Kingdom Animalia Order Primates Family Cheirogaleidae Scientific name Microcebus simmonsi Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Suborder Strepsirrhini Genus Microcebus Higher classification Mouse lemur | |
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Similar Jolly's mouse lemur, Mittermeier's mouse lemur, Bongolava mouse lemur, Sambirano mouse lemur, Claire's mouse lemur | ||
Simmons' mouse lemur (Microcebus simmonsi) is a species of mouse lemur known only from Betampona Special Reserve, Analalava Special Community Reserve near Foulpointe, and Zahamena National Park in Madagascar.
The species is named in honor of Dr. Lee Simmons, former director of the Omaha Henry Doorly 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 Global Symposium in Antananarivo, Madagascar, 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.