The rediscovery of Buffon's Tarsier

Abstract

The tarsier described by Buffon and Daubenton (1765) is the source of all scientific names given to tarsiers, with the sole exception of Simia syrichta Linnaeus 1758, until the early the 19th century, and most even up to the 1820s. It is therefore extremely important to try to determine precisely what this individual might have been. We here summarize what is known of the specimen and its history, and of other specimens with which it has potentially been confused. We argue that, though there is some room for doubt, in all probability this important species still exists.