Lemuridae

(vertebrate zoology) A family of prosimian primates of Madagascar belonging to the Lemuroidea; all members are arboreal forest dwellers.

(Lemuridae)

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates or Primata

Family: Lemuridae

Thumbnail description
Arboreal primates with monkeylike bodies and foxlike heads

Size
Approximately that of a house cat; adult head-and-body length 11–22 in (28–56 cm), tail length 11–24 in (28–60 cm), adult weight 4.4–10 lb (2–4.5 kg)

Number of genera, species
2 genera; 9 species

Habitat
Tropical and subtropical forests

Conservation status
Critically Endangered: 2 species; Endangered: 1 species; Vulnerable: 5 species

Distribution
The island of Madagascar and the Comoro Islands

Evolution and systematics

The evolutionary history of the Malagasy prosimians has been, until recently, one of the knottiest in the life sciences. As of 2000, cladistic analyses, genetic and mitochondrial DNA studies, and morphological comparisons support a monophyletic (single species) origin of all Malgasy prosimians from a founder species that rafted on vegetation from Africa to Madagascar in the early Eocene epoch (55 to 34 million years ago).

There are at least 60 known species of Malagasy prosimians, living and recently extinct, all generally lumped under the umbrella name "lemurs." The total includes 15 large-bodied species, most with unique adaptations, that became extinct within the last 200–300 years. "Lemuridae" is used here as referring to the so-called true lemurs, house cat-sized with fairly long, fox-like muzzles.

Lemurs are prosimians (suborder Prosimii), the term "prosimian" is loosely translated as "pre-monkey" and covers several lines of primate evolution diverging from those of the anthropoids (suborder Anthropoidea: monkeys, apes, and hominids). Living prosimian species include the prosimians of Madagascar (superfamily Lemuroidea), the lorisoids, and the tarsiers. The lorisoids (superfamily Lorisoidea) include the galagos (bushbabies) and pottos of the African mainland and the lorises of Southeast Asia. There are only three living species of tarsiers (infraorder Tarsiiformes, superfamily Tarsiodea), small, headlight-eyed, goblinesque arboreal primates found on some of the Southeast Asian islands.

The eye socket of the skull is open in prosimians but closed in anthropoids. Prosimians have mostly nails on their digits, except for the second digit of the hind foot, which carries a claw or clawlike nail used for self-grooming; anthropoids have only nails on all digits (with the distant exception of the neotropical marmosets and tamarins). Prosimians' lower canines and incisors are modified into a comblike structure used as a grooming tool; anthropoids have no such structure.

Suborder Strepsirrhini ("wet nose") covers lemurs and lorisoids, since those species keep the generalized mammalian condition of noses wet by self-licking to facilitate the olfactory sense, obvious in animals like dogs and cats. In strepsirrhines, the upper lip is divided, again as in dogs and cats, to make way for the frequent nose-lapping tongue. Tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and hominids are placed in suborder Haplorrhini ("dry nose"), since they have discarded the split lip and the wet nose, coming to rely more on vision and less on olfaction.

There are several differing classifications of lemur species, all in fluctuation as the latest studies in morphology and DNA comparison studies of lemurs reveal new interrelationships among species. The other families of living Malagasy prosimians, not covered in this entry, are Cheirogaleidae, the dwarf and mouse lemurs; Lepilemuridae, the weasel or sportive lemurs; Indriidae, covering the indris, sifakas, and avahis; and Daubentoniidae, the specialized, enigmatic aye-aye.

Physical characteristics

Lemuridae are arboreal primates, the size of house cats, with bodies, limbs, hands and feet much like those of monkeys, somewhat foxlike heads with long muzzles, and large, brightly hued, round, owl-like eyes. Adult Lemuridae head-and-body length ranges 11–22 in (28–56 cm) and tail length 11–25.5 in (28–65 cm). The tail length in most species is longer than the head-and-body length. Adult weights run 4.4–10 lb (2–4.5 kg). Bodies and limbs are gracile, the hind limbs longer than the forelimbs. The pelage is dense, soft, woolly or cottony, and rather long. Species may carry face or neck ruffs of long fur. Coat colors and patterns vary considerably among species. Some species are sexually dichromatic.

