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Tarsius lariang: A New Primate Species from Western Central Sulawesi

International Journal of Primatology volume 27, pages 465–485 (2006)Cite this article

On the basis of morphological, anatomical, and acoustic analyses, the tarsiers of the Gimpu region on Sulawesi belong to a previously undescribed species of the genus Tarsius Storr, 1780. We describe the new taxon as Tarsius lariang new species. In November 2001, S. Merker collected 8 specimens of Tarsius lariang near Gimpu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Four of them were transferred to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences at Cibinong to be held in an enclosure, and after their deaths become part of the collection of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Bogor. The new species is distinctive in pelage, skull, and body proportions, and in vocalization. We describe the unique territorial duet song characteristic for them and place the taxon into a biogeographic framework developed in previous studies.

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Acknowledgments

Our work was part of a long-term field study on Central Sulawesi tarsiers that received funding from the German Academic Exchange Service and the German National Scholarship Foundation (to S. Merker). We thank our Indonesian sponsors Jatna Supriatna and Noviar Andayani, Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Studies at the University of Indonesia. Thanks are also due to LIPI, PHKA, and PHPA for granting research permits. Myron Shekelle assisted in capturing the tarsiers, transported the type series to Cibinong and to the MZB, Bogor, and continuously supported our work. Thanks go to Alexandra Nietsch for commenting on the acoustic data and to the villagers of Gimpu and Tomua as well as our assistants Yulisan, Leo, Thony, and Ecil for their help in the field. C. P. Groves thanks the curators of the collections in which tarsier material was studied: Ibnu Maryanto (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense), Richard Thorington (U.S. National Museum), Guy Musser (American Museum of Natural History), Chris Smeenk (Naturalis, Leiden), and Paula Jenkins (British Museum, Natural History). Many thanks are also due to Marian Dagosto, who supplied further measurements from the American Museum of Natural History material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nature Conservation, Georg-August University Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 2, 37075, Goettingen, Germany

    Stefan Merker

  2. School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia

    Colin P. Groves

  3. Institute of Anthropology, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Colonel-Kleinmann-Weg 2 (SB II), 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Stefan Merker

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  1. Stefan Merker
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  2. Colin P. Groves
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Correspondence to Stefan Merker.

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Merker, S., Groves, C.P. Tarsius lariang: A New Primate Species from Western Central Sulawesi. Int J Primatol 27, 465–485 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-006-9038-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-006-9038-z

KEY WORDS:

  • Gimpu
  • Palu form
  • morphology
  • taxonomy
  • vocalization