Yunnan lar gibbon

Yunnan lar gibbon
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hylobatidae
Genus: Hylobates
Species: H. lar
Subspecies: H. l. yunnanensis
Trinomial name
Hylobates lar yunnanensis
Ma & Wang, 1986

The Yunnan lar gibbon (Hylobates lar yunnanensis), also known as the Yunnan white-handed gibbon, is a subspecies of the lar Gibbon, a primate in the Hylobatidae or gibbon family. This Chinese subspecies is thought to be extinct.[2][3]

Contents

Taxonomy

This animal from Yunnan (People's Republic of China) is listed as a distinct subspecies of the lar gibbon in recent taxonomic articles.[3] However, there is still debate about its recognition as a valid subspecies.[4][5]

Appearance

This subspecies is distinguished from the other lar gibbon subspecies by its longer dorsal hairs, shorter light hair-bases, and red brown or dark brown pubic hairs. [6][7].[3]

Status

The Nangunhe Nature Reserve in Southwest Yunnan (People's Republic of China) has been the last stronghold of the Yunnan lar gibbon.[3] During a survey from 4 to 18 November 2007 no evidence of the survival of the Yunnan lar gibbon could be found and the scientists of this survey tentatively conclude in their 2009 paper that the lar gibbon has become extinct in China[3], meaning the global extinction of the Yunnan lar gibbon. The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed this subspecies as Data Deficient "as its taxonomic and geographic limits are not well defined, but population sizes are by all accounts critical, and the remaining populations are near extinction"[1].

References

  1. ^ a b Brockelman, W. & Geissmann, T. (2008). Hylobates lar ssp. yunnanensis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Weisshandgibbons in China ausgestorben" (Press release). University of Zurich. 15.05.2008. http://www.mediadesk.unizh.ch/mitteilung.php?text_id=294&grp=aktuell. Retrieved 2008-05-19. 
  3. ^ a b c d e Grueter et al. (2009). Are Hylobates lar Extirpated from China? International Journal of Primatology, 30:553–567 (online pdf)
  4. ^ Brandon-Jones, D., Eudey, A. A., Geissmann, T., Groves, C. P., Melnick, D. J., Morales, J. C., et al. (2004). Asian primate classification. International Journal of Primatology, 25, 97–164.
  5. ^ Geissmann, T. (2007). Status reassessment of the gibbons: results of the Asian Primate Red List Workshop 2006. Gibbon Journal, 3, 5–15.
  6. ^ Ma, S., & Wang, Y. (1986). The taxonomy and distribution of the gibbons in southern China and its adjacent region – with description of three new subspecies. Zoological Research, 7, 393–410. (Chinese text, English summary).
  7. ^ Ma, S. L., Wang, Y. X., & Poirier, F. E. (1988). Taxonomy, distribution and status of gibbons (Hylobates) in southern China and adjacent areas. Primates, 29, 277–286.

External links