Lemurs

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Lemurs
Dwarf mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxinus)

Dwarf mouse lemur ( Microcebus myoxinus )

Systematics
without rank: Euarchonta
Order : Primates (Primates)
Subordination : Wet-nose primates (Strepsirrhini)
Partial order : Lemurs (Lemuriformes)
Family : Cat lemurs (Cheirogaleidae)
Genre : Lemurs
Scientific name
Microcebus
E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1828
Gray mouse lemur ( Microcebus murinus )

The mouse lemurs ( Microcebus ) are a primate genus from the group of lemurs with 25 species that is native to Madagascar . They include the smallest primates of all.

features

Mouse lemurs have a soft, short fur that can be reddish-brown or gray in color. The underside is whitish, there is also a white nasal stripe and a mostly inconspicuous back stripe. The hind legs are longer than the front legs, the head is characterized by the short snout, the round skull, the large eyes and the enlarged ears. The length of the head body of the mouse lemur is nine to 15 centimeters, the tail is as long as the body. Their weight varies between 30 and 100 grams, but is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations.

distribution and habitat

Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs only occur in Madagascar , where they are among the most common and widespread representatives of this primate group. Their habitat are forests, where they inhabit both the dry forests in the west and the rainforests in the east of their home island. They are only missing in the unforested central highlands.

Lifestyle and diet

Brown mouse lemur ( Microcebus rufus )

Mouse lemurs live mainly in the trees, they are nocturnal and sleep during the day in self-made, round leaf nests or tree hollows. Females form groups of two to nine animals that sleep together during the day, but look for food separately at night. The males live rather solitary, they show a territorial behavior and mark their territory with urine or excrement. Sometimes males can be found in the company of groups of females for a long time.

Mouse lemurs are able to fall into a brief torpor (state of rigidity) or into longer hibernation , which can last up to two weeks, in poor environmental conditions such as drought, poor food and water availability and cold . Body temperature and metabolic rate are lowered, so that energy is saved. The torpor can be observed all year round, but more often in the dry season . In bad weather conditions, the animals go to torpor around midnight and then let themselves be passively warmed up and woken up in the morning by the rising heat. You save a lot of energy through the torpor and passive warm-up. Hibernation has so far only been observed during the dry season and does not seem to last as long as in the related fat-tailed lemurs . To prepare, they put a store of fat ( brown adipose tissue ) in their tail during the rainy season .

Mouse lemurs are omnivores, but fruits make up a considerable part of their diet. They also consume insects, spiders, flowers, nectar and leaves.

Reproduction

The mating takes place immediately after the end of the dry season, whereby the animals know a ritual courtship behavior , which is expressed in squeaking noises and trying to catch the partner's tail. With the mouse lemur, the female is often only ready for conception one night a year; In this small time window there are supposedly random copulations with up to seven males. Apparently there are postcoital mechanisms in the body of Maki females for the selection of healthy genetic material that increases the survivability of the offspring.

After a gestation period of around 60 days, two (rarely three) young animals are usually born in November or December. Sometimes, depending on the area and the duration of the rainy season, there is a second breeding season with a second mating season in December and a second litter in January and February. The young animals spend their first weeks of life in their mother's nest. Later they are carried around in the mouth by the mother during the nightly activity and parked for 1–2 hours at different places in the undergrowth while the mother looks for food. The young are weaned after around one to two months. Sexual maturity occurs between one and two and a half years. Life expectancy in animals in the wild is six to eight years; animals in captivity can live up to 15 years.

threat

The destruction of the habitat is the main threat to the mouse lemur. Species with only a small distribution area are particularly endangered. However, no data are available for many of the newly described species.

species

Phylogenetic system of the mouse lemur according to Hotaling et al. (2016):
  Lemurs  


 Gray-brown mouse lemur ( M. griseorufus )


   

 Gray mouse lemur ( M. murinus )



   


 Danfoss mouse lemur ( M. danfossi )


   

 Bongolava mouse lemur ( M. bongolavensis )


   

 Golden-brown mouse lemur ( M. ravelobensis )




   


 Marohita mouse lemur ( M. marohita )


   

 Gerps Mausmaki ( M. gerpi )



   

 Northern mouse lemur ( M. tavaratra )


   



 Microcebus sp. Louis nova 1


   

 Jolly mouse lemur ( M. jollyae )



