Multiple bursts of speciation in Madagascar’s endangered lemurs

Kathryn M. Everson (), Luca Pozzi, Meredith A. Barrett, Mary E. Blair, Mariah E. Donohue, Peter M. Kappeler, Andrew C. Kitchener, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Carlos J. Pavón-Vázquez, Ute Radespiel, Blanchard Randrianambinina, Rodin M. Rasoloarison, Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona, Christian Roos, Jordi Salmona, Anne D. Yoder, Rosana Zenil-Ferguson, Dietmar Zinner and David W. Weisrock
Additional contact information
Kathryn M. Everson: Oregon State University
Luca Pozzi: University of Texas San Antonio
Meredith A. Barrett: ResMed Science Center
Mary E. Blair: American Museum of Natural History
Mariah E. Donohue: University of Kentucky
Peter M. Kappeler: German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research
Andrew C. Kitchener: National Museums Scotland
Alan R. Lemmon: Florida State University
Emily Moriarty Lemmon: Florida State University
Carlos J. Pavón-Vázquez: University of Kentucky
Ute Radespiel: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation
Blanchard Randrianambinina: Groupe d’Étude et de Recherche Sur Les Primates de Madagascar (GERP)
Rodin M. Rasoloarison: German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research
Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona: Groupe d’Étude et de Recherche Sur Les Primates de Madagascar (GERP)
Christian Roos: German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research
Jordi Salmona: Université de Toulouse
Anne D. Yoder: Duke University
Rosana Zenil-Ferguson: University of Kentucky
Dietmar Zinner: German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research
David W. Weisrock: University of Kentucky

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Lemurs are often cited as an example of adaptive radiation, as more than 100 extant species have evolved and filled ecological niches on Madagascar. However, recent work suggests that lemurs lack a hallmark of other adaptive radiations: explosive speciation rates that decline over time. Thus, characterizing the tempo and mode of evolution in lemurs can reveal alternative ways that hyperdiverse clades arise over time, which might differ from traditional models. We explore lemur evolution using a phylogenomic dataset with broad taxonomic sampling that includes the lorisiforms of Asia and continental Africa. Our analyses reveal multiple bursts of diversification (without subsequent declines) that explain much of today’s lemur diversity. We also find higher rates of speciation in Madagascar’s lemurs compared to lorisiforms, and we demonstrate that the lemur clades with high diversification rates also have high rates of genomic introgression. This suggests that hybridization in these primates is not an evolutionary dead-end, but potential fuel for diversification. Considering the conservation crisis affecting strepsirrhine primates, with approximately 95% of species threatened with extinction, this study offers a perspective for explaining Madagascar’s primate diversity and reveals patterns of speciation, extinction, and gene flow that will help inform future conservation decisions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62310-y

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