Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur

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Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur
Systematics
Order : Primates (Primates)
Subordination : Wet-nose primates (Strepsirrhini)
Partial order : Lemurs (Lemuriformes)
Family : Cat lemurs (Cheirogaleidae)
Genre : Fat- tailed lemurs ( Cheirogaleus )
Type : Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur
Scientific name
Cheirogaleus lavasoensis
Thiele , Razafimahatratra , Hapke , 2013

The Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur ( Cheirogaleus lavasoensis ) is a primate species from the lemur group . The species was described in 2013 and is known exclusively from three small forest fragments on the southern slopes of the Lavasoa Mountains in the Anosy region in southeastern Madagascar. It was previously equated with the reddish fat- tailed lemur ( Cheirogaleus crossleyi ). Only DNA analyzes confirmed the independence of the species.

features

The holotype , a fully grown male, has a total length of 53.7 cm and a weight of 297 g. The head is 5.4 cm long and 3.4 cm wide, the ears 2.6 cm long and 1.9 cm wide. The tail length is 27 cm, that of the hind foot 5.3 cm. The fur of the animals is generally reddish in color. The reddish color is particularly pronounced on the top of the head and on the face. The eyes are surrounded by a 3 to 4 mm wide, black ring that is broadly connected to the darkly pigmented nose. The ears are covered with blackish hair inside and out. The fur becomes increasingly gray-brown towards the tail, the tail is completely gray-brown. The peritoneum and the insides of the arms and legs are light cream in color. A cream-colored stripe runs from the sides to the neck. On most parts of the body, the hair is two-tone, dark gray towards the body and colored towards the tip.

The Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur differs from the geographically closest fat-tailed lemur, the western fat -tailed lemur ( C. medius ) and the brown fat -tailed lemur ( C. major ), by its reddish-brown head color and the dark, pointed snout. The same features, as well as the relatively narrow eye ring, distinguish it from the backstripe fat- tailed lemur ( Cheirogaleus sibreei ). From his closest relative, a hitherto undescribed and provisional name Cheirogaleus sp. Ranomafana / Andrambovato, the Lavasoa fat-tailed lemur differs in its shorter and narrower head, longer and wider ears and shorter tail. It differs from its second closest relative, the reddish fat-tailed lemur, with its shorter head and wider ears. It has the mostly reddish coat color in common with the last two species.

Habitat and endangerment

The habitat of Cheirogaleus lavasoensis is in the transition zone from dry thorn forest to moist forests and has a mixed vegetation that is dominated by plants from the more humid forests, but also contains floral elements from the dry thorn forests. The three forest fragments are remnants of a larger forest in the south of the Lavasoa Mountains. Today the population of the species is probably less than 50 animals.

literature

  • Dana Thiele, Emilienne Razafimahatratra, Andreas Hapke: Discrepant partitioning of genetic diversity in mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs - biological reality or taxonomic bias? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, July 2013, doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2013.07.019 , ZDB -ID 1471402-4

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