NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur
Cheirogaleus medius É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
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 fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius), also known as the lesser dwarf lemur, western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, or spiny forest dwarf lemur, is endemic to Madagascar.
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is 8–9 in (200–230 mm) long from its head to the end of its torso, with an 8–11 in (200–280 mm) tail extending beyond that. It weighs 4–10 oz (110–280 g). It has a lifespan of 4-11 years in the wild and 29 years in captivity. It uses its tail to store fat reserves for torpor.
Wikipedia contributors, Fat-tailed dwarf lemur; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:41:56.302325+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cheirogaleus medius É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
- Name authority
- É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
- Common name
- Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Cheirogaleidae
- Genus
- Cheirogaleus
- 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
- genusCheirogaleus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
- speciesCheirogaleus medius É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cheirogaleus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Montagne d'Ambre Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus andysabini Lei et al., 2015 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser Iron-gray Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus minusculus Groves, 2000 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sibree's Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus sibreei (Forsyth Major, 1896) | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andringitra Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus grovesi McLain, Lei, Frasier, Taylor, Bailey, Roberts, Nash, Randriamanana, Mittermeier & Louis Jr., 2017 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thomas' Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus thomasi (Forsyth Major, 1894) | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crossley's Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus crossleyi A. Grandidier, 1870 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lavasoa Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus lavasoensis Thiele, Razafimahatratra & Hapke, 2013 | CheirogaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ankarana Dwarf LemurCheirogaleus shethi Frasier, Lei, McLain, Taylor, Bailey et al., 2016 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Cheirogaleus adipicaudatus Grandidier, 1868 Grandidier, 1868 | synonym |
| Cheirogaleus samati Grandidier, 1867 Grandidier, 1867 | synonym |
| Cheirogaleus minor É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812 É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812 | ambiguous 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=572859 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:5XRNX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.