The eyes are set close for binocular vision, and in most species are brilliantly colored. Olfactory communication being important, lemuridae are equipped with scent glands in various parts of their bodies, the exact number and location varying throughout genera and species. The animals rub exhudations from the glands on various spots and objects to mark territory.

All lemuridae (and all prosimians) carry grooming combs, modified lower incisors and canines that form a comblike structure that the animals use for grooming themselves and others of their group. Mutual grooming is a social glue, maintaining and reinforcing bonds among the members of a group.

The ears are partially furred and not especially prominent, except in Lemur catta, where they are large and triangular, resembling the ears of housecats.

The hands and feet are more or less monkeylike. The pollex (thumb) and hallux (big toe) are set off more or less at right angles to the other digits and are opposable, ensuring firm holds on tree branches. The palms and soles are deeply ridged for a firm grip. A claw or clawlike nail, used for self-grooming, is present on the second toe of each hind foot.

Distribution

Madagascar and the Comoro Islands.

Habitat

Lemur species have adapted to several varied habitats within their range, including humid lowland and montane tropical forests, dry scrub, dense gallery forest, dry tropical deciduous forest, sparse rocky areas, and occasionally grassland.

Behavior

All Lemuridae species are arboreal, although most spend some minimum time on the ground. The ringtailed lemurs are notable for spending about half their foraging time on the ground and can live in treeless areas.

In the trees, Lemuridae walk and run quadrupedally along the tops of tree limbs and leap between trees. At rest, they sit upright or lay down. The tail is about as long as the body, thickly furred, and used for balance and for steering during jumps.

The Lemuridae are for the most part diurnal foragers, with some exceptions. Lemur mongoz alternates between diurnal and nocturnal activity in response to season and food availability.

All the Lemuridae species are social, but the exact formalities vary among species. The number of individuals within a group may range anywhere from two to 20. There may be large groups that break up into smaller foraging groups during the day, then reconglomerate at nightfall into the original, single, large group. There may be small family groups of permanently bonded males and females and their offspring.

Groups maintain their cohesion by means of the frequent and all-important activity of mutual grooming with the "grooming comb" derived from the lower incisor and canine teeth.

Lemuridae societies are female-dominant. Females have priority in choosing mating partners and helping themselves to larger amounts of food. A single female leads a typical group of females and males in foraging and sheltering. Either sex has its own dominance hierarchy.

Lemuridae are territorial. Abutting same-species territories may or may not overlap. When neighboring foraging troops meet at territory boundaries, both react by staging hyperactive bouts of alarm calls and branch-shaking.

The Lemuridae have an almost musical range of vocalizations for various needs. There are calls for greeting, territorial assertions, contact and threats between in-group or out-group individuals, and alarm calls that vary according to the type of threat.

Feeding ecology and diet

Diet is herbivorous overall, with some omnivory. Plant foods include flowers, pollen, nectar, fruits, leaves, seeds, and seed pods. Less often on the menu are insects and other invertebrates, small vertebrates, and birds' eggs.

Reproductive biology

All species of Lemuridae mate from April through June, the females have a gestation period of about 4.5 months and give birth from August through October, generally coinciding with the beginning of the monsoon season. When plant growth resumes, animals wake from torpor and new food becomes available.

The females of all the Lemuridae genera except Varecia have but one pair of mammae, while Varecia carries six pairs. A female reaches sexual maturity at two years old and usually starts bearing young, annually, in her third year. There are generally one or two young per birth, although

Varecia may have up to six young (and six mammae to feed them all).

For the first four weeks of life a newborn young rides beneath the mother's body, gripping the ventral fur and hugging the torso. After the fourth week, the youngster switches to riding on the mother's back. At about one month of age it starts wandering and exploring on its own. In two months, it begins sampling solid food, and until weaning—at about five to six months—will gradually replace its milk diet with solid food. The exact timing of these different stages of development may vary among species.

Lemurs in the wild can live perhaps 20 years. The record for longevity in captivity among Lemuridae is 39 years for a hybrid of Lemur macaco and Lemur fulvus.

Conservation status

Since the Lemuridae are primarily arboreal, rampant destruction of Madagascar's remaining forests for the purpose of agriculture and grazing puts all the lemuridae species at risk. Taking a lesser but significant toll is the hunting and trapping of lemurs for both food and for the illicit market in exotic pets.

