Microcebus berthae Rasoloarison et al., 2000

Scientific name:

Microcebus berthae

Scientist name:

Rasoloarison et al., 2000

Malagasy:

Tsidy bitika an’ i-Berthe

English:

Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur

German:

Madame Berthe’s Mausmaki

Other english:

Berthe’s Mouse Lemur

French:

Microcèbe de Madame Berthe

Family:

CHEIROGALEIDAE Gray, 1873

Taxa:

Microcebus

Species

Identification

Microcebus berthae is the smallest of the mouse lemurs and very likely the smallest primate in the world. It has a head-body length of 9–9.5 cm, a tail length of 13–14 cm, a total length of 22–23 cm, and it weighs only about 30 g (Rasoloarison et al., 2000). The dorsal coat is rufous with a distinct, darker midline stripe that extends from just behind the shoulders to the tip of the tail. The fur of the head is brighter than that of the back. The ventral coat is pale yellow-brown to pale gray in color. A dull white patch occurs above the nose, the region around the eyes is cinnamon, and the crown and ears are tawny. The ears are very short and the orbits are surrounded by a narrow black band. The furred portions of the hands and feet are dull beige. This species can be confused with the sympatric gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), which is only a little larger, and especially with young M. murinus, which are sometimes “parked” by their mothers. The most reliable characteristic is the warmer rufous back and flanks of Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, but the difference can be difficult to confirm at night. If a small mouse lemur sits for any length of time, it may be a young “parked” M. murinus, rather than the very active M. berthae.

Natural history

Dammhahn and Kappeler (2005) describe M. berthae as a solitary forager characterized by extensively overlapping home ranges, those of the males (4.9 ha) being much larger than those of the females (2.5 ha). Daily ranges appear to be significantly greater than (more than double) those of the larger M. murinus. Population densities have been estimated at 30–100 individuals/km2 (Schwab and Ganzhorn, 2004). In addition, while both sexes of M. berthae engage in daily periods of torpor, they do not enter prolonged torpor during the dry season and do not seem to take shelter in tree holes during the day as does M. murinus. The two sympatric mouse lemurs seem to avoid interspecific competition by spatial segregation, making the distributions of both species very patchy (Schwab and Ganzhorn, 2004; Dammhahn and Kappeler, 2008a). In general, M. berthae appears to be more localized than the gray mouse lemur. This tiny primate feeds on fruit and gum, and relies on sugary insect excretions and animal matter during the harsh dry season (Dammhahn and Kappeler, 2008b). Madam Berthe’s lemurs are subject to predation by many different species in the forests where they occur, even more so than the larger M. murinus (M. Dammhahn, pers. comm.).

Geographic range

West-central Madagascar. M. berthae is the name given to the diminutive, rufous-colored mouse lemur that was discovered in the Kirindy Forest in 1992, and was originally thought to be Microcebus myoxinus (see Schmid and Kappeler, 1994). This species inhabits dry deciduous lowland forests (from sea level to 150 m) in the Menabe region south of the Tsiribihina River, where it is sympatric with the larger Microcebus murinus (see Schmid and Kappeler, 1994; Schwab and Ganzhorn, 2004). In addition to the Kirindy Forest, M. berthae has been reported from the Andranomena Special Reserve (Schwab and Ganzhorn, 2004), and used to occur in the forests of Analabe, just a few kilometers to the northwest (based on a photograph taken in 1985, Fig. 7.15), and in Ambadira. However, the forests of Analabe have been heavily degraded over the past two decades, so it is uncertain if the species still occurs there. Densities in Ambadira tend to be higher than in Kirindy (L. M. Schäffler and P. M. Kappeler, unpubl. data).

Conservation status

The most recent IUCN Red List assessment (2008) classified M. berthae as Endangered (EN). Habitat destruction for slash-and-burn agriculture and logging is the principal threat. Its population was estimated at no more than 8,000 mature individuals and it is known from only a handful of forests, most of which are still at risk of destruction and fragmentation (Schwab and Ganzhorn, 2004). The recently-established 125,000-ha Menabe-Antimena Protected Area encompasses the 30,000-ha strict conservation zone that includes the Kirindy Forest, and the currently unprotected Ambadira forests, all of which provide protection for this species. It probably still occurs in the Andranomena Special Reserve as well, an old reserve immediately adjacent to the new protected area. It used to occur in the Analabe Private Reserve, but this has now been severely degraded, so it is unclear whether the species still survives there. As of 2009, this species was not being kept in captivity (ISIS, 2009).

Where to see it

The best chances for seeing M. berthae in the wild are in the Kirindy Forest, operated by the Centre National pour la Formation, Education, Recherche en Environnement et Foresterie (CNFEREF), Morondava. Tourists can reach Kirindy from Morondava (some 60 km to the southwest) via the regular taxi-brousse service which drops you off 5 km from the camp, or by renting a car through one of the Morondava hotels such as Chez Maggie or the Baobab Hotel. An overnight stay at the CNFEREF camp is required to see this and other nocturnal species. The tourist camp, which was constructed here in 1996 and renovated and expanded in 2007, features simple but comfortable bungalows. Reservations should be made at the CNFEREF bureau in Morondava. Both Madame Berthe’s and the gray mouse lemur (M. murinus) can be seen during night walks in close proximity to the camp area, but some trails are much better than others, so a local guide is essential.

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Microcebus berthae Rasoloarison et al., 2000

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