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 and weigh , making them the smallest primates (the smallest sp ...

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

. 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. In August 2014, TripAdvisor rated it the "world's best zoo" ...

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, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...

Global Symposium in

Antananarivo Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...

, along with the discovery of Mittermeier's mouse lemur ''Microcebus mittermeieri'' and Jolly's mouse lemur ''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 Taxa named by Edward E. Louis Jr.