Three New Species of Mouse Lemurs Discovered in Madagascar
Posted on April 18, 2016
Scientists have identified three previously unknown species of mouse lemurs in Madagascar. The primate are described in a research paper by scientists from the German Primate Center (DPZ), the University of Kentucky, the American Duke Lemur Center and the Université d'Antananarivo in Madagasca.
The findings increase the number of known mouse lemur species to 24. About 20 years ago only two species of the small nocturnal primates were known to science. The new species live in southern and eastern portions of Madagascar. The primates are only found in Madagascar.
Peter Kappeler, Head of the Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit at the German Primate Center, says in a statement, "By using new, objective methods to assess genetic differences between individuals, we were able to find independent evidence that these three mouse lemurs represent new species. The genetic techniques we used could facilitate species identification, thus also contributing to further new descriptions in other animal groups."
Ganzhorn's mouse lemur (Microcebus ganzhorni) - pictured above - was named after the ecologist Professor Jörg Ganzhorn from Hamburg University. Ganzhorn has been engaged in research and protection of lemurs for decades. Ganzhorn also initiated the field research of the German Primate Center in Madagascar in the 1990s.
A research paper on the new mouse lemurs was published here in the journal, Molecular Ecology.
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