NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Weasel Lemur
Lepilemur mustelinus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851
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 weasel sportive lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus), also known as the greater sportive lemur, weasel lemur, or greater weasel lemur, is a species of lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal and largely folivorous. Described by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1851, it is the type species of genus Lepilemur. It is threatened by habitat loss, climate change and hunting.
Wikipedia contributors, Weasel sportive lemur; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:20:22.844614+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lepilemur mustelinus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851
- Name authority
- I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851
- Common name
- Weasel Lemur
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Lepilemuridae
- Genus
- Lepilemur
- 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
- superfamilyLemuroidea Gray, 1821
- familyLepilemuridae Gray, 1870
- genusLepilemur I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851
- speciesLepilemur mustelinus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lepilemur. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hawk's Sportive LemurLepilemur tymerlachsoni Louis Jr., Engberg, Lei, Geng, Sommer, Randriamampionona, Randriamanana, Zaonarivelo et al., 2006 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-tailed Sportive LemurLepilemur ruficaudatus Grandidier, 1867 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Daraina Sportive LemurLepilemur milanoii Louis Jr., Engberg, Lei, Geng, Sommer, Randriamampionona, Randriamanana, Zaonarivelo et al., 2006 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mananara-Nord Sportive LemurLepilemur hollandorum Ramaromilanto, Lei, Engberg, Johnson, Sitzmann, Louis Jr., 2009 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-striped Sportive LemurLepilemur dorsalis Gray, 1870 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andohahela Sportive LemurLepilemur fleuretae Louis Jr., Engberg, Lei, Geng, Sommer, Randriamampionona, Randriamanana, Zaonarivelo et al., 2006 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Antafia Sportive LemurLepilemur aeeclis Andriaholinirina, Fausser, Roos, Zinner, Thalmann, Rabarivola, Ravaoarimanana et al., 2017 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seal's Sportive LemurLepilemur seali Louis Jr., Engberg, Lei, Geng, Sommer, Randriamampionona, Randriamanana, Zaonarivelo et al., 2006 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ambodimahabibo Sportive LemurLepilemur otto Craul, Zimmermann, Rasoloharijaona, Randrianambinina & Radespiel, 2007 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Sportive LemurLepilemur septentrionalis Rumpler & Albignac, 1975 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bemaraha Sportive LemurLepilemur randrianasoloi Andriaholinirina, Fausser, Roos, Zinner, Thalmann, Rabarivola, Ravaoarimanana et al., 2017 | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Milne-Edwards' Sportive LemurLepilemur edwardsi (Forsyth Major in Forbes, 1894) | LepilemuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Mixocebus caniceps Peters, 1875 Peters, 1875 | 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=572878 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:6PBRZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.