Galagoides rondoensis Honess 1997
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
Galagidae
Galagoides
Galagoides rondoensis

description: 4.
Rondo Dwart Galago
Galagoides rondoensis
French: Galago du Rondo / German: Rondo-Zwerggalago / Spanish: Gélago pequeno de Rondo
Other common names: Rondo Bushbaby, Rondo Galago
Taxonomy. Galagoides rondoensis Honess in Kingdon, 1997,
Tanzania, Lindi District, Rondo Plateau, Rondo Forest Reserve (10° 07’ S, 39° 23’ E).
A species from the Rondo Plateau, southeastern Tanzania. It was first identified as G. demidovii but later recognized as a distinct species based on differences in vocalizations and morphology. A museum specimen in the Frankfurt collection, originally from the Pugu Hills Forest Reserve (now Saadani National Park), is smaller than the typical Rondo Dwarf Galago. With a shortertail, a yellowish mid-facial stripe, unpigmented ears, and no eye-rings,it may represent a distinct subspecies. Monotypic.
Distribution. Endemic to Tanzania, known only from six small remnant moist-forest patches in C coastal and extreme SE Tanzania (Litipo, Rondo, Ziwani, Pugu Hills/ Kazimzumbwi, and Zareninge), and the Pande Game Reserve; it is not known if it occurs in the intervening areas.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 9-12 cm, tail 16-22 cm; weight 35-70 g. The Rondo Dwarf Galago is thought to be the smallest living galago, with little or no sexual dimorphism. Pelage color varies with maturity. The muzzle is long and slender. Pelage is generally brown above, becoming pale yellowish below and darkening to a deeper yellow on the neck and chin. It has a whitish mid-facial stripe, and eye-rings are thin and dark. The tail is somewhat reddish and relatively long with the final one-third much bushier than the rest, giving it a characteristic “bottle-brush” effect; it is often held rolled up when the animal is at rest. Ears are slate gray and prominent. A yellow pigmentation of the ears, lips, and chin is especially marked in young individuals. The dorsal pelage is rich brown and extends onto the dorsal sides of the thighs and forelimbs. The ventral pelage is creamy white, with some yellow staining on the chest of some individuals.
Habitat. Coastal lowland dry forest and scrub in forest patches, usually on east-facing slopes and escarpments and in areas wetter than the surrounding habitats (rainfall mean 936-1110 mm). Rondo Dwarf Galagos are often associated with liana tangles around tree-fall zones. Its elevational range is 100-900 m.
Food and Feeding. There are few observations of feeding, but the Rondo Dwarf Galago appears to be a faunivore-frugivore, eating fruits, young leaves, exudates, and invertebrates. Insect prey makes up a large proportion of the diet; it hunts in the leaf litter and understory. Individuals (up to four together and sometimes with the Tanzania Coast Dwarf Galago, G. zanzibaricus) are often observed jumping to the ground to catch invertebrate prey, particularly insects fleeing army ant columns.
Breeding. Very little is known about the breeding pattern of the Rondo Dwarf Galago. Based on data from trapped females, antenatal body weight is 93 g (n = 3) and postnatal lactating weight is 66-5 g (n = 2). Infants are carried in the mother’s mouth; mothers park the infant during the night.
Activity patterns. The Rondo Dwarf Galago is nocturnal and arboreal. Locomotion is mainly vertical clinging to thin stems and leaping up to 2 m over small gaps. Quadrupedal running on horizontal supports and running head down tree trunks have been observed.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The limited data available suggest that the Rondo Dwarf Galagois a relatively solitary forager that comes togetherto sleep in small groups. Three individuals have been seen to nest together, and up to four individuals have been seen forming small loose groupings when foraging. Flat leafy nests used for daytime sleeping can be located in thick liana tangles 5-30 m off the ground. It may share a nest with a Mozambique Dwarf Galago (G. granti). After leaving the nest at dusk, most activity is spent in the forest understory (less than 3 m off the ground) and more than 15% of observations have been with other individuals. The Rondo Dwarf Galago has an extensive vocal repertoire. Loud calls are often mixed together to form other call structures, depending on the context. A study in the Rondo Forest found that 70% of calls analyzed were alarm calls, with only 22% species-specific advertisement calls (n = 647). The species-specific advertisement call is used to advertise presence and for group reassembly in the morning. The “double unit rolling call” is diagnostic.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Rondo Dwarf Galago is threatened by the logging ofits remaining forest habitat, which is highly fragmented and amounts to less than 100 km?®. It occurs in Saadani National Park and the forest reserves of Litipo, Pugu Hills, Rondo, and Ziwani—all in Tanzania.
Bibliography. Bearder (1999), Bearder, Ambrose et al. (2003), Bearder, Honess & Ambrose (1995), Burgess et al. (2000), Honess (1996), Honess & Bearder (1996), Honess et al. (2007), Kingdon (1997), Lumsden & Masters (2001), Perkin (2002, 2004).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Galagidae, pp. 184-209 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 198-199, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6657019