The red-fronted lemur (''Eulemur rufifrons''), also known as the red-fronted brown lemur or southern red-fronted brown lemur, is a species of

lemur Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madaga ...

from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. Until 2001, it was considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur, ''E. fulvus''. In 2001, ''E. fulvus'' was split into several separate species, including ''Eulemur rufus'', in which this species was included. In 2008, ''E. rufus'' was split into two species, the red lemur (''E. rufus'') and the red-fronted lemur (''E. rufifrons''). ''E. rufus'' covers the population on the west coast north of the Tsiribihina River and ''E. rufifrons'' covers the population on the west coast south of the Tsiribihina River and the population in eastern Madagascar. The species split was based on genetic and morphological evidence. Mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates that ''E. rufifrons'' may be more closely related to the common brown lemur (''E. fulvus''), white-headed lemur (''E. albifrons'') and

Sanford's brown lemur Sanford's brown lemur (''Eulemur sanfordi''), or Sanford's lemur, is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Lemuridae. Sanford's brown lemur was previously considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur (''Eulemur fulvus'') but was ...

(''E. sanfordi'') than it is to ''E. rufus''. The red-fronted lemur lives on the western coast of Madagascar between the Tsiribihina River to the north and south of the Fiheranana River and in eastern Madagascar from the Mangoro River and

Onive River The Onive River is a river in eastern Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian ...

to the Andringitra Massif. It lives in dry lowland forests. It has a head and body length of and with a tail. Its weight ranges between . It has a gray coat and black face, muzzle and forehead, plus a black line from the muzzle to the forehead, with white eyebrow patches. Males have white or cream colored cheeks and beards, while females have rufous or cream cheeks and beards that are less bushy than males. There is considerable geographic variation in the natural history of this species. Western populations tend to have smaller

home range A home range is the area in which an animal lives and moves on a periodic basis. It is related to the concept of an animal's territory which is the area that is actively defended. The concept of a home range was introduced by W. H. Burt in 1943. H ...

s and higher population densities than eastern populations, although group size tends to be fairly consistent (generally 4–18 animals, averaging 8–9). None of the studied populations show dominance hierarchies and aggression tends to be low. Diet is diverse, encompassing leaves,

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

, nectar and

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s, but more so in eastern populations. Western populations tend to rely more on leaves for their diet. Western populations are primarily diurnal, but increase

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

activity during the dry season, while eastern populations show less such dichotomy. Reproduction is seasonal. In western populations one male usually monopolizes all the females in the group, while in eastern populations such monopolization is less typical.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q249153 True lemurs Mammals described in 1833 Taxa named by Edward Turner Bennett