Dataset Information

Nasalization by Nasalis larvatus: Larger noses audiovisually advertise conspecifics in proboscis monkeys.

ABSTRACT: Male proboscis monkeys have uniquely enlarged noses that are prominent adornments, which may have evolved through their sexually competitive harem group social system. Nevertheless, the ecological roles of the signals encoded by enlarged noses remain unclear. We found significant correlations among nose, body, and testis sizes and a clear link between nose size and number of harem females. Therefore, there is evidence supporting both male-male competition and female choice as causal factors in the evolution of enlarged male noses. We also observed that nasal enlargement systematically modifies the resonance properties of male vocalizations, which probably encode male quality. Our results indicate that the audiovisual contributions of enlarged male noses serve as advertisements to females in their mate selection. This is the first primate research to evaluate the evolutionary processes involved in linking morphology, acoustics, and socioecology with unique masculine characteristics.

SUBMITTER: Koda H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5833997 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Nasalization by <i>Nasalis larvatus</i>: Larger noses audiovisually advertise conspecifics in proboscis monkeys.

Koda Hiroki H Murai Tadahiro T Tuuga Augustine A Goossens Benoit B Nathan Senthilvel K S S SKSS Stark Danica J DJ Ramirez Diana A R DAR Sha John C M JCM Osman Ismon I Sipangkui Rosa R Seino Satoru S Matsuda Ikki I

Science advances 20180221 2

Male proboscis monkeys have uniquely enlarged noses that are prominent adornments, which may have evolved through their sexually competitive harem group social system. Nevertheless, the ecological roles of the signals encoded by enlarged noses remain unclear. We found significant correlations among nose, body, and testis sizes and a clear link between nose size and number of harem females. Therefore, there is evidence supporting both male-male competition and female choice as causal factors in t ...[more]

PMID: 29507881

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Project description:Interspecific hybridization in primates is common but hybridization between distantly related sympatric primate species is rarely observed in the wild. We present evidence for a possible hybridization event between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, through assessment of photographs. We used a set of categorical characters and metric measurements to compare the putative hybrid with the likely parent species. Nonmetric comparison showed that this "mystery monkey" is intermediate in several characters. Measurements of limb proportions on photographs showed that the brachial, humerofemoral, and intermembral indexes are above 100 for N. larvatus and below 100 for T. cristatus on all photographs, whereas the crural index is higher than 100 in both species and the distributions of this index in the two species overlap. Brachial and intermembral indices of the putative hybrid were similar to those of N. larvatus. Crural and humerofemoral indices were closer to the values for T. cristatus than those of N. larvatus. Multiple observers confirmed the occurrence of mixed-species groups in the area, and interspecific mating has been photographed. The putative hybrid is now an adult female and was last photographed in September 2020 with an infant and swollen breast, suggesting lactation. We propose further noninvasive fecal sampling for genetic analyses to confirm the origins of this "mystery monkey." This case of hybridization may be related to anthropogenic changes to the landscape, whereby expansion of oil palm plantations confines N. larvatus and T. obscurus to narrow riverine forest patches along the Kinabatangan. This observation therefore also may have conservation implications, indicating limited mate access and dispersal opportunities for these threatened primates.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10764-022-00293-z.

Dataset Information

Nasalization by Nasalis larvatus: Larger noses audiovisually advertise conspecifics in proboscis monkeys.

Publications

Nasalization by <i>Nasalis larvatus</i>: Larger noses audiovisually advertise conspecifics in proboscis monkeys.

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