Central Highlands (Madagascar)

Landscape in the Central Highlands region

The Central Highlands, Central High Plateau, or Hauts-Plateaux are a mountainous biogeographical region in central Madagascar. They include the contiguous part of the island's interior above 800 m (2,600 ft) elevation.[1] The Central Highlands are separated from the Northern Highlands of the northern tip of Madagascar by a low-lying valley, the Mandritsara Window, which has apparently acted as a barrier to dispersal for species in the highlands, leading to species pairs such as Voalavo gymnocaudus and Voalavo antsahabensis in the Northern and Central Highlands.[2] Species restricted to the Central Highlands include the bats Miniopterus manavi[3] and Miniopterus sororculus;[4] the rodents Brachyuromys betsileoensis[5] and Voalavo antsahabensis;[6] the tenrecs Hemicentetes nigriceps[7] and Oryzorictes tetradactylus;[8] and the lemur Cheirogaleus sibreei.[9] Because of the continuous habitat of the Central Highlands, there is little local endemism, unlike the Northern Highlands.[10]

  1. ^ Goodman et al., 2005, p. 871
  2. ^ Goodman et al., 2005, p. 872
  3. ^ Goodman et al., 2009, p. 5
  4. ^ Goodman et al., 2007, p. 1216
  5. ^ Musser and Carleton, 2005, p. 949
  6. ^ Goodman et al., 2005, p. 867
  7. ^ Bronner and Jenkins, 2005, p. 76
  8. ^ Garbutt, 2007, pp. 44–45
  9. ^ Garbutt, 2007, p. 104
  10. ^ Goodman et al., 2006, p. 395