Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Tarsius

Tarsius is a genus of tarsiers, small primates native to islands of Maritime Southeast Asia, with almost all of its species found on Sulawesi Island. Until 2010, all tarsier species were typically assigned to this genus, but a revision of the family Tarsiidae restored the generic status of Cephalopachus and created a new genus Carlito.

Last revised
Jun 13, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
Length
1,147 w
Citations
55
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Tarsius1
Temporal range: Eocene to recent
Gursky's spectral tarsier
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Primates
Family: Tarsiidae
Genus: Tarsius
Storr, 1780
Type species
Lemur tarsier
Erxleben, 1777
Species
Distribution and range of Tarsius supriatnai and other tarsier species in Sulawesi, Indonesia:
  Tarsius dentatus
  Tarsius wallacei
  Tarsius lariang
  Tarsius fuscus
  Tarsius pumilus
  Tarsius pelengensis
  Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
  Tarsius supriatnai
  Tarsius niemitzi

Tarsius is a genus of tarsiers, small primates native to islands of Maritime Southeast Asia, with almost all of its species found on Sulawesi Island. Until 2010, all tarsier species were typically assigned to this genus, but a revision of the family Tarsiidae restored the generic status of Cephalopachus and created a new genus Carlito.1

All members of Tarsius are found on Sulawesi, while Cephalopachus is found on Sundaland and Carlito in Greater Mindanao.

Species

Genus Tarsius – Storr, 1780 – twelve species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Dian's tarsier T. dentatus
Miller & Hollister, 1921 		Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Map of range 		Size: 11–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 13–28 cm (5–11 in) tail23

Habitat: Forest4

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates2 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining4

Gursky's spectral tarsier

Brown tarsier

 T. spectrumgurskyae
Shekelle, Groves, Maryanto & Mittermeier, 2017 		Northeastern Sulawesi (in purple)
Map of range 		Size: About 14 cm (6 in) long, plus 21–27 cm (8–11 in) tail5

Habitat: Forest6

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates6 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining6

Jatna's tarsier T. supriatnai
Shekelle, Groves, Maryanto & Mittermeier, 2017 		Northern Sulawesi (in gray)
Map of range 		Size: About 14 cm (6 in) long, plus 23–25 cm (9–10 in) tail5

Habitat: Forest7

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates7 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining7

Lariang tarsier T. lariang
Groves & Merker, 2006 		Central Sulawesi
Map of range 		Size: About 12 cm (5 in) long, plus 12–21 cm (5–8 in) tail8

Habitat: Forest9

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates9 		 DD 


Unknown Population declining9

Makassar tarsier

Gray tarsier

 T. fuscus
Fischer von Waldheim, 1804 		Southern Sulawesi (in yellow)
Map of range 		Size: 12–13 cm (5 in) long, plus 24–26 cm (9–10 in) tail10

Habitat: Forest and caves11

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates10 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining11

Niemitz's tarsier T. niemitzi
Shekelle, Groves, Maryanto, Mittermeier, Salim & Springer, 2019 		Northern Sulawesi (circled in black)
Map of range 		Size: About 14 cm (6 in) long, plus 24–26 cm (9–10 in) tail12

Habitat: Forest13

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates13 		 EN 


10,000–20,000 Population declining13

Peleng tarsier T. pelengensis
Sody, 1949 		Eastern Sulawesi
Map of range 		Size: 12–14 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 25–27 cm (10–11 in) tail14

Habitat: Forest15

Diet: Insects, as well as frogs, lizards, and other small vertebrates15 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining15

Pygmy tarsier T. pumilus
Miller, Hollister, 1921 		Central Sulawesi
Map of range 		Size: 8–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 20–21 cm (8 in) tail1617

Habitat: Forest18

Diet: Arthropods and insects, as well as small vertebrates16 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining18

Sangihe tarsier

Drawing of brown tarsier

 T. sangirensis
Meyer, 1897 		Sangir Island, southeastern Philippines
Map of range 		Size: 12–13 cm (5 in) long, plus about 30 cm (12 in) tail19

Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands20

Diet: Insects, as well as birds, lizards, and other small vertebrates19 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining20

Siau Island tarsier

Brown tarsier

 T. tumpara
Shekelle, Groves, Merker & Supriatna, 2008 		Siau Island, north of Sulawesi Size: 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long, plus about 20 cm (8 in) tail21

