Ganzhorn's mouse lemur (''Microcebus ganzhorni'') is a species of

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

described in 2016. The discovery was made by researchers at the German Primate Center. It was discovered in

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

among closely related species such as

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (''Microcebus berthae'') or Berthe's mouse lemur is the smallest of the mouse lemurs and the smallest primate in the world; the average body length is and seasonal weight is around . ''Microcebus berthae'' is one of ...

, already described in 2013. Due to their close resemblance, it was initially impossible to identify them as distinct species. It was only after genetic analyses (mtDNA sequencing) that the species was established. The genetic study was done in collaboration with scientists at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, the Duke Lemur Center and the

University of Antananarivo University of Antananarivo () is the primary public university of Madagascar, located in the capital Antananarivo. History The university traces its founding to 16 December 1955 and the formation of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Antan ...

in Madagascar. The species is named after Professor Jörg Ganzhorn of

Hamburg University The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen''), the Hamburg Colon ...

, who had pioneered the research and conservation of lemurs in Madagascar.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q23938124 Mouse lemurs Mammals of Madagascar Mammals described in 2016