Plant species fed on by wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) at nine sites

A key aspect of a primate’s ecology is its food source – the very nature of which is spatially and seasonally dependent, and may be affected by anthropic pressures. One of the most endangered, yet best-studied, strepsirrhine primates is the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) – a species that has experienced significant human-induced habitat loss over many decades. To help understand feeding variability across time and space, I present a literature review of plant species (and parts) fed on by ring-tailed lemurs at nine sites in Madagascar: Ambatotsirongorongo, Andringitra Massif, Anja Reserve, Antserananomby, Berenty Reserve, Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve, Cap Sainte-Marie, Tsaranoro Valley Forest, and Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. I gathered literature using keyword searches on Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/), and verified scientific names using the “Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar” (http://legacy.tropicos.org/Project/Madagascar). From 24 studies, I identify 221 gener...