Simmons' mouse lemur (''Microcebus simmonsi'') is a species of

mouse lemur The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus ''Microcebus''. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar. Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than , making them the smallest primates (the smallest spe ...

known only from Betampona Special Reserve, Analalava Special Community Reserve near Foulpointe, and Zahamena National Park in

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 species is named in honor of Dr. Lee Simmons, former director of the Omaha

Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and educ ...

in Nebraska. Simmons' mouse lemur is the largest of the east coast mouse lemurs. The body is dark reddish to orange brown with black-tipped hairs on the crown and sometimes a stripe down middle of the back. There is a distinctive white patch on the snout and the belly is grayish white to white. The discovery of this species was announced June 21, 2006 at the

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

Global Symposium in

Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...

, along with the discovery of Mittermeier's mouse lemur ''Microcebus mittermeieri'' and

Jolly's mouse lemur Jolly's mouse lemur (''Microcebus jollyae'') is a species of mouse lemur from Mananjary and Kianjavato in Madagascar. The species is named in honor of primatologist Alison Jolly. Jolly's mouse lemur is uniformly reddish-brown with a small white ...

''Microcebus jollyae'' as separate species. These new species were also officially announced in a paper in the ''International Journal of Primatology''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1351736 Mammals described in 2006 Mouse lemurs