There are some ambiguities regarding dwarf galago taxonomy. One is that each species tends to have several common names depending on what authority that is consulted. This is a source of unnecessary confusion. To make life a little bit easier all scientific and common names used on the website therefore follow the most current and most widely used (by galago researchers) authority on the subject: Grubb et al. (2003). “Assessment of the diversity of African primates”, International Journal of Primatology 24, 1301-1357.

Each dwarf galago species has a unique set of calls referred to as its vocal fingerprint. Some calls of the vocal fingerprint are species specific and some are very similar between species. One type of species specific call frequently used by dwarf galagos for social contact is the advertising call. This is often the first call you would hear at dusk, if galagos are around, and is a very important tool to establish what species are present. In this overview of all known dwarf galago taxa you can see what type of advertising call each one display.

The classification of dwarf galagos (Galagoides) follows the assessment of Grubb et al. (2003). Species are listed according to a grouping scheme that follows traditional systematic revision and similarity of type of advertising call. However, in regards of grouping of species following type of advertising call one exception stands out. Grubb et al. (2003) considered the rolling call lowland species, e.g. G. cocos, and the rolling call mountain species, e.g. G. orinus, different to the point that G. orinus was put in a separate group. What parameters the difference applied to is not specified. No phylogenetic inference is implied by the grouping below.

Order – Primates

Suborder – Strepsirrhini

Infraorder – Lorisiformes

Family – Galagidae (Gray, 1825)

Genus – Galagoides (A. Smith, 1833)

Species G. demidovii (G. Fischer, 1808)¹

G. thomasi (Elliot, 1907)¹

G. orinus (Lawerence & Washburn, 1936)²

G. zanzibaricus (Matschie, 1893)³

G. rondoensis (Honess in Kingdon, 1997)³

G. sp. nov. 3³

G. cocos (Heller, 1912)⁴

G. granti (Thomas & Wroughton, 1907)⁴

G. nyasae (Elliot, 1907)^4*

G. sp. nov. 1⁴

G. sp. nov. 2^4*

 

¹ G. demidovii group – Crescendo calls

² G. orinus group – Rolling calls

³ G. zanzibaricus group – Rolling calls

⁴ G. granti group – Incremental calls (the taxa marked with an asterix^* are species/suggested species that were founded based on museum specimens and their calls have never been recorded – see more details on their respective Species information pages)

Kenya Coast Galago – Galagoides cocos

Demidoff’s Dwarf Galago – Galagoides demidovii

Mocambique Galago – Galagoides granti

Malawi Galago – Galagoides nyasae

Mountain Dwarf Galago – Galagoides orinus

Rondo Dwarf Galago – Galagoides rondoensis

Kalwe Galago – Galagoides sp. nov. 1

Mt. Thyolo Galago – Galagoides sp. nov. 2

Ukinga Galago – Galagoides sp. nov. 3

Thomas’s Dwarf Galago – Galagoides thomasi

Zanzibar Galago – Galagoides zanzibaricus