Galagoides orinus (Lawrence & Washburn, 1936)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6657019 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656961 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D2E067-FFCF-FFE6-FF7B-F41B6D2DF5B8 |
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treatment provided by |
Jonas |
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scientific name |
Galagoides orinus |
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Mountain Dwarf Galago
French: Galago des Usambara / German: Uluguru-Zwerggalago / Spanish: Galago pequeno de montana
Other common names: Amani Dwarf Galago, Uluguru Bushbaby, Usambara Galago
Taxonomy. Galago demidovii orinus Lawrence & Washburn, 1936 View in CoL ,
Tanzania, Uluguru Mountains, Bagilo.
Galagoides orinus was recognized as a full species by P. Honess in 1996 based on differences in vocalizations and morphology—a classification subsequently accepted in the revisions of C. P. Groves in 2001 and P. Grubb and coworkers in 2003. It is sympatric with G. zanzibaricus . Researchers have confirmed the presence of a small dwarf galago, similar to G. orinus , on Mount Rungwe in the south-western highlands of Tanzania. In 2001 Groves referred to a similar-looking galago from the Ukinga Mountains, off the north-east shore of Lake Malawi, and adjacent to and east of Mount Rungwe as the “Ukinga” form, a similar galago is also found in Northern Malawi’s Misuku Hills. Differences in calls, morphology, and other characteristics strongly suggest that although currently considered G. orinus, this form is likely a new species. Monotypic.
Distribution. Poorly known but found in many of the Eastern Arc Mts of SE Kenya and E Tanzania, including the Taita Hills and the E & W Usumbara, Uluguru, Udzungwa, and Rubeho Mts. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 12-:5-15 cm,tail 17-19 cm; weight ¢.80 g. The Mountain Dwarf Galago is generally dark brownish-green and reddish-toned. It has a conspicuous creamy-yellow median stripe on the face, and eye-rings are thin and dark brown. Ears are not deeply pigmented. The muzzle is slender and turned up. The chin and neck are yellowish-white. The crown, dorsum, forelimbs, thighs, and flanks are dark brown. The ventrum, inner forelimbs, and inner hindlimbs are creamy white. The tail is relatively short and of uniform thickness with long hairs; it is reddish at the base and darker at the tip. Hindfeet are very short.
Habitat. Mountain Dwarf Galagos live at low densities in mid-elevation and montane moist forests at 1200-2000 m above sea level and in giant heather Erica forest at the limit of the tree zone. Disturbed forest, such as tree-fall zones, appears to be preferred, especially areas of thick vine tangles. The canopy, mid-canopy, and understory are used. They are also found in forest with large numbers of wild bananas and Hageniadominant montane forest, where they occupy the midto high canopy.
Food and Feeding. The Mountain Dwarf Galago is a faunivore-frugivore. It eats fruits, young leaves, exudates, and invertebrates (e.g. moths and cockroaches). Individuals will enter large, cone-shaped banana flowers to eat the nectar. It usually hunts in trees but occasionally searches for insects in leaflitter.
Breeding. There is little information available on this species, but aspects of breeding are probably similar to other species of Galagoides , with the female giving birth to one or two young after gestation of 110-114 days.
Activity patterns. Mountain Dwarf Galagos are nocturnal and arboreal but little is known aboutits specific activity patterns. Their mode of locomotion is mainly vertical clinging and leaping. They also scamper quadrupedally on horizontal supports and run head down on tree trunks. They hop to the ground for foraging but quickly return to vertical stems; they can leap up to 5 m. All forest strata are used.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Mountain Dwarf Galagos are largely solitary. A male’s home range overlaps those of the females. Their social organization is otherwise little known. They use round nests constructed of leaves and twigs for sleeping in the daytime. Nests may be set in clumps of lianas 15 m up in the canopy and hold three to four individuals. They forage alone and in small groups. After leaving their sleeping sites, members of small groups participate in bouts of intergroup and intragroup advertisement calling. They then separate to forage solitarily but maintain contact by calling, which reaches a second peak at dawn. The species-specific advertisement call is a “double unit repetitive call,” and they also emit diagnostic alarm call yaps and descending screeches.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Although the Mountain Dwarf Galago is widespread, habitats throughout its distribution are fragmented and threatened by habitat loss and degradation. It occurs in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and forest reserves in Tanzania: Amani West, Livingstone, Mporoto Ridge, Rungwe, Udzungwa Scarp, Uluguru North, and West Kilombero Scarp. It also probably occurs in the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Kenya. The Livingstone Forest Reserve is within the proposed Kitulo National Park.
Bibliography. Bearder et al. (2003), Burgess et al. (2000), Butynski et al. (1998), Honess (1996), Honess & Bearder (1996), Jorgensbye (2007), Kingdon (1997), Lawrence & Washburn (1936), Perkin (2000, 2001a, 2001b, 2004), Perkin et al. (2002).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
