Danfoss's mouse lemur

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Danfoss' mouse lemur
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Cheirogaleidae
Genus: Microcebus
Species:
M. danfossi
Binomial name
Microcebus danfossi
Olivieri et al., 2007 [3]
Microcebus danfossi range map.svg
Distribution of M. danfossi [1]

Danfoss's mouse lemur (Microcebus danfossi), or the Ambarijeby mouse lemur, is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. It lives in western deciduous forest within a limited range between the Sofia River and the Maevarano River. [4] This species has been found in substantial populations in the Ambarijevy, Anjajavy, and Beanamaolo forests in Madagascar. [5] Their lifespan is about 5 years but can live up to 10 years. They are part of the infraorder called lemuriformes which represents 20% of the entire primates diversity and over 60% of the mammalian genera of Madagascar. [6]

Contents

There is no current estimate of the number of individuals present in the wild, nor in captivity. However the IUCN red list provides the number of 2.2 to 5 individuals per hectares as the species density and that its population is decreasing. [1]

Habitat

Their average individual home range from 50 to 400 ha (120 to 990 acres) of dry deciduous forests elevated up to 780 m (2,560 ft). [1] Their habitat can be separated into sixteen forest fragments. [1] They tend to take shelter in tree holes where they spend most of their days to preserve their energy. [7]

Diet

Dry deciduous forests are poor in resources which limits the species' diet, yet mouse lemurs in general have a quite diverse diet including insect secretions, arthropods, small vertebrates, fruits and flowers. [8] Danfoss’ mouse lemur is said to be particularly fond of bananas as it is often the food of choice in captures for research projects. [9]

Description

Microcebus danfossi belongs to the genus of the smallest primates on the planet. However, compared to the other species from the same genus, it is a relatively large. It is a reddish mouse lemur with a total length of 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11.4 in), including a 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) tail. [4] The Danfoss' mouse lemur has short, dense fur, and a white stripe running between the eyes. [10] The species has the overall same physical characteristics as other species of mouse lemurs but they all present high levels of genetic diversity. [9] Their metabolism functions in a certain way that enables them to save energy and water by changing their body temperature to ambient levels. [7]

Reproduction

Their reproduction period can be quite long from may to October, even sometimes November and depends less on seasons than other lemur species since their habitat is near a humid, low-altitude forest with more resources available to them. [11] They share the same reproduction schedule as others such as M. ravelobensis and M. bongolavensis. [11] Their reproduction generally starts around 1 years old and gestate for a bout 60 days. [7] Most females give birth every year, creating a new generation of Danfoss's mouse lemur approximately every 1 to 5 years. [7]

Behavior

Social organizations

Microcebus danfossi is a nocturnal solitary forager that lives in dispersed social organisations, even though they often create regular sleeping groups composed by either only related females, related males and females, or alone. [12] In fact, most females only interact with related females meaning from the same sleeping group. [7] They tend to avoid encounters with females from neighboring groups. [7] Considering their behavior in the broad sense of the word, it is relatively similar to other Microcebus species in the north western regions  when it comes to conflict and aggression (M. myoxinus, M. ravelobensis, M. bongolavensis). [7] However, it seems that male sleeping groups show less social tolerance even if most sleeping groups are female dominant. [12] The danfoss’ mouse lemur communicates by sound and odors to form these groups, more specifically use feces and urine to mark their presence. [13]

Infant care

The weaning period lasts around several weeks and is provided by the mother even though some males were observed grooming, carrying and guarding. [7] The limited weaning period gives little time for infants to socialize. [7] In order for the mother to eat and feed its infant(s) they adopt the system called infant parking. [13] It consists in leaving the infant(s) in their nest, tree hole, while the mother is gone foraging. [13]

Threats

Their main predators are raptors (owls, hawks, eagles), snakes (boas) and carnivores (mongooses and fossa) as well as introduced carnivores (dogs and cats). [7] In fact predation rates concerning mouse lemurs are the highest amongst all primates mostly due to their small size and limited number of other mammal preys of approximately the same size. [7] Nevertheless, the species’ main threat today is human induced. Indeed, an estimation states that 90% of Madagascar’s primary vegetation has already been lost. [9] This includes the dry deciduous forest, the only habitat for Danfoss’s mouse lemur. [9] The important loss of habitat is mostly due to agriculture and pasture. [9] Furthermore, the species is also hunted for the exotic pet trade even though the deforestation is the main issue. [1]

