James' sportive lemur (''Lepilemur jamesi''), or the Manombo sportive lemur, is a

sportive lemur The sportive lemurs are the medium-sized primates that make up the family Lepilemuridae. The family consists of only one extant genus, ''Lepilemur''. They are closely related to the other lemurs and exclusively live on the island of Madagascar. ...

endemic to

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 ...

. Like all members of its genus, it is

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

and largely folivorous. It is threatened by habitat loss and unsustainable hunting.

Taxonomy and phylogenetics

James' sportive lemur was described in 2006 based on genetic samples and

morphometrics Morphometrics (from Greek μορΦή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

collected in 2000 as ''Lepilemur jamesi''. The name was presumed to be incorrectly formed and was corrected in 2009 to ''Lepilemur jamesorum.'' However, this change was deemed to be an unjustified emendation. The specific epithet ''jamesi'' honors Larry, Jeanette and Barry James for their support of Malagasy

graduate students Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

. Genetic analyses show that James' sportive lemur is a

sister species In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to the

Betsileo sportive lemur The Betsileo sportive lemur (''Lepilemur betsileo'') is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal and largely folivorous. It is threatened by habitat loss. Taxonomy and phylogenetics The Betsileo s ...

Description

James' sportive lemur possesses short, smooth fur, which is generally brown on the back and lighter grayish brown on the belly and underside of the extremities. The tail is brown closer to the body, and fades into black towards the tip. The face has whitish-gray markings across the jaw and throat from the chin to the ears, and the top of the head is brown with a black midline that continues down almost the entire length of the body. The ears are gray on the back with black borders, usually with a small cream-colored path directly below on the sides of the face. James' sportive lemur is medium sized for its genus. It has a head-body length of and a tail length of , making its total length 56 cm. It weighs approximately .

Distribution and habitat

James' sportive lemur is found in southeastern

, where it is known from the Manombo Special Reserve and the Manombo Classified Forest. The exact boundaries of its range are unknown, but the Manampatrana River and the Mananara River have been suggested as potential northern and southern limits. Within its range, James' sportive lemur inhabits one of the last remaining, low-altitude coastal

rainforests Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

in the southeast. The estimated population density of James' sportive lemur in the Manombo Special Reserve and the Manombo Classified Forest are 45 individuals/km² and 23 individuals/km², respectively. The total population is approximately 1,386 individuals, as of 2010.

Threats and conservation

James' sportive lemur is in decline due to habitat loss from shifting agriculture and unsustainable levels of hunting. This decline, in addition to its extremely small distribution, led to its listing as Critically Endangered (CR) on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

in 2020. James' sportive lemur has appeared twice on the World's 25 Most Endangered Primates list, once in 2017, and again in 2021. As of 2022, it was not being held in captivity.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1209786 Sportive lemurs Endemic fauna of Madagascar Mammals of Madagascar Critically endangered fauna of Africa Mammals described in 2006 Taxa named by Edward E. Louis Jr.