Habitat: Forest22

Diet: Arthropods, as well as small vertebrates22 		 CR 


Unknown Population declining22

Spectral tarsier T. tarsier
(Erxleben, 1777) 		Sulawesi
Map of range 		Size: 9–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 20–26 cm (8–10 in) tail23

Habitat: Forest24

Diet: Insects, as well as lizards, bats, and other small vertebrates23 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining24

Wallace's tarsier T. wallacei
Merker, Driller, Dahruddin, Wirdateti, Sinaga, Perwitasari-Farajallah & Shekelle, 2010 		Northern Sulawesi (in orange)
Map of range 		Size: 11–13 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 23–27 cm (9–11 in) tail25

Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands26

Diet: Insects, as well as small vertebrates25 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining26

As of 2018, Fossilworks also recognizes the following additional extinct species:27

References

References

  1. Groves, C.; Shekelle, M. (2010). "The Genera and Species of Tarsiidae". International Journal of Primatology. 31 (6): 1071–1082. doi:10.1007/s10764-010-9443-1. S2CID 21220811.
  2. Yang, Liubin (2007). "Tarsius dentatus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  3. Supriatna, p. 49
  4. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius dentatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T21489A17977790. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T21489A17977790.en.
  5. Shekelle, M.; Groves, C. P.; Maryanto, I.; Mittermeier, R. A. (2017). "Two new tarsier species (Tarsiidae, Primates) and the biogeography of Sulawesi, Indonesia". Primate Conservation. 31: 61–69.
  6. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius spectrumgurskyae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T162336422A162336580. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162336422A162336580.en.
  7. Shekelle, M. (2022) [errata version of 2020 assessment]. "Tarsius supriatnai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T162336881A220971513. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162336881A220971513.en.
  8. Supriatna, p. 45
  9. Shekelle, M; Salim, M.; Merker, S. (2020). "Tarsius lariang". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T136319A17978130. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T136319A17978130.en.
  10. Supriatna, pp. 40–41
  11. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius fuscus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T162369593A162369616. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162369593A162369616.en.
  12. Shekelle, M.; Groves, C. P.; Maryanto, I/; Mittermeier, R. A.; Salim, A/; Springer, M/ S. (2019). "A new tarsier species from the Togean Islands of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with references to Wallacea and conservation on Sulawesi". Primate Conservation. 33: 1–9. S2CID 204801433.
  13. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius niemitzi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T162337005A171341769. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162337005A171341769.en.
  14. Supriatna, p. 53
  15. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius pelengensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T21494A17977515. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T21494A17977515.en.
  16. Ford, Trevor (2011). "Tarsius pumilus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  17. Supriatna, pp. 42–43
  18. Shekelle, M; Salim, A. (2020). "Tarsius pumilus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T21490A17977980. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T21490A17977980.en.
  19. Minich, Miriam (2017). "Tarsius sangirensis". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  20. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius sangirensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T21493A17977351. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T21493A17977351.en.
  21. Downey, Kathleen (March 2019). "Siau Island Tarsier, Tarsius tumpara". New England Primate Conservancy. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  22. Shekelle, M; Salim, A. (2020). "Tarsius tumpara". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T179234A17977202. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T179234A17977202.en.
  23. Mogk, Kenzie (2012). "Tarsius tarsier". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  24. Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius tarsier". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T162369551A17978304. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162369551A17978304.en.
  25. Supriatna, pp. 47–48
  26. Merker, S.; Shekelle, M. (2020). "Tarsius wallacei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T195277A17977659. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T195277A17977659.en.
  27. "Tarsius Storr 1780 (tarsier)". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  28. Beard, K. Christopher; Qi, Tao; Dawson, Mary R.; Wang, Banyue; Li, Chuankuei (1994). "A diverse new primate fauna from middle Eocene fissure-fillings in southeastern China". Nature. 368 (6472): 607. Bibcode:1994Natur.368..604B. doi:10.1038/368604a0. PMID 8145845. S2CID 2471330.
  29. Chaimanee, Y.; Lebrun, R.; Yamee, C.; Jaeger, J.-J. (2010). "A new Middle Miocene tarsier from Thailand and the reconstruction of its orbital morphology using a geometric-morphometric method". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 278 (1714): 1956–1963. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2062. PMC 3107645. PMID 21123264.
Sources

Sources