THE BEAR MACAQUE, MACACA ARCTOIDES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

The bear macaque,Macaca arctoides I. Geoffroy, [1831], is systematically reviewed, based on the study of 144 museum specimens and survey of relevant literature. This species inhabits hilly areas in continental Southeast Asia, southeast of the Brahmaputra River, from eastern India, northern Burma, and southern China southward to northernmost West Malaysia. Analysis of external variation inM. arctoides does not support recognition of subspecies, contrary to current taxonomic practice. Aspects ofM. arctoides that are investigated in this paper include pelage, external measurements and proportions, cranial characters, tail, male genitalia, female reproductive tract, copulatory behavior, natural history, life history, blood proteins, karyology, hybridization, and fossil record. An interpretation of the evolutionary history ofM. arctoides is presented. All known locality records ofM. arctoides are documented in an annotated gazetteer. © 1990 Academic Press Limited.