Cheirogaleus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Primates
Subordo: Strepsirrhini
Infraordo: Lemuriformes
Superfamilia: Lemuroidea

Familia: Cheirogaleidae
Genus: Cheirogaleus
Species (9): C. andysabini – C. crossleyi – C. grovesi – C. lavasoensis – C. major - C. medius - C. minusculus – C. shethi – C. sibreei – C. thomasi

Name

Cheirogaleus É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1812: 172

Type species: Cheirogaleus major É. Geoffroy, 1812, by subsequent designation by Elliot (1907: 548).
Synonyms

Cebugale Lesson, 1840: 207

Type specie: Lemur commersonii Wolf, 1822, by monotypy.

Mioxicebus Lesson, 1840: 207

Type species: Mioxicebus griseus Lesson, 1840, by subsequent designation by Elliot (1913: 124).

Chirogale Gloger, 1841: 44 [incorrect subsequent spelling of Cheirogaleus É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire]
Myspithecus F. Cuvier, 1842: 44 [preoccupied by Myspithecus de Blainville, 1839]

Type species: Cheirogaleus milii É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1828, by monotypy.

Opolemur Gray, 1873: 853

Type species: Cheirogaleus milli É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1828, by monotypy.

Altililemur Elliot, 1913: 111

Type species: Cheirogaleus medius É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1812, by original designation.
References
Primary references

Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É. 1812. Notes sur trois dessins de Commerçon. Annales du Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 19: 171–175.
Lesson, R.P. 1840. Species des mammifères bimanes et quadrumanes. J. B. Baillière, Paris. BHL
Gogler, C.W.L. 1841. Gemeinnütziges Hand- und Hilfsbuch der Naturgeschichte. A. Schultz & Co. Breslau. BHL
Cuvier F. 1842. Table générale et méthodique de toutes les espèces figurées et décrite dans l’Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères. in Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, E. & Cuvier, F. (eds.). Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères, avec Figures Originales, Coloriées, Dessinées d’aprés des Animaux Vivants. Paris: Blaise, 2. BHL
Gray, J.E. 1872 [1873]. Notes on Propithecus, Indris and other lemurs (Lemurina) in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1872): 846–860. BHL
Elliot, D.G. 1907. A Catalogue of the Collection of Mammals in the Field Columbian Museum. Publications of the Field Columbian Museum, Zoological series 8: 1–694. BHL
Elliot, D.G. 1913. A Review of the Primates. Volume 1. American Museum of Natural History, New York. BHL

Additional references

Groves, C.P. 2000. The genus Cheirogaleus: unrecognized biodiversity in dwarf lemurs. International Journal of Primatology 21(6): 943–962. DOI: 10.1023/A:1005559012637 Reference page.
Blanco, M.B., Godfrey, L.R., Rakotondratsima, M., Rahalinarivo, V., Samonds, K.E., Raharison, J.L. & Irwin, M.T. 2009. Discovery of sympatric dwarf lemur species in the high-altitude rain forest of Tsinjoarivo, Eastern Madagascar: implications for biogeography and conservation. Folia Primatolologica 80(1): 1–17. DOI: 10.1159/000173716
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. Reference page.
Groeneveld, L.F., Blanco, M.B., Raharison, J.L., Rahalinarivo, V., Rasoloarison, R.M., Kappeler, P.M., Godfrey, L.R. & Irwin, M.T. 2010. MtDNA and nDNA corroborate existence of sympatric dwarf lemur species at Tsinjoarivo, eastern Madagascar. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55(3): 833–845. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.03.004
Lei, R., Frasier, C.L., McLain, A.T., Taylor, J.M., Bailey, C.A., Engberg, S.E., Ginter, A.L., Randriamampionona, R., Groves, C.P., Mittermeier, R.A. & Louis Jr., E.E. 2014. Revision of Madagascar's Dwarf Lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus): Designation of Species, Candidate Species Status and Geographic Boundaries Based on Molecular and Morphological Data. Primate Conservation 2014 (28): 9–35. Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Lei, R., McLain, A.T., Frasier, C.L., Taylor, J.M., Bailey, C.A., Engberg, S.E., Ginter, A.L., Nash, S.D., Randriamampionona, R., Groves, C.P., Mittermeier, R.A. & Louis Jr., E.E. 2016. A New Species in the Genus Cheirogaleus (Cheirogaleidae). Primate Conservation 2015 (29): 43–54. Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Gardner, C.J. & Jasper, L.D. 2015. Discovery of an island population of dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus) on Nosy Hara, far northern Madagascar. Primates 56(4): 307–310. DOI: 10.1007/s10329-015-0479-x
Frasier, C.L., Lei, R., McLain, A.T., Taylor, J.M., Bailey, C.A., Ginter, A.L., Nash, S.D., Randriamampionona, R., Groves, C.P., Mittermeier, R.A. & Louis Jr., E.E. 2016. A New Species of Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus medius Group) from the Ankarana and Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Massifs, Madagascar. Primate Conservation 2016 (30): 59–72. Full article (PDF) Reference page.

Links

Cheirogaleus in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Fettschwanzmakis
English: Dwarf lemur
español: Lémures enanos
日本語: コビトキツネザル属
lietuvių: Makiai

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.
Description
A lithograph of a dwarf lemur from Carl Vogt and Friedrich Specht's The Natural History of Animals (1888)

Measuring 19–27 cm in body length with a tail about 16–17 cm, they are larger than the mouse lemur but smaller than the gentle lemur. Their heads are globular compared to the fox-like heads of the lemurs, but their muzzles are more pointed than those of the hapalemurs. Their hind limbs are slightly longer than their forelimbs, but not as elongated as in lepilemurs or indriids. Dwarf lemurs have an intermembral index of 71 on average. In contrast to most other primates, their grip is similar to that of South American monkeys with objects picked up and branches grasped between the second and third fingers, rather than between the thumb and index finger. Their nails are somewhat keeled and pointed. [4]

Dwarf lemurs roam the lower strata of the foliage in the coastal forests of eastern Madagascar. They are nocturnal and quadrupeds. They have a period of inactivity (torpor) during the winter season lasting between four and five months. Their tail serves as an area for fat storage, most of which is consumed during periods of food scarcity. Like most nocturnal prosimians, dwarf lemurs are reported as living solitary or in pairs. They nest in tree holes where they often sleep together in curled up positions. Their territories are marked by fecal and scent markings. Their diet consists primarily of fruits and flowers and they seem to play a part in the pollination of certain plants. [4]
Classification

As of 2022, 10 species are known.

Genus Cheirogaleus: dwarf lemurs
Montagne d'Ambre dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus andysabini
Furry-eared dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus crossleyi
Groves' dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus grovesi
Lavasoa dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus lavasoensis
Greater dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus major
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus medius
Lesser iron-gray dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus minusculus
Ankarana dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus shethi
Sibree's dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus sibreei
Thomas' dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus thomasi