Sambirano woolly lemur

Sambirano woolly lemur
Conservation status
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Indriidae
Genus: Avahi
Species: A. unicolor
Binomial name
Avahi unicolor
Thalmann & Geissmann, 2000[3][4]
Distribution of A. unicolor[1]

The Sambirano woolly lemur (Avahi unicolor), also known as the Sambirano avahi or Unicolor woolly lemur, is a species of woolly lemur native to western Madagascar.[4]

Description

The species are located in Cacamba, on the peninsula of Ampasindava, in northwestern Madagascar . This sub-species is distinguished form Avahi occidentalis by its lack of the white facial outline and the lack of the black hairless circles that surround the eyes . The face itself is slightly more pale than the upper head which creates a slight contrasting facial outline caused by the fur length and consistency (facial hair is short and not curled in comparison to the rest of the body) . The contrasting facial outline has a small fur spot above the nose and the forehead that presents the appearance of a dark line . Its eyes are maroon with black, hairless eyelids. The snout is also black and hairless, but the corners of the mouth have a white tint. The fur of the head and body is a light gray-beige, and has a sightly curled, freckled appearance. Its tail is gray-brown or reddish-brown, while the base is a pale brown or cream color. The back is slightly darker in the shoulder-blade area. The lower body's limbs are an off-white color, while the fur on the chest, belly, and inner limbs is fairly thin and light-gray in color.[3]

Habitat

This species is very poorly known, since so far there have been just a few specimens found. They might be living in the Sambirano region in north-western Madagascar. Probable limits of their distribution are the Sambiran River in the north and the Andranomalaza or Maevarano River in the south.[5]

Conservation

As It is not known to which degree the species is hunted, deforestation is probably the main threat it has to face. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Since there are only a few known specimens in protected areas, Additional research and extending the reserves would be essential.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Andriaholinirina, N. et al. (2014). "Avahi unicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
  2. ↑ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thelmann, U.; Geissmann, T. (2000). "Distribution and geographic variation in the western woolly lemur (Avahi occidentalis) with description of a new species (A. unicolor)" (PDF). International Journal of Primatology 21 (6).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M, eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 119. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
  5. ↑ http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41579/0/
  6. ↑ http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41579/0/