Significance to humans

Lemuridae species are hunted and trapped for food. Some are kept as pets or shipped abroad for the exotic pet trade. A few species are blamed for raiding crops and are consequently hunted and trapped.

On the brighter side, ecotourism has taken off in Madagascar, and lemurs in the wild and their habitats have become a substantial tourist draw, bringing in valuable foreign exchange to Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries. Through the scientific study of lemurs we can learn more about adaptive evolution and speciation. Lemurs have become rallying symbols for conservation because they are beautiful, charming, and fascinating animals.

Species accounts

Resources

Mittermeier, R. A., W. R. Konstant, M. E. Nicoll, and O. Langrand. Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, 1992.

Plavcan, J., R. F. Kay, W. L. Jungers, and C. P. van Schaik, eds. Reconstructing Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2002.

Rakotosamimanana, B., H. Rasamimanana, J. U. Ganzhorn, and S. M. Goodman, eds. New Directions in Lemur Studies. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999.

Tattersall, I. The Primates of Madagascar. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982.

Harrington, J. E. "Diurnal Behavior of Lemur mongoz at Ampijoroa, Madagascar." Folia Primatologica 56 (1978): 39–49.

Tattersall, I. "Group Structure and Activity Rhythm in Lemur mongoz (Primates, Lemuriformes) on Anjouan and Moheli Islands, Comoro Archipelago." Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 53, 4 (1976): 369–380.

Wilson, J. M., P. D. Stewart, G. S. Ramangason, A. M. Denning, and M. S. Hutchings. "Ecology and Conservation of the Crowned Lemur, Lemur coronatus, at Ankarana, N. Madagascar." Folia Primatologica 52 (1989): 1–26.

Yoder, A. D., M. Cartmill, M. Ruvolo, K. Smith, and R. Vilgalys. "Ancient Single Origin for Malagasy Primates." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93 (1996): 5122–5126.

Organizations

Duke University Primate Center. 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705 United States. Phone: (919) 489-3364. Fax: (919) 490-5394. E-mail: primate@duke.edu Web site:

Madagascar Fauna Group, San Francisco Zoo. 1 Zoo Road, San Francisco, CA 94132 United States. E-mail: mfg@sfzoo.org Web site:

Other

2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources).

Yoder Lab Page.

[Article by: Kevin F. Fitzgerald, BS]

A family of nonhuman primates that includes the lemur.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: typical lemurs; of Madagascar
  Synonym: family Lemuridae

Lemuridae[1]
Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Strepsirrhini Infraorder: Lemuriformes Family: Lemuridae Gray, 1821
Genera
Lemur Eulemur Hapalemur Prolemur Varecia

Lemuridae is a family of prosimian primates native to Madagascar, and one of five families commonly known as lemurs. These animals were thought to be the evolutionary predecessors of monkeys and apes, but this is no longer considered correct.^[2] The family gets its name from the Ancient Roman belief^{[citation needed]} that the animals were ghosts or spirits ('lemures'), because many species are nocturnal.

Characteristics

Lemurids are medium-sized arboreal primates, ranging from 32 to 56 cm in length, excluding the tail, and weighing from 0.7 to 5 kg. They have long, bushy tails and soft, woolly fur of varying coloration. The hindlegs are slightly longer than the forelegs, although not enough to hamper fully quadrupedal movement (unlike the sportive lemurs). Most species are highly agile, and regularly leap several metres between trees. They have a good sense of smell and binocular vision. Unlike most other lemurs, all but one species of lemurid (the Ring-tailed Lemur) lack a tapetum lucidum,^[3] a reflective layer in the eye that improves night vision.

Lemurids are herbivorous, eating fruit, leaves, and, in some cases, nectar. They have the dental formula:

With most lemurids, the mother gives birth to one or two young after a gestation period of between 120 and 140 days, depending on species. Though the ruffed lemur species are the only lemurids that have true litters, consisting of anywhere from 2 to 6 offspring. They are generally sociable animals, living in groups of up to thirty individuals in some species. In some cases, such as the Ring-tailed Lemur, the groups are long-lasting, with distinct dominance hierarchies, while in others, such as the Common Brown Lemur, the membership of the groups varies from day to day, and seems to have no clear social structure^[3].

