Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Distribution and present status
of long-tailed macaques
(Macaca
fascicularis)
in Laos and their
ecological relationship with rhesus
macaques
(Macaca mulatta)
Y u z u r u H a m a d a , H i r o y u k i K u r i ta , S h u n j i
Goto, Yoshiki Morimitsu, Suchinda
M a l a i v i j i t n o n d, S i t i d e t h P at h o n t o n,
B o u n na m P at h o n t o n, P h o u t h o n e K i n g s a d a ,
C h a n d a V o n g s o m b at h , F o n g S a m o u t h a n d
Bounthob Praxaysombath
Introduction
Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic (i.e., Laos), situated in the center of the
Indochina Peninsula and encompassing 14-22.5˚N, consists of diverse envir-
onments, including Xay Phou Louang (Annamite Cordirella) in the east, the
Mekong River in the west, and plains in between. More than 15 percent of the
national land area has been designated as National Protected Areas (NPAs)
by the government of Laos since 1993. Compiling museum data and litera-
ture, Fooden (
1980
,
1995
) sketched the distribution of long-tailed macaques in
Laos. In addition, assessments were carried out in the 1990 on Laos's wildlife
in these NPAs and these surveys also reported the distribution of macaques
(Duckworth
et al
.,
1999
). These reports suggested that long-tailed macaques
were distributed only in southern-most Laos, which is a region consisting of
mountainous areas (i.e., Bolaven plateau, Xay Phou Louang) and tributaries of
