New Mouse Lemur Discovered
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 14th, 2008
This is an illustration of different species of endemic mouse lemurs (Microcebus) occurring in the western half of Madagascar. Microcebus are the world’s smallest living primates and some species are limited to small geographic areas, which is known as micro-endemism. (Illustration by Peggy Macnamara, Courtesy of The Field Museum)
New Primate Species Discovered on Madagascar
Sonja von Brethorst, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
Number of known mouse lemur species increases to 16
Hannover, 14th July 2008
The working group of University Senior Lecturer Dr. Ute Radespiel from the Institute of Zoology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation (TiHo), together with Malagasy scientists and students of the GERP organisation (Groupe d`Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar), have described a primate species which has, up until now, remained unknown to experts. The results were published on the internet page of the American Journal of Primatology (on July, 14th).
The small nocturnal mouse lemur species has been named Microcebus macarthurii, MacArthur’s mouse lemur. The animals live in eastern Madagascar in the dense, evergreen mountainous rainforests of the Makira region. They were discovered by the Malagasy scientists when inventorying the lemur fauna of the area. Since the project is being supported by the MacArthur Foundation from the USA the new species has been named after the Foundation.
To date, this generally unknown species has been sighted only in the Makira region. The scientists suspect that the natural range of the MacArthur’s mouse lemur is very small, as several large rivers and a mountain range cut through the region – these natural barriers could limit the mouse lemur’s dissemination.
After their discovery small tissue samples were taken from the animals, which were then genetically characterized by the working group of PD Dr. Ute Radespiel in the Institute of Zoology of the TiHo and compared with the gene sequences of 15 already known mouse lemur species. This project part was financed by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz (Federal Agency for Nature Conservation).
The new species not only differs genetically but also in its body size from the sister species, the Mittermeier`s mouse lemur that occurs sympatrically in the same region. The Makira region, after these new findings, is one of the areas with the richest lemur fauna on Madagascar. University Senior Lecturer Radespiel said: “Unfortunately, this exceptional centre of biodiversity is in real danger. As in many other regions of Madagascar, too, deforestation activities, slash-and-burn cultivation, hunting and mining of mineral resources pose an enormous threat to the remaining forests and their inhabitants. Conservation activities are urgently needed to ensure the long-term survival of these animals.”
Thanks to Chad Arment, author of Boss Snakes, for this new species news.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
So this is why primatologists eschew the sasquatch search for, as one wag on this site puts it, “another mouse lemur.” 🙂