Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of Reproductive Characteristics and Changes in Body Weight Between Captive Populations of Rufous and Gray Mouse Lemurs

  • Published:
International Journal of Primatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The nocturnal Malagasy mouse lemurs are among the smallest primates worldwide. Several sibling species are known. Of these, the rufous and the gray mouse lemur differ with respect to morphology, genetics, and communication. They might also differ in seasonal reproduction and body weight changes. We investigated and compared reproductive activities and changes in monthly body weight in males and females of successfully breeding colonies of both species under the same photoperiodic conditions. Females of both species showed estrous cycles only during the long-day period. Rufous mouse lemur females seemed to have a shorter gestation than their sibling species (57 vs. 62 days). The number of estrous cycles (2.25 vs. 2.5/season) and their lengths (59 vs. 52 days) were similar. Litter size (2) seemed to be similar. Latency of estrous occurrence after photoperiodic stimulation was longer in Microcebus rufus than in its sibling species (71.6 and 42.3 days). The same was true for the onset of the growth of the testes. The rate of growth and size of the testes were similar, and precede the estrous onset in both species. The reproductive activity was shorter in both sexes of the rufous than of the gray mouse lemurs. In both species, body weight showed similar seasonal changes. Males lost more weight during the breeding season than females did. In rufous mouse lemurs, body weight was similar in both sexes during the nonbreeding season. In gray mouse lemurs, sexes differed throughout the year.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Andriantsiferana, R., Rarijaona, Y., and Randrianaivo, A. (1974). Observations sur la reproduction du Microcèbe en captivité à Tanananrive. Mammalia 38: 234–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atsalis, S. (1999). Seasonal fluctuations in body fat and activity levels in a rainforest species of mouse lemur, Microcebus rufus. Int. J. Primatol. 20: 883–910.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atsalis, S., Schmid, J., and Kappeler, P. M. (1996). Metrical comparisons of three species of mouse lemurs. J. Human Evolution 31: 61–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, L. J., and Zucker, I. (1986). Circannual cycles of body mass, food intake and reproductive condition in male pallid bats. Physiol. Behav. 38: 697–702.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bercovitch, F. B. (1989). Body size, sperm competition, and determinants of reproductive success in male savanna baboons. Evolution 43: 1507–1521.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, I. S. (1981). Dominance: The baby and the bathwater. Behav. Brain. Sci. 4: 419–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boulière, F., Petter-Rousseaux, A., and Petter, J. J. (1961). Regular breeding of the lesser mouse lemur. Int. Zoo Yearbook 3: 24–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronson, F. H. (1989). Mammalian Reproductive Biology, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Büsching, C. D., Heistermann, M., Hodges, J. K., and Zimmermann, E. (1998). Multimodal oestrus advertisement in a small nocturnal prosimian, Microcebus murinus. Folia Primatol. 69(suppl. 1): 295–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H. (1989). Mammalian mating systems. Proc. R. Soc. London B236: 339–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H. (1991). The evolution of sex differences and the consequences of polygyny in mammals. In Bateson, P. (ed.), The Development and Integration of Behaviour, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 229–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H., and Harvey, P. H. (1978). Mammals, resources and reproductive strategies. Nature 273: 191–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darrow, J. M., Duncan, M. J., Bartke, A., Bona-Gallo, A., and Goldman, B. D. (1988). Influence of photoperiod and gonadal steroids on hibenation in the European hamster. J. Comp. Physiol. 163: 339–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Damassa, D. A., Davidson, J. M., and Smith, E. R. (1977). The relationship between circulating testosterone levels and male sexual behavior in rats. Horm. Behav. 8: 275–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fietz, J. (1998). Body mass in wild Microcebus murinus over the dry season. Folia Primatol. 1998; 69(suppl.): 183–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fietz, J. (1999). Mating system of Microcebus murinus. Am. J. Primatol. 48: 127–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flügge, M. (1999). Untersuchungen zur Nahrungskonkurrenz bei grauen Mausmakis (Microcebus murinus). Unpublished Diploma thesis, Hannover.

  • Flügge, M., Radespiel, U., Wrogemann, D., and Zimmermann, E., 1999. Food competition in captive gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus)?An experimental study. Primatologie im nächsten Jahrtausend, VIth Congress of the Gesellschaft für Primatologie, Utrecht, Niederlande, August, Abstract 73.

  • Ganzhorn, J. U., Rakotosamimanana, B., Hannah, L., Hough, J., Iyer, L., Olivieri, S., Rajaobelina, S., Rodstrom, C., and Tilkin, G. (1997). Priorities for biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. Primate Report 48–1, Göttingen.

  • Glatston, A. R. H. (1979). Reproduction and behavior of the lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus, Miller 1777). Ph.D. Dissertation, University London.