Conservation

Human activity especially agriculture is the main responsible for loss of habitat which created fragmented forested. They present an important issue in the conservation of the species because it isolates them in small groups creating a bottleneck effect which causes significant reduction of genetic diversity since they can only reproduce within a small number of individuals. [9] Their population collapse is estimated to have started about 100 to 85 years ago and represents the disappearance of around 11 thousand individuals. [9] The Bayes Factor analyses demonstrates a correlation between the appearance of bottlenecks and the two most recent periods of human colonization. [9]

Status

According to the IUCN, the species is currently considered vulnerable since 2018 but was considered endangered in 2014. [1] It is complicated for organizations to put in place conservation plans for this species because of its limited access and the lack of information they have on it. [14] However, the IUCN is quite clear on the critical condition of the species. It states that if no conservation measures are put in place they predict the entire loss of the Danfoss’s mouse lemur habitat in 2080 by only considering climate change. [1] Without any adapted habitat, the species is unlikely going to survive much longer after. [1] Considering their current status and the rate at which the species is decreasing, it is predicted to be extinct before, given that their main threat is human activity and not climate change. Today, most organizations agree that the current measures are not sufficient. Amongst them are international legislation and international management and trade controls. In addition, only one fragmented forest, Bora, is part of the National Network of protected areas. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheirogaleidae</span> Family of lemurs

The Cheirogaleidae are the family of strepsirrhine primates containing the various dwarf and mouse lemurs. Like all other lemurs, cheirogaleids live exclusively on the island of Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray mouse lemur</span> Small primate from Madagascar

The gray mouse lemur, grey mouse lemur or lesser mouse lemur, is a small lemur, a type of strepsirrhine primate, found only on the island of Madagascar. Weighing 58 to 67 grams, it is the largest of the mouse lemurs, a group that includes the smallest primates in the world. The species is named for its mouse-like size and coloration and is known locally as tsidy, koitsiky, titilivaha, pondiky, and vakiandry. The gray mouse lemur and all other mouse lemurs are considered cryptic species, as they are nearly indistinguishable from each other by appearance. For this reason, the gray mouse lemur was considered the only mouse lemur species for decades until more recent studies began to distinguish between the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

The pygmy mouse lemur, also known as Peters' mouse lemur or dormouse lemur, is a primate weighing only 43–55 g (1.5–1.9 oz); it is the second smallest of the mouse lemurs. Its dorsal side is a rufous-brown colour, and creamy-white ventrally. It lives in dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar. It has been captured in the Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve, the Andramasy forests north of Belo sur Tsiribihina, and the border of heavily degraded deciduous forest and savanna at Aboalimena. It has also been found in other habitats, in mangroves in two localities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-brown mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

The golden-brown mouse lemur, also known as the (Lac) Ravelobe mouse lemur, is part of the Cheirogaleidae family, and the smallest species of lemur. It is arboreal, nocturnal and usually social. It get its name from the color of its body. Like several other mouse lemurs, like the brown mouse lemur, it is a small primate that has a brown dorsal side and a whitish-grey for its ventral side of the body. All lemurs live in Madagascar. This species was discovered in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern giant mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

The northern giant mouse lemur, or northern dwarf lemur, is a species of lemur discovered in 2005. They are part of the primate order, and classified in the family Cheirogaleidae. Previously, both populations of giant mouse lemurs were believed to belong to one species. The northern giant mouse lemurs are small nocturnal lemurs endemic to Madagascar. They weigh about 300 grams (11 oz), and have long, bushy tails and relatively small ears. Their large testicles are an indication of their promiscuous copulation system. These lemurs have been found to use communal sleeping nests including multiple males, which is an uncommon behaviour in lemurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodman's mouse lemur</span> Species of mammal

Goodman's mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur from the region near Andasibe in eastern Madagascar. The species is named in honor of primatologist Steven M. Goodman. "Lehilahytsara" is a combination of the Malagasy words which mean "good" and "man". The finding was presented August 10, 2005, along with the discovery of the northern giant mouse lemur as a separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reddish-gray mouse lemur</span> Species of mammal

