Gursky's spectral tarsier

Gursky's spectral tarsier
At Sulawesi, Indonesia
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Family:	Tarsiidae
Genus:	Tarsius
Species:	T. spectrumgurskyae
Binomial name
Tarsius spectrumgurskyae Shekelle, Groves, Maryanto & Mittermeier, 2017

Gursky's spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrumgurskyae), also known locally as Wusing,[2][3] is a species of tarsier found in the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. A recent taxonomic revision split this species off from the spectral tarsier and other tarsier species based on difference in vocalisations and pelage.[2][3] These tarsiers, like other species of primates, are able to communicate with other individuals of the same species through flexible call patterns, in which they output different note patterns based on their duet partner's calls.[4]

Etymology

The species is named after Dr. Sharon Gursky, who carried out studies on the species's behavioral ecology (published using the now-superseded taxonomy, with the studied population classified as spectral tarsier Tarsius spectrum).[5] The new name avoids the disconnect between the name used in the earlier publications and Gursky's study population.[2]

References

1. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius spectrumgurskyae". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. IUCN: e.T162336422A162336580. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
2. Shekelle, Myron; Groves, Colin P.; Maryanto, Ibnu; Mittermeier, Russell A. (2017). "Two new tarsier species (Tarsiidae, Primates) and the biogeography of Sulawesi, Indonesia". Primate Conservation. 31: 61–69.
3. "Tiny New 'Forest Goblins' Discovered, Look Like Yoda". 4 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
4. Clink, Dena J; Tasirin, Johny S; Klinck, Holger (1 April 2020). "Vocal individuality and rhythm in male and female duet contributions of a nonhuman primate". Current Zoology. 66 (2): 173–186. doi:10.1093/cz/zoz035. ISSN 2396-9814. PMC 7233616. PMID 32440276.
5. Gursky, Sharon L. (2007). The spectral tarsier. Oxon and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780131893320.

External links

• Dr. Sharon Gursky profile at Texas A&M University