  • Glatston, A. R. H. (1981). The husbandry, breeding and hand-rearing of the lesser mouse lemur. Int. Zoo Yearbook 21: 131–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, V. D., Bartke, A., and Goldman, B. D. (1982). Role of the testes in regulating the duration of hibernation in the Turkish hamster (Mesocricetus bandti). Biol. Reprod. 27: 802–810.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, V. D., and Goldman, B. D. (1980). Effects of gonadal steroid hormones on hibernation in the Turkish hamster (Mesocricetus brandti). J. Comp. Physiol. 135: 107–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt, C. (1987). Brief trap/retrap study of the brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus). Folia Primatol. 49: 209–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt, C., and Thornback, J. (1990). Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros. The IUCN Red Data Book, IUCN Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, P. H., and Harcourt, A. H. (1984). Sperm competition, testes size, and breeding systems in primates. In Smith, R. L. (ed.), Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems, Academic Press, New York, pp. 589–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hladik, C. M., Charles-Dominique, P., and Petter, J. J. (1980). Feeding strategies of five nocturnal prosimians in the dry forest of the west coast of Madagascar. In Charles-Dominique, P., Cooper, H. M., Hladik, A., Hladik, C. M., Pagès, E., Pariente, P. G., Petter-Rousseaux, A., and Schilling, A. (eds.), Nocturnal Malagasy Primates, Ecology, Physiology, and Behavior, Academic Press, New York, pp. 41–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, K. (1978). Effect of castration on photoperiodically induced weight gain in the Djungarian hamster. Naturwissenschaften 65: 494.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kappeler, P. M. (1996). Intrasexual selection and testis size in strepsirhine primates. Behav. Ecol. 8: 10–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, A. (1996). Einfluß von Dominanz auf das Reproduktionsverhalten und das akustische Verhalten bei männlichen Mausmakis (Microcebus murinus). Unpublished Diploma thesis, Hannover and Göttingen.

  • Martin, R. D. (1972a). A preliminary field-study of the lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus J. F. Miller 1777). Z. Tierpsychol. Suppl. 9: 43–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. D. (1972b). Adaptive radiation and behavior of the Malagasy lemurs. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London (Series B) 264: 295–352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. D. (1990). Primate Origins and Evolution, Chapmann and Hall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. D. (1993). Primate origins: Plugging the gaps. Nature (London) 363: 223–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. D. (1995). Prosimians: From obscurity to extinction? In Altermann, L., Doyle, G. A., and Izard, M. K. (eds.), Creatures of the Dark. The Nocturnal Prosimians, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 535–564.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittermeier, R. A., Tattersall, I., Konstant, W. R., Meyers, D. M., and Mast, R. B. (1994). Lemurs of Madagascar, Conservation International, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moeller, A. P. (1988). Ejaculate quality, testes size and sperm competition in primates. J. Hum. Evol. 17: 479–488.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, R. J. (1994). An Introduction to Behavioral Endocrinology, Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publs., Sunderland, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pastorini, J., Martin, R. D., Ehresmann, P., Zimmermann, E., and Forstner, M. R. J. (in press). Molecular phylogeny of the lemur family Cheirogaleida (Primates) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.

  • Pereira, M. E., Kaufman, R., Kappeler, P. M., and Overdorff, D. J. (1990). Female dominance does not characterize all of the lemuridae. Folia Primatol. 55: 96–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M. (1982a). Stress effects in Microcebus murinus. Folia Primatol. 39: 63–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M. (1982b). Influence du groupement social sur la reproduction de la femelle de Microcebus murinus (Miller, 1777). Z. Tierpsychol. 60: 47–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M. (1992). Environmental and social determinants of sexual function in the male lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Folia Primatol. 59: 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M. (1994). Social signals and their influences on reproduction in the lesser mouse lemur. In Roeder, J. J., Thierry, B., Anderson, J. R., and Herrenschmidt, N. (eds.), Current Primatology. Social Development, Learning and Behavior, Vol. II, University Louis-Pasteur, Strasbourg, pp. 47–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M., and Aujard, F. (2001). Regulation by photoperiod of seasonal changes in body weight and reproductive function in the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus): Differential responses by sex. Int. J. Primatol. 22: 5–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M., Aujard, F., and Vannier, G. (1998). Influence of daylength on metabolic rate and daily water loss in the male prosimian primate Microcebus murinus. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 119: 981–989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perret, M., and Predine, J. (1984). Effects of long-term grouping on plasma cortisol levels in Microcebus murinus (Prosimii). Horm. Behav. 18: 346–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, C. (1999). Intrasexuelle Konkurrenz bei grauen Mausmaki-Männchen (Microcebus murinus) in Nordwest-Madagaskar. Diploma thesis, Göttingen.

