Lepilemur dorsalis Gray 1871
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Anthony B. Rylands
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Lepilemuridae
Lepilemur
Lepilemur dorsalis

description: 13.
Gray’s Sportive Lemur
Lepilemur dorsalis
French: Lépilémur a dos gris / German: Gray-Wieselmaki / Spanish: Lémur saltador de Gray
Other common names: Back-striped Sportive Lemur, Gray-backed Sportive Lemur
Taxonomy. Lepilemur dorsalis Gray, 1871,
NW Madagascar.
The precise taxonomy of the sportive lemurs in north-western Madagascar and their relationship to each other remain unclear. In 2007, D. Zinner and coworkers showed that the three research teams that described new Lepilemur species there in 2006-2007 had different concepts of L. dorsalis, and that the validity of L. tymerlachsoni vs. L. mittermeieri in particular depends on which concept turns out to be correct. The type locality of L. dorsalis is either Mourountsang (= Anorontsangana, 13° 55’ S, 47° 55’ E) or Passandava (= Ampasindava, about 13° 40’ S, 48° 15" E). If the former, then L. tymerlachsoni is a synonym of L. dorsalis and L. mittermeieri is valid. According to Zinner, the species found at Anorontsangana is also found on Nosy Be. The name L. grandidieri was given by C. IL. Forsyth Major in 1894 to a species from this general area, and this too may prove to be a senior synonym of one of the species described in 2006-2007. Monotypic.
Distribution. NW Madagascar, confined to the Sambirano region, with the distribution centering on the town of Ambanja.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 23-26 cm,tail 26-28 cm; weight 770 g. A small, longtailed species with a blunt muzzle. The fur is medium brown to gray-brown above and on the tail, with an indistinct, darker brown median dorsal stripe. The underside is a lighter gray-brown, paler toward the throat. The face is dark gray to brown with large, orangey-red or brown eyes. The ears are small, rounded, and almost hidden in the fur.
Habitat. Primary and secondary tropical moist lowland, gallery, and montane forests that are subject to a dry season each year. Gray’s Sportive Lemur also occurs in bush country and timber plantations.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but it is presumably largely folivorous.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. Nocturnal and arboreal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. This species has not been studied in the wild.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Data Deficient on The [UCN Red List. However, at the [IUCN/SSC Lemur Red-Listing Workshop held in July 2012, L. dorsalis was assessed as vulnerable. Although often abundant, there are several threats to its survival, in particular habitat loss for coffee and rice cultivation and illegal logging. It also is sometimes hunted for food, despite legal protection. The only protected area where it is known to occur for certain is the Manongarivo Special Reserve. It also is likely found in the Tsaratanana Strict Nature Reserve, although this has yet to be confirmed.
Bibliography. Andriaholinirina, Fausser et al. (2006), Craul et al. (2007), Garbutt (2007), Groves (2001), Harcourt & Thornback (1990), Louis, Engberg et al. (2006), Mittermeier et al. (2010), Nicoll & Langrand (1989), Petter et al. (1977), Tattersall (1982), Zinner et al. (2007).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Lepilemuridae, pp. 66-75 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 71, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6635114