Greater dwarf lemur

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Greater dwarf lemur
CHEIROGALEUS-1.JPG
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: Cheirogaleus
Species:
C. major
Binomial name
Cheirogaleus major
Cheirogaleus major range map.svg
Greater dwarf lemur range [1]
Synonyms
  • commersoniiWolf, 1822
  • griseusLesson, 1840
  • miliiÉ. Geoffroy, 1828
  • typicusA. Smith, 1833
  • typusF. Cuvier, 1842

The greater dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus major), or the Geoffroy's dwarf lemur, is a lemur that is widely distributed over the primary and secondary forests near the eastern coast of Madagascar. They are also found in northern parts of Madagascar. Greater dwarf lemurs live in forests and dry scrub areas. The head and body of the greater dwarf lemur can range from 167 to 264 millimeters in length, and 164 to 600 grams. Their tails can range from 195 to 310 millimeters in length. [4]

Contents

Greater dwarf lemurs are nocturnal. During the day, they sleep in nests of twigs, leaves, and grass, or hollowed sections of trees padded with dry leaves. [4]

Their diet consists mostly of fruits, flowers, and nectar. Flower nectar is an important part of the diet from November to December. Sometimes they will also eat insects and small vertebrates. During the dry seasons they will store fat in their tail and become dormant. [5]

Its fur is short, dense, grey or reddish brown, and there are dark circles of fur around the eyes. At the end of the wet season the tail will become somewhat swollen with fat. [4]

The greater dwarf lemur is preyed upon by the ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans) during the dormant season. Other predators the Malagasy tree boa (Boa manditra), the Madagascar buzzard (Buteo brachypterus), [6] and it is thought probably by the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) as well, since the latter preys on other lemurs. [7]

Locomotion

The greater dwarf lemur is an arboreal quadruped, it moves along the horizontal branches with a regular gait pattern involving all four limbs. They are not agile leapers. [5]

Mating

Mating occurs in October with births from November to February. Mothers build nests to give birth to their offspring that average in height from six to twelve meters. They generally give birth to twins. Mothers carry infants in their mouths. [8]

Vocalization

Greater dwarf lemurs are not very vocal. They make soft calls to locate others. [5]

Taxonomy

ChirogaleusMiliiSmit.jpg

Between 2000 and 2009, populations of dwarf lemur around Tamatave, Tampira, Mahambo, Ancaya, Ambodivoangy, and Fesi Malendo were known as a separate species, the greater iron-gray dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus ravus). It was described as having a pelage coloration that is iron-gray with brownish tones, a vague dorsal stripe, white feet, a tail with a white tip, and dark ears that are either naked or sparsely covered with hair. [9] However, in 2009, Groeneveld et al. demonstrated genetically that Cheirogaleus ravus was a synonym of Cheirogaleus major, so the greater iron-gray dwarf lemur is no longer recognized as a species. [10] [11]

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">Fat-tailed dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

The fat-tailed dwarf lemur, also known as the lesser dwarf lemur, western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, or spiny forest dwarf lemur, is endemic to Madagascar.

<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">Brown mouse lemur</span> Species of lemur

The brown mouse lemur is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the rufous mouse lemur, eastern rufous mouse lemur, red mouse lemur, or russet mouse lemur. Its dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown, while ventrally it is a whitish-grey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant mouse lemur</span> Genus of small primates from Madagascar

The giant mouse lemurs are members of the strepsirrhine primate genus Mirza. Two species have been formally described; the northern giant mouse lemur and Coquerel's giant mouse lemur. Like all other lemurs, they are native to Madagascar, where they are found in the western dry deciduous forests and further to the north in the Sambirano Valley and Sahamalaza Peninsula. First described in 1867 as a single species, they were grouped with mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs. In 1870, British zoologist John Edward Gray assigned them to their own genus, Mirza. The classification was not widely accepted until the 1990s, which followed the revival of the genus by American paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall in 1982. In 2005, the northern population was declared a new species, and in 2010, the World Wide Fund for Nature announced that a southwestern population might also be a new species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossa (animal)</span> Cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar

The fossa is a slender, long-tailed, cat-like mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the carnivoran family Eupleridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar dry deciduous forests</span> Tropical dry forest ecoregion in Madagascar

The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion situated in the western and northern part of Madagascar. The area has high numbers of endemic plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture. They are among the world's richest and most distinctive dry forests and included in the Global 200 ecoregions by the World Wide Fund. The area is also home to distinctive limestone karst formations known as tsingy, including the World Heritage Site of Bemaraha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anjajavy Forest</span>

The Anjajavy's Protected Area is located on a peninsula of the town of Antonibe, in the district of Analalava and in the north-west region of Madagascar. It is part of the Sofia region of the independent province of Mahajanga and its position is between 47°13’ at 44°22’ of longitude east and 14°58 at 15°07’ of latitude south..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furry-eared dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

The furry-eared dwarf lemur, or Crossley's dwarf lemur, only found on the island of Madagascar, as with all other lemurs. It has a pelage coloration that is red-brown dorsally and gray ventrally. The eye-rings of this species are blackish and the ears are black inside and out. Cheirogaleus crossleyi species are obligated to hibernate during periods of food scarcity on the island of Madagascar. Cheirogaleus crossleyi species specifically undergo drastic fluctuations in temperature during hibernation.

