Makassar tarsier
The Makassar tarsier (Tarsius fuscus) is a species of tarsier. Its range is in Indonesia in the southwestern peninsula of the island of Sulawesi, near Makassar. At one point the taxon was downgraded to a junior synonym of the spectral tarsier (T. tarsier). However, when that species' range was restricted to the population on a single island near Sulawesi, this nomen was resurrected to contain the remainder of that species.[1]
| Makassar tarsier | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Family: | Tarsiidae |
| Genus: | Tarsius |
| Species: | T. fuscus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tarsius fuscus Fischer, 1804 | |
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Taxonomic confusion
The taxonomy of the tarsiers from Sulawesi has long been confused.[2] T. fuscus was initially described by Fischer in 1804.[2] The species was subsequently renamed twice inadvertently, as T. fuscomanus in 1812 by Geoffroy and as T. fischeri in 1846 by Burmeister.[2] In 1953 William Charles Osman Hill concluded that the type locality of T. spectrum was actually Makassar, although it was stated to have come from Ambon.[2] As a result, Hill concluded that T. fuscus was a junior synonym of T. spectrum.[2] T. spectrum was later determined to be a junior synonym of T. tarsier.[3] In 2010, Groves restricted T. tarsier to just those tarsiers on the island of Selayar, making the name T. fuscus valid once again for the tarsiers near Makassar.[1][4]
Description
The Makassar tarsier has generally reddish-brown fur.[1] The hair at the end of the tail is black.[1] It has shorter skull and shorter toothrows than most other tarsiers.[1] It also has shorter hind feet than other tarsiers.[1] The tail is shorter relative to body size than most tarsiers, representing 143% to 166% of the body length.[1]
Natural history
All Tarsius species are nocturnal and arboreal.[5] Like all Tarsius, T. fuscus is exclusively carnivorous and insectivorous, generally capturing prey by leaping on it.[5]
References
- Groves, C.; Shekelle, M. (2010). "The Genera and Species of Tarsiidae". International Journal of Primatology. 31 (6): 1071–1082. doi:10.1007/s10764-010-9443-1. S2CID 21220811.
- Groves, C. (2003). "The Tarsiers of Sulawesi". Tarsiers: past, present, and future. Rutgers University Press. pp. 179–180. ISBN 9780813532363.
- Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
- "ITIS Standard Report Page: Tarsius fuscus". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- Schwartz, J.H. (2003). "How Close Are the Similarities between Tarsius and Other Primates". Tarsiers: past, present, and future. Rutgers University Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9780813532363.