Cheirogaleidae

Cheirogaleidae
Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)
Conservation status
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Superfamily:	Lemuroidea
Family:	Cheirogaleidae Gray, 1873
Type genus
Cheirogaleus É. Geoffroy , 1812
Genera
Cheirogaleus Microcebus Mirza Allocebus Phaner
Synonyms[2]
Microcebina Gray, 1870[a] Cheirogalina Gray, 1872

The Cheirogaleidae are the family of

.

Characteristics

Cheirogaleids are smaller than the other lemurs and, in fact, they are the smallest primates. They have soft, long fur, colored grey-brown to reddish on top, with a generally brighter underbelly. Typically, they have small ears, large, close-set eyes, and long hind legs. Like all strepsirrhines, they have fine claws at the second toe of the hind legs. They grow to a size of only 13 to 28 cm, with a tail that is very long, sometimes up to one and a half times as long as the body. They weigh no more than 500 grams, with some species weighing as little as 60 grams.[3]

Dwarf and mouse lemurs are

. They are excellent climbers and can also jump far, using their long tails for balance. When on the ground (a rare occurrence), they move by hopping on their hind legs. They spend the day in tree hollows or leaf nests. Cheirogaleids are typically solitary, but sometimes live together in pairs.

Their eyes possess a

: 2.1.3.32.1.3.3

Cheirogaleids are omnivores, eating fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar), as well as insects, spiders, and small vertebrates.^[3]

The females usually have three pairs of nipples. After a meager 60-day gestation, they will bear two to four (usually two or three) young. After five to six weeks, the young are weaned and become fully mature near the end of their first year or sometime in their second year, depending on the species. In human care, they can live for up to 15 years, although their life expectancy in the wild is probably significantly shorter.

Classification

The five genera of cheirogaleids contain 42 species.^[4][5][6][7]

• Infraorder Lemuriformes
  • Family Cheirogaleidae
    • Genus
      Cheirogaleus
      : dwarf lemurs
      • Cheirogaleus andysabini
      • Cheirogaleus crossleyi
      • Cheirogaleus grovesi
      • Cheirogaleus lavasoensis
      • Cheirogaleus major
      • Cheirogaleus medius
      • Cheirogaleus minusculus
      • Cheirogaleus shethi
      • Cheirogaleus sibreei
      • Cheirogaleus thomasi^[8]
    • Genus
      Microcebus: mouse lemurs^[4][b]
      • Microcebus arnholdi^[7]
      • Microcebus berthae
      • Microcebus bongolavensis^[9]
      • Microcebus boraha^[10]
      • Microcebus danfossi^[9]
      • Microcebus ganzhorni^[10]
      • Microcebus gerpi^[11]
      • Microcebus griseorufus
      • Microcebus jollyae
      • Jonah's mouse lemur, Microcebus jonahi
      • Microcebus lehilahytsara
      • Microcebus macarthurii^[12]
      • Microcebus mamiratra,^[9] synonymous to M. lokobensis^[b]
      • Microcebus manitatra^[10]
      • Microcebus margotmarshae^[7]
      • Microcebus marohita^[13][14]
      • Microcebus mittermeieri
      • Microcebus murinus
      • Microcebus myoxinus
      • Microcebus ravelobensis
      • Microcebus rufus
      • Microcebus sambiranensis
      • Microcebus simmonsi
      • Microcebus tanosi^[13][14]
      • Microcebus tavaratra^[15]
    • Genus Mirza: giant mouse lemurs
      • Mirza coquereli
      • Mirza zaza
    • Genus Allocebus
      • Allocebus trichotis
    • Genus
      Phaner
      : fork-marked lemurs
      • Phaner furcifer
      • Phaner pallescens
      • Phaner parienti
      • Phaner electromontis

Footnotes

• ^a According to the letter of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the correct name for this family should be Microcebidae, but the name Cheirogaleidae has been retained for stability.^[2]
• Lokobe mouse lemur
  ) was not among the additions, even though it was described in 2006. Therefore, its status as a species is still questionable.

References