<i>Cryptoprocta spelea</i> Extinct species of carnivoran from Madagascar

Cryptoprocta spelea, also known as the giant fossa, is an extinct species of carnivore from Madagascar in the family Eupleridae which is most closely related to the mongooses and includes all Malagasy carnivorans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf lemur</span> Genus of lemurs

The dwarf lemurs are the lemurs of the genus Cheirogaleus. All of the species in this genus, like all other lemurs, are native to Madagascar.

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

Sibree's dwarf lemur is a small nocturnal lemur endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirindy Mitea National Park</span> National park in Madagascar

The Kirindy Mitea National Park is a national park on the coast of the Mozambique Channel, in south-west Madagascar. The 72,200 hectares park contains many endemic animals and plants and claims to have the greatest density of primates in the world.

The Lavasoa dwarf lemur is a small, nocturnal strepsirrhine primate and a species of lemur that is endemic to three small, isolated patches of forest on the southern slopes of the Lavasoa Mountains in southern Madagascar. Fewer than 50 individuals are thought to exist. Its habitat lies in a transitional zone between three ecoregions: dry spiny bush, humid littoral forest, and humid forest. First collected in 2001 and thought to be a subpopulation of the furry-eared dwarf lemur (C. crossleyi), it was not formally described until 2013. It is one of six species of dwarf lemur, though the research that identified it also suggested the existence of many more new species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groves' dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

Groves' dwarf lemur is a species of dwarf lemur known from Ranomafana and Andringitra national parks and surrounding areas in southeastern Madagascar. The identification was based on comparison of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences with other members of the C. crossleyi group. Individuals from this clade first came under genetic study in 1999 and were recognized as a new species in 2014, but it was not formally described until 2017. The lemur was named after mammalologist Colin Groves. Known from altitudes from 754 to 999 m, it is significantly larger than other members of the C. crossleyi group, with a 20 cm body length, a 29 cm tail, and a weight of 0.41 kg. While the conservation status of the new species has not yet been assessed, its presence in several national parks does not guarantee that it will not be threatened by deforestation ongoing on the island, or possibly by hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makay Massif</span> Mountain range in Madagascar

The Makay Massif is a mountain range in western Madagascar.

References

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  2. Harcourt, C. (1990). Thornback, J (ed.). Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros: The IUCN Red Data Book (PDF). World Conservation Union. ISBN   978-2-88032-957-0. OCLC   28425691.
  3. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 112. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  4. 1 2 3 Cooper, A. 2000. "Cheirogaleus major" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 25, 2012 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cheirogaleus_major.html
  5. 1 2 3 "Greater Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus major)". Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. Goodman, S. M.; O'Conner, S.; Langrand, O. (1993). "A Review of Predation on Lemurs: Implications for the Evolution of Social Behavior in Small, Nocturnal Primates". Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis. pp. 51–66. doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-2412-4_5. ISBN   978-1-4899-2414-8.
  7. Wright, P. C.; et al. (1997). "Predation on Milne Edwards Sifaka (Propithecus diadema edwardsi) by the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) in the rainforest of southeastern Madagascar". Folia Primatologica. 68 (1): 34–43. doi:10.1159/000157230. PMID   9170643.
  8. "AnAge entry for Cheirogaleus major" . Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  9. Groves, Colin P. (2000-12-01). "The Genus Cheirogaleus: Unrecognized Biodiversity in Dwarf Lemurs". International Journal of Primatology. 21 (6): 943–962. doi:10.1023/A:1005559012637. ISSN   1573-8604.
  10. Mittermeier, R.A.; Louis, E.E.; Richardson, M.; Schwitzer, C.; et al. (2010). Lemurs of Madagascar . Illustrated by S.D. Nash (3rd ed.). Conservation International. p. 183. ISBN   978-1-934151-23-5. OCLC   670545286.
  11. Groeneveld, L.F.; Weisrock, D.W.; Rasoloarison, R.M.; Yoder, A.D.; Kappeler, P.M. (2009). "Species delimitation in lemurs: multiple genetic loci reveal low levels of species diversity in the genus Cheirogaleus". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9 (30): 30. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-9-30 . PMC   2652444 . PMID   19193227.