In common with the northern needle-clawed bushbaby (Euoticus pallidus), the nails have strong ridges and end in sharp points, an adaptation for climbing about on large tree limbs.

The southern species differs from the northern in having a narrow gap between the upper two central incisors, and the nasal bones being wider at the front.

[3] The distinctive teeth, with fan-like lower incisors with sharp-cutting edges, are probably used to enlarge wounds in tree limbs so that gum is exuded more freely.

It is unlikely that these teeth are capable of making gashes in large limbs with thick bark, so the animal is probably reliant on wounds made by anomalures, cicadas and wood-boring beetles.

[3] Other features which it shares with other specialised gum-eating primates, such as the Masoala fork-marked lemur, include a long, extensible tongue, an enlarged upper first premolar, a large caecum and sharp nails for climbing and gripping.