Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use
Science, vol. 378, pp. eabf0869
Abstract
Madagascar's biota is hyperdiverse and includes exceptional levels of endemicity. We review the current state of knowledge on Madagascar's past and current terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by compiling and presenting comprehensive data on species diversity, endemism, and rates of species description and human uses, in addition to presenting an updated and simplified map of vegetation types. We report a substantial increase of records and species new to science in recent years; however, the diversity and evolution of many groups remain practically unknown (e.g., fungi and most invertebrates). Digitization efforts are increasing the resolution of species richness patterns and we highlight the crucial role of field- and collections-based research for advancing biodiversity knowledge and identifying gaps in our understanding, particularly as species richness corresponds closely to collection effort. Phylogenetic diversity patterns mirror that of species richness and endemism in most of the analyzed groups. We highlight humid forests as centers of diversity and endemism because of their role as refugia and centers of recent and rapid radiations. However, the distinct endemism of other areas, such as the grassland-woodland mosaic of the Central Highlands and the spiny forest of the southwest, is also biologically important despite lower species richness. The documented uses of Malagasy biodiversity are manifold, with much potential for the uncovering of new useful traits for food, medicine, and climate mitigation. The data presented here showcase Madagascar as a unique "living laboratory" for our understanding of evolution and the complex interactions between people and nature. The gathering and analysis of biodiversity data must continue and accelerate if we are to fully understand and safeguard this unique subset of Earth's biodiversity.
Authors 84
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Alexandre Antonelli corresponding
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · University of Oxford · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Rhian J. Smith corresponding
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Allison Perrigo corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Universidade do Porto · Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos
Affiliation as printed
BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Field Museum of Natural History · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Lúrio University · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lúrio University, Pemba, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Vilnius University · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Centre, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Affiliation as printed
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
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Uppsala University · University of Fribourg · Science for Life Laboratory · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Department of Organismal Biology, SciLifeLab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Universidade do Porto · Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos
Affiliation as printed
BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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University of Copenhagen · Natural History Museum of Denmark
Affiliation as printed
Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics · University of Fribourg · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle · Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
CR2P, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
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University of Exeter · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
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Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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University of Gothenburg · Umeå University
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Integrated Science Lab, Department of Physics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Institute of Entomology · Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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California Academy of Sciences
Affiliation as printed
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Cambridge University Herbarium, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Field Museum of Natural History · Association Vahatra
Affiliation as printed
Association Vahatra, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Affiliation as printed
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Queen Mary University of London · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Queen Mary University of London · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh · University of Edinburgh
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Missouri Botanical Garden · Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
Institut de Systématique, Évolution, et Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Association Vahatra · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Association Vahatra, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Institute of Entomology · Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Naturalis Biodiversity Center · German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Affiliation as printed
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh · University of Edinburgh
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Missouri Botanical Garden · Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
Institut de Systématique, Évolution, et Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
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Smithsonian Institution · National Museum of Natural History · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Universidad Católica del Norte · University of La Serena · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, University of La Serena, La Serena, Chile
Programa de Doctorado en Biología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Ileiry Geospatial Services, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
WWF, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Conservation Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
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Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Affiliation as printed
Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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University College London · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics · University of Fribourg · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Royal Holloway University of London · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Cologne Zoo, Cologne, Germany
Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Philipps University of Marburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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Hélène Ralimanana corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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