Groves' dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus grovesi'') is a species of

dwarf lemur The dwarf lemurs are the lemurs of the genus ''Cheirogaleus''. All of the species in this genus, like all other lemurs, are native to Madagascar. Description Measuring 19–27 cm in body length with a tail about 16–17 cm, they are ...

known from Ranomafana and Andringitra national parks and surrounding areas in southeastern

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. The identification was based on comparison of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences with other members of the ''C. crossleyi'' group ('' C. andysabini'', '' C. crossleyi'', '' C. lavasoensis'' and an unnamed possible new species, "CCS2"). Individuals from this clade first came under genetic study in 1999 and were recognized as a new species in 2014, but it was not formally described until 2017. The lemur was named after mammalologist

Colin Groves Colin Peter Groves (24 June 1942 – 30 November 2017) was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Education Born in Englan ...

. Known from altitudes from 754 to 999 m, it is significantly larger than other members of the ''C. crossleyi'' group, with a 20 cm body length, a 29 cm tail, and a weight of 0.41 kg. While the

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...

of the new species has not yet been assessed, its presence in several national parks does not guarantee that it will not be threatened by

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

ongoing on the island, or possibly by

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

References

Mammals described in 2017 Dwarf lemurs {{lemur-stub