The reddish-gray mouse lemur also known as the gray-brown mouse lemur or rufous-gray mouse lemur, is a small, solitary-but-social, nocturnal and omnivorous primate from the Western Madagascar in the region around Beza Mahafaly Reserve, north to Lamboharana. Like the other lemur species, the reddish-grey mouse lemur is endemic to Madagascar. They generally live in the drier regions of the island. It is categorized as least concerned in the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madame Berthe's mouse lemur</span> Species of mammal

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur or Berthe's mouse lemur is the smallest of the mouse lemurs and the smallest primate in the world; the average body length is 9.2 cm (3.6 in) and seasonal weight is around 30 g (1.1 oz). Microcebus berthae is one of many species of Malagasy lemurs that came about through extensive speciation, caused by unknown environmental mechanisms and conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur</span> Species of lemur

Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur, or Milne-Edwards' weasel lemur, is a species of lemur in the family Lepilemuridae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouse lemur</span> Genus of mammals

The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus Microcebus. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grewcock's sportive lemur</span> Species of lemur

Grewcock's sportive lemur, or the Anjiamangirana sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. It is a medium-sized sportive lemurs with a total length of about 55 to 63 cm, of which 26–30 cm (10–12 in) are tail. Grewcock's sportive lemur is found in northwestern Madagascar, living in dry deciduous forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto's sportive lemur</span> Species of lemur

Otto's sportive lemur, or the Ambodimahabibo sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Its coloration is primarily grey-brown. It is known only from Ambodimahabibo, between the Mahajamba River in the west and the Sofia River in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacArthur's mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

MacArthur's mouse lemur, or the Anjiahely mouse lemur, is a species of mouse lemur known only from Makira Natural Park in northeastern Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerp's mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

Gerp's mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur known only from the Sahafina Forest in eastern Madagascar, near Mantadia National Park. Its discovery was announced in 2012 by a German and Malagasy research team. The Sahafina Forest had not been studied until 2008 and 2009, when Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP)—a Malagasy-based research and conservation group for which the lemur is named—inventoried the forest's lemurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marohita mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

The Marohita mouse lemur is a species of mouse lemur known only from the Marohita Forest in eastern Madagascar, near the village of Marolambo. Specimens were first collected in December 2003, and its discovery was announced in 2013 along with the Anosy mouse lemur. It is a large mouse lemur, weighing up to 89 g (3.1 oz), and lives within the same area as the Goodman's mouse lemur (M. lehilahytsara), Simmons' mouse lemur (M. simmonsi), and the brown mouse lemur (M. rufus), all four of which are nearly identical in appearance. Its fur is rufous on its back and grayish-beige on its underside. Nothing is known about its behavior. Its conservation status was evaluated as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2012, before it was formally described, because its only known habitat had severely degraded between 2003 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berthe Rakotosamimanana</span> Malagasy primatologist and paleontologist

Berthe Rakotosamimanana was a primatologist and palaeontologist from Madagascar.

