Tarsius wallacei, Merker, Driller, Dahruddin, Wirdateti, Sinaga, Perwitasari-Farajallah & Shekelle, 2010

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Tarsiidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 236-242 : 242

11.

Wallace’s Tarsier

Tarsius wallacei

French: Tarsier de Wallace / German: \Wallace-Koboldmaki / Spanish: Tarsero de Wallace

Taxonomy. Tarsius wallacei: Merker et al., 2010 ,

Uwemanje, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

There are two separate forms of 7. wallacei, the “Tinombo acoustic form” (northern) and the “Uwemanje acoustic form” southern). They differ in body size but are alike in color, dimensions of the tail tuft, vocalizations, and genetic composition. The two forms are separated by the Palu Bay, the city of Palu, and the southern parts of the Isthmus of Palu, an area now inhabited by the parapatric species T. dentatus . In the north, it borders the yet undescribed form known as the “Sejoli acoustic form,” and in the south it borders T. dentatus . Monotypic.

Distribution. NW Sulawesi (discontinuous range in Central Sulawesi Province), the N form occurs on the Isthmus of Palu from just W of the village of Tomini to the NE (c.120° 30° E), the coastlines of the Isthmus of Palu to the E and to the W,to the villages of Ampibabo and Marantale in the S (c.0° 30” S), the S form occurs in a very small area W to SW of Palu, around the type locality Uwemanje (0° 58’ S, 119° 50’ E).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 11.3-12.4 cm, tail 23.6-26.6 cm; weight 100-124 ¢ (males) and 84-116 g (females). Male Wallace's Tarsiers are a little larger than females. The ventrum is off-white, but the pelage is otherwise mottled yellowish brown. Mottling is due to a gray undercoat and scattered patches of light-gray to black hair tips. It has a conspicuous copper-colored throat. There are distinct yellow to copper-colored patches above and below the eyes; in most specimens, they form nearly complete eyerings (a trait that it shares with some specimens of the Lariang Tarsier, 7. lariang ). The paralabial pale zone varies in size and whiteness. As is found in other Central Sulawesi species, Wallace’s Tarsier has a dark tail with a thick and long tail tuft. In the field,it can be distinguished by its duet song, its yellow-brown pelage, and the copper-colored throat. Genetic analyses have shown that Y-chromosomal and mtDNA sequences and also microsatellite allelic frequencies are diagnostic.

Habitat. Primary, secondary, and degraded forest. Wallace’s Tarsiers occur near the city of Tinombo, north of the Isthmus of Palu, and they have been found in heavily degraded forest and areas of recently cleared agricultural land, with mixed agroforestry and secondary habitat.

Food and Feeding. Wallace's Tarsier eats live animal prey, mainly insects.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, butit is nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust. Forests in the range of the northern populations of Wallace’s Tarsier are mostly degraded and mountainous; the extent of their distribution is estimated at 3150 km®. The range of the southern population is tiny, estimated at ¢.50 km?. The threatened category proposed at the time ofits first description was Endangered due to the widespread loss of habitat and the fragmented and reduced populations that remain. Clearly, more research is needed to clarify the conservation status of Wallace’s Tarsier. It occurs in the Gunung Sojol Nature Reserve.

Bibliography. Merker (2008), Merker et al. (2010), Shekelle (2008b), Shekelle et al. (1997), Supriatna et al. (2001).

Figures

1. Western Tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus), 2. Philippine Tarsier (Carlito syrichta), 3. Selayar Tarsier (Tarsius tarsier), 4. Makassar Tarsier (Tarsius fuscus), 5. Dian’s Tarsier (Tarsius dentatus), 6. Peleng Tarsier (Tarsius pelengensis), 7. Great Sangihe Tarsier (Tarsius sangirensis), 8. Siau Island Tarsier (Tarsius tumpara), 9. Sulawesi Mountain Tarsier (Tarsius pumalus), 10. Lariang Tarsier (Tarsius lariang), 11. Wallace’s Tarsier (Tarsius wallacei)

Distribution. NW Sulawesi (discontinuous range in Central Sulawesi Province), the N form occurs on the Isthmus of Palu from just W of the village of Tomini to the NE (c.120° 30° E), the coastlines of the Isthmus of Palu to the E and to the W,to the villages of Ampibabo and Marantale in the S (c.0° 30” S), the S form occurs in a very small area W to SW of Palu, around the type locality Uwemanje (0° 58’ S, 119° 50’ E).