Lepilemur petteri is a small southern Lepilemur, similar to L. leucopus but slightly larger. It has a head-body length of 23 cm, a tail length of 24 cm, a total length of 47 cm, and a body weight of roughly 630 g (Louis et al., 2006b). The pelage is gray to grayish- brown above and whitish-gray below, with a diffuse brownish-gray on the anterior aspect of the thighs and along the dorsal midline. The face is gray with lighter circular patches around the eyes and under the chin, and the ears are trimmed in lighter fur, highlighting the dark brownish-gray inner lining (Louis et al., 2006b).
Lepilemur petteri has been studied in the Beza-Mahafaly Special Reserve (Nash, 1998), where it occurs mainly in deciduous thicket or thorn scrub as well as in the limited gallery forest present there.
Southwestern Madagascar. This species is currently known only from the Beza-Mahafaly region, south of the Onilahy River and west of the Linta River. Further studies are needed to determine the northern extent of the species’ distribution. In addition, studies should be conducted in the remaining forest regions around the Linta and Menarandra rivers to determine the range of both L. petteri and Lepilemur leucopus (see Louis et al., 2006b). Formerly, the sportive lemur from the Beza-Mahafaly region was thought to be L. leucopus.
There is insufficient information to determine the conservation status of L. petteri, so the latest IUCN Red List assessment (2008) classified it as Data Deficient (DD). It is known to occur in one protected area, the Beza-Mahafaly Special Reserve (Louis et al., 2006b). As of 2010, this species was not being kept in captivity (I. J. Porton, pers. comm.).
Thus far, the only places where this species can be seen is in the Beza-Mahafaly Special Reserve and in the nearby Classified Forest, 35 km northeast of Betioky Sud, about a five- hour drive from Toliara (= Tuléar) in a four-wheel-drive vehicle (Ratsirarson, 2003; Bradt, 2007).