Classification

The family Lemuridae contains 5 extant genera, and 22 species.^[4]

• Order Primates
  • Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
    • Infraorder Lemuriformes: lemurs
      • Family Cheirogaleidae: dwarf and mouse lemurs
      • Family Daubentoniidae: Aye-aye
      • Family Indriidae: woolly lemurs, sifakas, and allies
      • Family Lemuridae
        • Subfamily Lemurinae
          • Genus Lemur
            • Ring-tailed Lemur, Lemur catta
          • Genus Eulemur : brown lemurs
            • Common Brown Lemur, Eulemur fulvus
            • Sanford's Brown Lemur, Eulemur sanfordi
            • White-headed Lemur, Eulemur albifrons
            • Red Lemur, Eulemur rufus
            • Red-fronted Lemur, Eulemur rufifrons
            • Collared Brown Lemur, Eulemur collaris
            • Gray-headed Lemur, Eulemur cinereiceps
            • Black Lemur, Eulemur macaco
            • Sclater's Lemur, Eulemur flavifrons
            • Crowned Lemur, Eulemur coronatus
            • Red-bellied Lemur, Eulemur rubriventer
            • Mongoose Lemur, Eulemur mongoz
          • Genus †Pachylemur
            • †Pachylemur insignis
            • †Pachylemur jullyi
          • Genus Varecia : ruffed lemurs
            • Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variegata
            • Red Ruffed Lemur, Varecia rubra
        • Subfamily Hapalemurinae
          • Genus Hapalemur : lesser gentle or bamboo lemurs
            • Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur griseus
            • Southern Lesser Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur meridionalis
            • Gilbert's Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur gilberti
            • Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemur, Hapalemur alaotrensis
            • Golden Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur aureus
            • Western Lesser Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur occidentalis
          • Genus Prolemur
            • Greater Bamboo Lemur, Prolemur simus
      • Family Lepilemuridae: sportive lemurs
    • Infraorder Lorisiformes: lorises, galagos, pottos and allies
  • Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes

Lemur species in the Eulemur are known to interbreed, despite having dramatically different chromosome numbers. Red-fronted (2N=60) and Collared (2N=50–52) Brown Lemurs were found to hybridize at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar.^[5]

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Lemuridae

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lemuridae

1. ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M.. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 114-117. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100033. 
2. ^ Shumaker, Robert W., and Beck, Benjamin B. (2003). Primates in Question. Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 1588341763. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Richard, Alison F. (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 320–325. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
4. ^ Mittermeier, R. A. et al. (2008). "Lemur Diversity in Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology 29: 1607–1656. doi:10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y. 
5. ^ Jekielek, J. (2002). [Hybridization of Brown Lemurs at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar.] MSc. thesis, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta.

v • d • e Extant primate families by suborder Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Class Mammalia · Infraclass Eutheria · Superorder Euarchontoglires Strepsirrhini Cheirogaleidae · Lemuridae · Lepilemuridae · Indriidae · Daubentoniidae · Lorisidae · Galagidae Haplorrhini Tarsiidae · Cebidae · Aotidae · Pitheciidae · Atelidae · Cercopithecidae · Hylobatidae · Hominidae

v • d • e Extant species of family Lemuridae Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Mammalia · Order: Primates · Suborder: Strepsirhini Lemurinae Lemur Ring-tailed Lemur (L. catta) Eulemur (True lemurs) Black Lemur (E. macaco) · Common Brown Lemur (E. fulvus) · Sanford's Brown Lemur (E. sanfordi) · White-headed Lemur (E. albifrons) · Red-fronted Lemur (E. rufifrons) · Red Lemur (E. rufus) · Collared Brown Lemur (E. collaris) · Gray-headed Lemur (E. cinereiceps) · Mongoose Lemur (E. mongoz) · Crowned Lemur (E. coronatus) · Red-bellied Lemur (E. rubriventer) · Sclater's Lemur (E. flavifrons) Varecia (Ruffed lemurs) Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (V. variegata) · Red Ruffed Lemur (V. rubra) Hapalemurinae Hapalemur (Bamboo lemurs) Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur (H. griseus) · Western Lesser Bamboo Lemur (H. occidentalis) · Southern Lesser Bamboo Lemur (H. meridionalis) · Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemur (H. alaotrensis) · Gilbert's Bamboo Lemur (H. gilberti) · Golden Bamboo Lemur (H. aureus) Prolemur Greater Bamboo Lemur (P. simus) Category

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