Lepilemur mustelinus I. Geoffroy, 1851

Scientific name:

Lepilemur mustelinus

Scientist name:

I. Geoffroy, 1851

English:

Weasel Sportive Lemur

Other english:

Greater Sportive Lemur, Weasel Lemur, Greater Weasel Lemur

French:

Lépilémur

German:

Westlicher Wieselmaki

Malagasy:

Hataka, Trangalava, Kotrika, Fitiliky, Kotriana

Family:

LEPILEMURIDAE Gray, 1870

Taxa:

Lepilemur

Species

Identification

Lepilemur mustelinus is a large sportive lemur with a head-body length of 26–30 cm, a tail length of 25–29 cm, a total length of 51–59 cm, and a weight of about 1 kg (Harcourt and Thornback, 1990; Louis et al., 2006b; Garbutt, 2007; Lei et al., 2008). The fur is rather long and dense, being a variable chestnut-brown dorsally, and often with a dark midline stripe. The face is gray or brown, the cheeks, throat and abdomen a bit lighter. The tail darkens toward the tip. There are also cases of bright orange L. mustelinus with populations of naturally colored members of these species. See, for example, Figure 8.16, which depicts an individual from the Anamalazaotra Special Reserve at Andasibe (G. Davies, pers. comm.). This species is most likely to be confused with the similar-sized Avahi, which also adopts a vertical clinging posture, and to a lesser extent with Cheirogaleus, which moves about quadrupedally. Closer observation will reveal that the weasel sportive lemur has prominent ears and lacks the white thigh patches of Avahi, and that it is significantly larger than Cheirogaleus and moves about by leaping.

Natural history

Although this species is widespread and apparently common throughout its eastern rain forest range, it is not well studied in the wild. Ratsirarson and Rumpler (1988) reported that it occupies territories of 1.5 ha, and that it sleeps in tree holes 6–12 m above the ground during the dry season. It takes shelter during the day in tangles of vines and leaves during the wet season. L. mustelinus is solitary and eats leaves, flowers, and fruits (Ganzhorn, 1988). It also seems to be out-competed by Avahi for leaves of high nutritional value, subsisting on leaves of lower nutritional value and eating foods with high levels of alkaloids.

Geographic range

The weasel sportive lemur is found in the rain forests of eastern Madagascar from the Nesivolo and Mangoro rivers north at least to the Maningory River. Additional survey work is required to determine the northern and southern extent of the distribution, particularly in light of discoveries of new species within the larger area in which it was previously thought to occur.

Conservation status

There is insufficient information to determine the conservation status of L. mustelinus, and the latest IUCN Red List assessment (2008) classified it as Data Deficient (DD). Many questions still remain regarding its overall distribution and relationship to L. microdon and other species. The main threats are habitat destruction (for slash-and-burn agriculture) and hunting. This species is reported to occur in two national parks (Mantadia and Zahamena), two strict nature reserves (Betampona and Zahamena) and in the Analamazaotra Special Reserve at Andasibe (Nicoll and Langrand, 1989; Safford et al., 1989; Schmid and Smolker, 1998; Britt et al., 1999). As of 2009, this species was not being kept in captivity (ISIS, 2009).

Where to see it

It is possible to find the weasel sportive lemur in the protected areas listed above, but there is no single site that ensures encountering it in the wild. As with other Lepilemur species, this form is located by its eyeshine in your flashlight beam at night, but can also be located during the day in sleeping sites that are sometimes only a few meters above the ground. The use of experienced local guides is highly recommended, since they usually know of regularly used sleeping holes or vine tangles that offer good viewing conditions.

Photographs

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Lepilemur mustelinus I. Geoffroy, 1851

Species