Systematic notes on the Philippine slow loris, Nycticebus coucang menagensis (Lydekker, 1893) (Primates: Lorisidae)

Abstract

The slow loris described as menagensis (genus Nycticebus), which was collected as part of the Menage Scientific Expedition to the Philippines in the early 1890s by Frank S. Bourns and Dean C. Worcester, has had a wide variety of problems associated with the authorship of the description, the lack of a type specimen, and the lack of a type locality. Herein, we review the published and unpublished field notes from the collectors, all subsequent publications, and all extant specimens. We (1) reconfirm that the correct name for the Philippine slow loris is Nycticebus coucang menagensis (Lydekker, 1893); (2) designate the type locality as the vicinity of Tataan, Tawitawi Island, Republic of the Philippines, and the date of collection between 5 October and 5 November 1891; (3) conclude that the specimen upon which the name menagensis is based no longer exists; and (4) report a series of 17 additional specimens from the vicinity of Tataan (topotypes) collected in late October and early November 1892, which are deposited at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis and at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Most of these extant specimens are adults with crania in excellent condition; some include postcranial elements. We provide cranial measurements for them.