NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown Mouse Lemur
Microcebus rufus (Lesson, 1840)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the rufous mouse lemur, eastern rufous mouse lemur, red mouse lemur, or russet mouse lemur. Its dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown, while ventrally it is a whitish-grey.
The mouse lemurs are among the shortest-lived of primates. The brown mouse lemur has a lifespan of 6–8 years in the wild, although it averages 12 years under human care.
It can be found in rainforests in eastern Madagascar. It is a solitary and nocturnal creature.
Wikipedia contributors, Brown mouse lemur; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:08:18.632316+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microcebus rufus (Lesson, 1840)
- Name authority
- (Lesson, 1840)
- Common name
- Brown Mouse Lemur
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Cheirogaleidae
- Genus
- Microcebus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderPrimates Linnaeus, 1758
- suborderStrepsirrhini É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
- infraorderLemuriformes Gray, 1821
- superfamilyCheirogaleoidea Gray, 1873
- familyCheirogaleidae Gray, 1873
- genusMicrocebus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1834
- speciesMicrocebus rufus (Lesson, 1840)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microcebus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Berthe's Mouse LemurMicrocebus berthae Rasoloarison, Goodman & Ganzhorn, 2000 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bongolava Mouse LemurMicrocebus bongolavensis Olivieri, Zimmermann, Randrianambinina, Rassoloharijaona, Rakotondravony, Gsuchanski et al., 2006 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gerp's Mouse LemurMicrocebus gerpi Radespiel, Ratsimbazafy, Rasoloharijaona, Raveloson, Andriaholinirina, Rakotondravony et al., 2011 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jolly's Mouse LemurMicrocebus jollyae Louis Jr., Coles, Andriantompohavana, Sommer, Engberg, Zaonarivelo, Mayor & Brenneman, 2006 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marohita Mouse LemurMicrocebus marohita Rasoloarison, Weisrock, Yoder, Rakotondravony & Kappeler, 2013 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray Mouse LemurMicrocebus murinus (J. F. Miller, 1777) | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Peters' Mouse LemurMicrocebus myoxinus Peters, 1852 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-brown Mouse LemurMicrocebus ravelobensis Zimmerman, Ehresmann, Zeitemann, Radespiel, Randrianambinina & Rakotoarison, 1997 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Rufous Mouse LemurMicrocebus tavaratra Rasoloarison, Goodman & Ganzhorn, 2000 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Montagne d'Ambre Mouse LemurMicrocebus arnholdi Louis Jr., Engberg, McGuire, McCormick, Randriamampionona, Ranaivoarisoa, Bailey et al., 2008 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Margot Marsh's Mouse LemurMicrocebus margotmarshae Louis Jr., Engberg, McGuire, McCormick, Randriamampionona, Ranaivoarisoa, Bailey et al., 2008 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jonah's Mouse LemurMicrocebus jonahi Schüssler, Blanco, Salmona, Poelstra, Andriambeloson, Miller, Randrianambinina et al., 2020 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chirogaleus smithii Gray, 1842 Gray, 1842 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=572862 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:42SC2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.