Lepilemur ruficaudatus Grandidier 1867
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 ruficaudatus

description: 23.
Red-tailed Sportive Lemur
Lepilemur ruficaudatus
French: Lépilémur a queue rousse / German: Rotschwanz-Wieselmaki / Spanish: Lémur saltador de cola roja
Other common names: Red-tailed Weasel Lemur
Taxonomy. Lepilemur ruficaudatus Grandidier, 1867,
Madagascar, Morondava.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. W Madagascar, known to occur in the Menabe-Antimena Reserve and the Andranomena and Kasijy special reserves between the Tsiribihina and Morondava rivers. Because of recent taxonomic splitting, the precise limits of the distribution are unknown.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 24-30 cm, tail 24-28 cm; weight 771 g. A mediums=sized sportive lemur. The dorsal fur is light grayish-brown, with reddish-chestnut tinges on the shoulders and forelimbs, similar to the color pattern of the Small-toothed Sportive Lemur (L. microdon). The underside is a pale gray, and the throat and face are cream-colored. Thetail is reddish-brown, often with a white tip. The ears are rounded and prominent, and the eyes are yellow but may become brown with age.
Habitat. Subtropical and tropical dry lowland deciduous forest from sea level to 900 m, gallery forest, and bushland.
Food and Feeding. This species has been described as a leaf-eater, although it also feeds on fruits in season, especially from Diospyros (Ebenaceae) during summer. In the Kirindy Forest, where woolly lemurs (Avahi) do not occur, the Red-tailed Sportive Lemur feeds on leaves of high nutritional value; however, where they coexist, woolly lemurstypically eat higher quality leaves. The chemical composition of leaves chosen by male and female Red-tailed Sportive Lemurs does not seem to differ, but females in one study ate fruits with lower fiber content than did the males.
Breeding. Mating occurs from May to July, and a single infant is born between September and November. The infant is initially transported by the mother’s mouth and left on a branch or in a tree hole while she forages. Infants are weaned at c.50 days. Fathers provide no parental care.
Activity patterns. Nocturnal and arboreal. This species has one of the lowest resting metabolic rates recorded for any mammalian species. Indeed, in areas where their habitat has been logged these animals will frequently die simply because they lack the dietary energy necessary to move to more distant trees. The animals reduce their nightly travel distances in the cold-dry season.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home range sizes are at or below I ha and do not differ between males and females. Adults are organized into pairs, but they rarely interact and spend very little time in close proximity to each other. Home ranges of the pair partners coincide, with litte overlap with the home ranges of neighboring pairs. The animals spend the day in tree holes and can often be seen sunbathing at the entrance. Nightly travel distances are 100-1000 m.
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. ruficaudatus was assessed as vulnerable. In the past, the Red-tailed Sportive Lemur was thought to range from the Onilahy River north as far as the Betsiboka River, but new species of sportive lemurs have recently been described from parts of its formerly wide distribution. Although it remains common over most of the area where it is found, habitat loss due to expanding livestock populationsis a threat. It is also heavily hunted for food throughout much ofits range. Protected areas where it is known to occur include the Andranomena Special Reserve and the Kirindy Forest, part of the Menabe-Antimena Protected Area. Densities of 180-350 ind/km? have been estimated in the Marosalaza forests and 88-160 ind/km? in Kirindy.
Bibliography. Andriaholinirina, Fausseret al. (2006), Eaglen (1986), Fichtel (2007), Ganzhorn (1993, 2002), Garbutt (2007), Groves (2001), Harcourt & Thornback (1990), Hilgartner et al. (2008), Hladik et al. (1980), Louis, Engberg et al. (2006), Mittermeier et al. (2010), Pastorini et al. (2003), Petter & Petter (1971), Petter & Petter-Rousseaux (1960), Petter-Rousseaux (1964), Rasoloarison et al. (1995), Schmid & Ganzhorn (1996), Zinner et al. (2003).
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 74, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6635114