Notes on the distribution ofLepilemur septentrionalis andL. mustelinus in Northern Madagascar

The superfamily Lemuridae, which includes some of the most primitive extant primates, is confined to the island of Madagascar. The speciesL. septentrionalis lives in the north of Madagascar. The geographical distribution of each of the four recognized subspecies is fairly well defined except for the southern limits of the southernmost subspecies, namelyL. s. andrafiamenensis. Similarly the southern and northern limits of distribution ofL. mustelinus are uncertain. Two expeditions were carried out, one in the south of the Andrafiamena mountain chain, the other in the north of the eastern forest, south of Vohemar to gain new information concerning the present southern limits ofL. septentrionalis and northern limit ofL. mustelinus. L. s. andrafiamenensis was found to the left of the Ambilobe-Vohemar road from Betsiaka to Maromokotra and on the left bank of the river Loky, to the coast.L. mustelinus was found only on the right bank of the river Lokoho to the coast. Both survey indicate smaller ranges than those indicated in recent publications, probably a result of continued human encroachment.