Microcebus jonahi, or Jonah's mouse lemur, is tiny species of primate. It weighs 60 g and has a body length of around 13 cm and its tail measures around 13 cm as well. It is the 25th recognized species of mouse lemur and the 108th recognized species of lemur.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Blanco, M.; Dolch, R.; Ganzhorn, J.; Greene, L.K.; Le Pors, B.; Lewis, R.; Radespiel, U.; Rafalinirina, H.A.; Raharivololona, B.; Rakotoarisoa, G.; Ralison, J.; Randriahaingo, H.N.T.; Rasoloarison, R.M.; Razafindrasolo, M.; Sgarlata, G.M.; Wright, P.; Zaonarivelo, J. (2020). "Microcebus danfossi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T136347A120487417. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T136347A120487417.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Mittermeier, R.; Ganzhorn, J.; Konstant, W.; Glander, K.; Tattersall, I.; Groves, C.; Rylands, A.; Hapke, A.; Ratsimbazafy, J.; Mayor, M.; Louis, E.; Rumpler, Y.; Schwitzer, C. & Rasoloarison, R. (December 2008). "Lemur Diversity in Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology. 29 (6): 1607–1656. doi:10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y. hdl:10161/6237. S2CID   17614597.
  4. 1 2 Garbutt, Nick (2007). Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide. p. 99.
  5. ↑ Randrianambinina, B.; Rasoloharijaona, S.; Rakotondravony, R.; Zimmermann, E.; Radespiel, U. (2010). "Abundance and conservation status of two newly described lemur species in northwestern Madagascar (Microcebus danfossi, Lepilemur grewcockorum)". Madagascar Conservation & Development. 5 (2). doi: 10.4314/mcd.v5i2.63138 . ISSN   1662-2510.
  6. ↑ Schäffler, Livia; Kappeler, Peter M.; Halley, John M. (2021). "Mouse Lemurs in an Assemblage of Cheirogaleid Primates in Menabe Central, Western Madagascar – Three Reasons to Coexist". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 9. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.585781 . ISSN   2296-701X.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mitani, John C.; Call, Josep; Kappeler, Peter M.; Palombit, Ryne A.; Silk, Joan B. (2012-10-24). The Evolution of Primate Societies. University of Chicago Press. ISBN   978-0-226-53173-1.
  8. ↑ Thorén, Sandra; Quietzsch, Franziska; Schwochow, Doreen; Sehen, Lalandy; Meusel, Christopher; Meares, Kate; Radespiel, Ute (2011-06-01). "Seasonal Changes in Feeding Ecology and Activity Patterns of Two Sympatric Mouse Lemur Species, the Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) and the Golden-brown Mouse Lemur (M. ravelobensis), in Northwestern Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology. 32 (3): 566–586. doi:10.1007/s10764-010-9488-1. ISSN   1573-8604. S2CID   39339969.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Olivieri, Gillian L.; Sousa, Vitor; Chikhi, Lounès; Radespiel, Ute (2008-05-01). "From genetic diversity and structure to conservation: Genetic signature of recent population declines in three mouse lemur species (Microcebus spp.)". Biological Conservation. 141 (5): 1257–1271. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.02.025. ISSN   0006-3207.
  10. ↑ Olivieri, Gillian; Zimmermann, Elke; Randrianambinina, Blanchard; Rasoloharijaona, Solofonirina; Rakotondravony, Daniel; Guschanski, Katerina; Radespiel, Ute (2007-04-01). "The ever-increasing diversity in mouse lemurs: Three new species in north and northwestern Madagascar". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 43 (1): 309–327. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.026. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   17197200.
  11. 1 2 Rina Evasoa, Mamy; Radespiel, Ute; Hasiniaina, Alida F.; Rasoloharijaona, Solofonirina; Randrianambinina, Blanchard; Rakotondravony, Romule; Zimmermann, Elke (2018-04-26). "Variation in reproduction of the smallest-bodied primate radiation, the mouse lemurs ( Microcebus spp.): A synopsis". American Journal of Primatology. 80 (7): e22874. doi:10.1002/ajp.22874. PMID   29767414. S2CID   21709451.
  12. 1 2 Rina Evasoa, Mamy; Zimmermann, Elke; Hasiniaina, Alida Frankline; Rasoloharijaona, Solofonirina; Randrianambinina, Blanchard; Radespiel, Ute (2019-04-17). "Sources of variation in social tolerance in mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.)". BMC Ecology. 19 (1): 20. doi: 10.1186/s12898-019-0236-x . ISSN   1472-6785. PMC   6525410 . PMID   31101046.
  13. 1 2 3 Rowe, Amanda K.; Donohue, Mariah E. (2022), "Lemurs: Madagascar's Endemic Primates", Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation, Elsevier, pp. 194–204, doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-821139-7.00015-5, ISBN   9780128211397, S2CID   235091347 , retrieved 2022-12-01
  14. ↑ Schüssler, Dominik; Blanco, Marina; Salmona, Jordi; Poelstra, Jelmer; Andriambeloson, Jean; Miller, Alex; Randrianambinina, Blanchard; Rasolofoson, David; Mantilla-contreras, Jasmin; Chikhi, Lounès; Louis, Edward; Yoder, Anne; Radespiel, Ute (2020). "Ecology and morphology of mouse lemurs ( Microcebus spp.) in a hotspot of microendemism in northeastern Madagascar, with the description of a new species". American Journal of Primatology. 82 (9): e23180. doi: 10.1002/ajp.23180 . PMID   32716088. S2CID   220797785.
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