed Research International, 2014, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/897682

LinkOut - more resources