Red lemur
Red lemur | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Strepsirrhini |
Family: | Lemuridae |
Genus: | Eulemur |
Species: | E. rufus
|
Binomial name | |
Eulemur rufus (
Audebert, 1799)[3] | |
Distribution of E. rufus[1] |
The red lemur (Eulemur rufus), also known as the rufous brown lemur or northern red-fronted lemur, is a species of lemur from Madagascar. Until 2001, the species E. rufus was considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur, E. fulvus,[4] after which it was classified as its own species. In December 2008, the species was split into two separate species, the red lemur, E. rufus, distributed in dry lowland forests in northwestern Madagascar, and the red-fronted lemur, E. rufifrons, distributed in southwest and eastern Madagascar.[3] The species split was based on genetic and morphological evidence.[3] Mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates that E. rufifrons may be more closely related to the common brown lemur (E. fulvus), white-headed lemur (E. albifrons) and Sanford's brown lemur (E. sanfordi) than it is to E. rufus.[3]
The red lemur's range covers dry
The species is currently listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable. The most important threats to the species are hunting, as well as habitat destruction resulting from slash-and-burn agriculture, clearing of land for pasture, fuelwood gathering and logging.[1] The hunting level is viewed as unsustainable.[1]
References
- ^ .
- ^ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ S2CID 17614597.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ ISBN 1-881173-88-7.
Further reading
Scholz, Friederike; Kappeler, Peter M. (June 2004). "Effects of Seasonal Water Scarcity on the Ranging Behavior of Eulemur fulvus rufus". International Journal of Primatology. 25 (3): 599–613.