Tarsius fuscus Fischer 1804
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
Tarsiidae
Tarsius
Tarsius fuscus

description: 4.
Makassar Tarsier
Tarsius fuscus
French: Tarsier de Makassar / German: Makassar-Koboldmaki / Spanish: Tarsero de Makassar
Taxonomy. Tarsius fuscus Fischer, 1804.
Originally said to come from Madagascar. Restricted by C. P. Groves and M. Shekelle in 2010 to Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
With the restriction of 7. tarsier, the senior taxon of the genus, to the island of Selayar, off the tip of the south-western peninsula of Sulawesi, Groves and Shekelle in 2010 resurrected the name 7. fuscus for the population of tarsiers from the southwestern peninsula near the city of Makassar. Because of the biogeographic history of Sulawesi, its distribution is presumed to be coincident with that of the Moor Macaque (Macaca maura). Monotypic.
Distribution. SW peninsula of Sulawesi, presumably S of the Lake Tempe Depression.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 12.4-12.8 cm, tail 24-26 cm; weight 126-133 g (males) and 113-124 g (females). The Makassar Tarsier is notable for its tufted tail (gradually widening toward the tip). Like other eastern tarsiersit is scaly underneath and covered with dark bristles arranged in rows of three. Pelage is generally rufous brown above and creamy below, and there is a black spot on either side of the snout and a white patch behind each ear. The specific name, fuscus, might well have been given based upon a direct comparison with the Selayar Tarsier (7. tarsier), which is notably paler.
Habitat. A variety of habitats, including primary and secondary tropical forest, thorn scrub, coastal mangrove glades, and montane forest to elevations of ¢.1500 m. Makassar Tarsiers also occur in urban gardens and plantations. Surveys at Bantimurung, near Makassar, have revealed tarsiers living in steep karst hills and sleeping in a matrix of small holes and interconnected tubes in the limestone. This behavior has also been observed on Buton Island, but it has not yet been recorded elsewhere.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Makassar Tarsier probably eats insects and small vertebrates.
Breeding. Little specific information exists for this taxon. One pair was kept in captivity for several years. They produced four captive born infants and the gestation period appears to be about the same as that of other known tarsiers.
Activity patterns. Little specific information exists for this taxon, but as with all other tarsiers the Makassar Tarsier is nocturnal and arboreal. Individuals return to one or more sleeping sites each day.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Its conservation status has not been assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Makassar Tarsier occurs in the Greater Maros Conservation Area.
Bibliography. Callou et al. (2010), Groves (1998, 2001), Groves & Shekelle (2010), Groves, Shekelle & Brandon-Jones et al. (2008), Gursky (1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998b, 1998c, 2000a, 2000b, 2000c, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c, 2003a, 2003b, 2005a, 2005b, 2006, 2007a, 2008, 2010, 2012), Gursky-Doyen (2010), MacKinnon & MacKinnon (1980a), Niemitz (1984d), Nietsch (1999, 2003), Nietsch & Kopp (1998), Nietsch & Niemitz (1991, 1993), Shekelle (2003), Shekelle & Leksono (2004), Supriatna et al. (2001).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Tarsiidae, pp. 236-242 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 239-240, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6631893