  • Petter, J. J. (1962). Recherche sur l'écologie et éthologie des lémuriens malgaches. Mem. Mus. Natn. Hist. Nat. Paris. Sér. A Zool. 27: 1–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter, J. J., Albignac, R., and Rumpler, Y. (1979). Mammifères lemuriens (primates prosimiens). Faune de Madagascar. Paris, ORSTOM & CNRS, 44: 1–513.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter-Rousseaux, A. (1962). Recherches sur la biologie de la reproduction des primates inférieurs. Mammalia 26(Suppl. 1): 1–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter-Rousseaux, A. (1974). Photoperiod, sexual activity and body weight variation of Microcebus murinus (Miller, 1777). In Martin, R. D., Doyle, G. A., and Walker, A. C. (eds.), Prosimian Biology, Duckworth, London, pp. 365–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter-Rousseaux, A. (1975). Activité sexuelle de Microcebus murinus (Miller 1777) soumis à des régimes photopériodiques expérimentaux. Ann. Biol. Anim. Biochem. Biophys. 15: 503–508.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter-Rousseaux, A. (1980). Seasonal activity rhythms, reproduction, and body weight variations in five sympatric nocturnal prosimians, in simulated light and climatic conditions. In Charles-Dominique, P., Cooper, H. M., Hladik, A., Hladik, C. M., Pages, E., Pariente, G. F., Petter-Rousseaux, A., and Schilling, A. (eds.), Nocturnal Malagasy Primates, Academic Press, New York, pp. 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter-Rousseaux, A. (1984). Annual variations in the plasma thyroxine level in Microcebus murinus. Gen. Comp. Endocr. 55: 405–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radespiel, U. (1998). Die soziale Organisation des grauen Mausmakis (Microcebus murinus, J. F. Miller 1777). Eine freilandökologische und laborexperimentelle Studie. Ph.D. Thesis, Hannover, Verlag Dr. Köster, Berlin.

  • Radespiel, U. (2000). Sociality in the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) in northwestern Madagascar. Am. J. Primatol. 51: 21–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radespiel, U. (in preparation). Female dominance in gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Am. J. Primatol.

  • Radespiel, U., Cepok, S., Zietemann, V., and Zimmermann, E. (1998). Sex-specific usage patterns of sleeping sites in gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in northwestern Madagascar. Am. J. Primatol. 46: 77–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, D. T. (1985). A comparative study of breeding seasonality and litter size in eleven taxa of captive lemurs (Lemur and Varecia). Int. J. Primatol. 6(5): 501–517.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, J., and Kappeler, P. M. (1994). Sympatric mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) in western Madagascar. Folia Primatol. 63: 162–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, J., and Kappeler, P. M. (1998). Fluctuating sexual dimorphism and differential hibernation by sex in a primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 43: 125–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, S. (1985). Nichtparametrische statistische Methoden, Fachbuchhandlung für Psychol.Eschborn.

  • Sokal, R. R., and Rohlf. F. J. (1981). Biometry, W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanger., K. F., Coffman, B. S., and Izard, M. K. (1995). Reproduction in Coquerel's dwarf lemur (Mirza coquereli). Am. J. Primatol. 36: 223–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statsoft. (1995). STATISTICA for Windows 5.0. Statsoft, Inc.

  • Tattersall, I. (1982). The Primates of Madagascar, Columbia University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomiuk, J., Bachmann, L., Leipoldt, M., Atsalis, S., Kappeler, P. M., Schmid, J., and Ganzhorn, J. U. (1998). The impact of genetics on the conservation of malagasy lemur species. Folia. Primatol. 69(suppl. 1): 121–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In Campbell, B. (ed.), Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man, 1871–1971. Aldine, Chicago, pp. 136–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrogemann, D., and Zimmermann, E. (in press). Aspects of reproduction of the rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) and its implications for captive management. Zoo Biol.

  • Zimmermann, E. (1989). Aspects of reproduction, behavioral and vocal development in Senegal bushbabies (Galago senegalensis). Int. J. Primatol. 10(1): 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann, E. (1998). Waldgeister der Tropen-die nachtaktiven Lemuren Madagaskars. Biologie in unserer Zeit. 28. Jahrg. 1998 Nr. 5: 294–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann, E., Cepok, S., Rakotoarison, N., Zietemann, V., and Radespiel, U. (1998). Sympatric mouse lemurs in North-West Madagascar: A new rufous mouse lemur species (Microcebus ravelobensis). Folia Primatol. 69: 106–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zucker, I., Lee, T. M., and Dark, J. (1991). The suprachiasmatic nucleus and annual rhythms in mammals. In Klein, D. C., Reppert, S. M., and Moore R. Y. (eds.), The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: The Mind's Clock, Elsevier, New York, pp. 246–260.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany

    Dorothea Wrogemann, Ute Radespiel & Elke Zimmermann

Authors
  1. Dorothea Wrogemann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ute Radespiel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elke Zimmermann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dorothea Wrogemann.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wrogemann, D., Radespiel, U. & Zimmermann, E. Comparison of Reproductive Characteristics and Changes in Body Weight Between Captive Populations of Rufous and Gray Mouse Lemurs. International Journal of Primatology 22, 91–108 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026418132281

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026418132281

Search

Navigation