   

 Microcebus boraha


   

 Simmons mouse lemur ( M. simmonsi )




   


 Microcebus lokobensis


   

 Microcebus sp. Montagne d´Ambre


   

 Sambirano mouse lemur  ( M. sambiranensis )




   

 Mittermeier mouse lemur ( M. mittermeieri )


   

 Goodman mouse lemur ( M. lehilahytsara )


   

 Berthe-Mausmaki ( M. berthae )


   

 Brown mouse lemur ( M. rufus )


   

 Dwarf mouse lemur ( M. myoxinus )












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In the past, only two ( M. murinus , gray with long ears in the south and west and M. rufus , reddish with short ears in the east) or three species were assumed, but more recently, other species have been described that are before can be clearly distinguished from one another based on their mitochondrial DNA , so that today 25 species of mouse lemur are known. But it is likely that this number will increase.

The giant lemurs were previously also counted among the mouse lemurs, but are now classified in a separate genus, Mirza .

literature

  • Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin a. a. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 , ( Springer textbook ).
  • Russell A. Mittermeier , WR Konstant, F. Hawkins, EE Louis, O. Langrand, J. Ratsimbazafy, RM Rasoloarison, JU Ganzhorn, S. Rajaobelina, I. Tattersall, DM Meyers: Lemurs of Madagascar. 2nd edition. Conservation International, Washington DC 2006, ISBN 1-881173-88-7 ( Conservation International tropical field guide series 1).
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nina Schwensow, Manfred Eberle and Simone Sommer: Compatibility counts: MHC-associated mate choice in a wild promiscuous primate . In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B , Volume 275, Number 1634, 2008, pp. 555-564, doi: 10.1098 / rspb.2007.1433
  2. ↑ a b c Scott Hotaling, Mary E. Foley, Nicolette M. Lawrence, Jose Bocanegra, Marina B. Blanco, Rodin Rasoloarison, Peter M. Kappeler, Meredith A. Barrett, Anne D. Yoder, David W. Weisrock. Species discovery and validation in a cryptic radiation of endangered primates: coalescent-based species delimitation in Madagascar's mouse lemurs. Molecular Ecology, 2016; doi: 10.1111 / mec.13604 .
  3. ↑ R. Mittermeier, J. Ganzhorn, W. Konstant, K. Glander, I. Tattersall, C. Groves, A. Rylands, A. Hapke, J. Ratsimbazafy, M. Mayor, E. Louis Jr., Y. Rumpler , C. Schwitzer and R. Rasoloarison: Lemur Diversity in Madagascar. In: International Journal of Primatology 29 (2008), pp. 1607-1656.
  4. ↑ a b c Rodin M. Rasoloarison, David W. Weisrock, Anne D. Yoder, Daniel Rakotondravony, Peter M. Kappeler: Two New Species of Mouse Lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Microcebus) from Eastern Madagascar . In: International Journal of Primatology . 2013, p. 1-15 , doi : 10.1007 / s10764-013-9672-1 .
  5. ↑ a b c Louis Jr., E .; Engberg, S .; McGuire, S .; McCormick, M .; Randriamampionona, R .; Ranaivoarisoa, J .; Bailey, C .; Mittermeier, R. & Lei, R. (2008). Revision of the Mouse Lemurs, Microcebus (Primates, Lemuriformes), of Northern and Northwestern Madagascar with Descriptions of Two New Species at Montagne d'Ambre National Park and Antafondro Classified Forest. Primate Conservation 23 (1): 19-38. doi: 10.1896 / 052.023.0103 .
  6. ↑ New primate species discovered in Madagascar, "Gerp's Mausmaki" was identified using DNA samples
  7. ↑ Dominik Schüßler, Marina B. Blanco, Jordi Salmona, Jelmer Poelstra, Jean B. Andriambeloson, Alex Miller, Blanchard Randrianambinina, David W. Rasolofoson, Jasmin Mantilla ‐ Contreras, Lounès Chikhi, Edward E. Louis Jr., Anne D. Yoder and Ute Radespiel. 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. DOI: 10.1002 / ajp.23180
  8. ↑ a b Stephanie Pappas: Tiny Lemur Twins Are 2 New Species. In: LiveScience. March 26, 2013, accessed March 26, 2013 .

Web links

Commons : Mausmakis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files