The East Javan langur (''Trachypithecus auratus''), also known as the ebony lutung, Javan langur or Javan lutung, is an
Old World monkey
Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...
from the
Colobinae
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications spli ...
subfamily. It is most commonly glossy black with a brownish tinge to its legs, sides, and "
sideburns
Sideburns, sideboards, or side whiskers are facial hair grown on the sides of the face, extending from the hairline to run parallel to or beyond the ears. The term ''sideburns'' is a 19th-century corruption of the original ''burnsides'', named ...
".
It is found on the island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, as well as on several of the surrounding
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n islands. The
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''auratus'' in its
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
means "golden", and refers to a less common color variant. Note that the common name
golden langur
Gee's golden langur (''Trachypithecus geei''), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of Western Assam, India and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan. Long considered sac ...
is used for a different species.
Like all
langur
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications sp ...
s, this species' tail is noticeably long, measuring up to 98 cm in length while the body is only around 55 cm long.
The two subspecies of this
lutung
The lutungs, langurs, or leaf monkeys are a group of Old World monkeys in the genus ''Trachypithecus'' (derived from Greek , meaning "rough" and , meaning "monkey"). Their range is much of Southeast Asia (northeast India, Vietnam, southern Chin ...
are fairly similar in appearance and are geographically separated; males and females are both usually glossy black, although the females pale, yellowish white patch around the pubic area. Juveniles of both subspecies are orange in color.
The nominate subspecies ''Trachypithecus auratus auratus'' has a rare
morph
Morph may refer to:
Biology
* Morph (zoology), a visual or behavioral difference between organisms of distinct populations in a species
* Muller's morphs, a classification scheme for genetic mutations
* "-morph", a suffix commonly used in tax ...
that does not lose its juvenile coloration when it matures, instead the coloration darkens slightly, with yellow tinges on its sides, limbs, and around its ears, and a black tinge on its back.
[
The East Javan langur inhabits the interior and peripheral areas of rainforests.][
This ]primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
is diurnal and arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...
.[ Its diet is primarily ]herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, and flower buds, although it also eats insect larvae. As with other colobine
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications split ...
s, it has evolved a specialised stomach to digest plant material more efficiently.[ This species also has enlarged ]salivary gland
The salivary glands in mammals are exocrine glands that produce saliva through a system of ducts. Humans have three paired major salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual), as well as hundreds of minor salivary glands. Salivary gla ...
s to assist it in breaking down food.[
Like other ]langur
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications sp ...
s, the East Javan langur is a social animal, living in groups of around seven individuals, with one or two adult males in the group.[ Although they will look after offspring of other mothers as well as their own, adult females are aggressive towards females from other groups. The brighter coloring of juveniles may alert females to their presence and ensures that they will always be noticed and protected.][ This species has no discernible mating season and females produce one offspring at a time.][
]
Subspecies
Formerly there were two subspecies of ''Trachypithecus auratus'' recognized:
* Eastern Javan langur or spangled ebony lutung, ''Trachypithecus auratus auratus''
* Western Javan langur, ''Trachypithecus auratus mauritius''
Roos et al., 2008, elevated ''T. a. mauritius'' to a separate species as ''Trachypithecus mauritius
The West Javan langur (''Trachypithecus mauritius'') is an Old World monkey from the Colobinae subfamily. It was formerly considered a subspecies of '' Trachypithecus auratus'' until it was elevated to a separate species by Roos and Groves. It ...
''.
Gallery
Image:javan.langur.arp.jpg, Javan lutung ''Trachypithecus auratus auratus'' (light morph) in Bristol zoo
Image:JavanLangur0906.jpg, Javan lutung ''Trachypithecus auratus auratus'' (light morph) Twycross Zoo, August 2006
Image:Javan langur.jpg, Twycross zoo
Image:Image-Lutung Group 02 Zoo Hannover Germany.JPG, Group, Zoo Hannover, Germany
Image:Ebony Langur Javan Lutung Trachypithecus auratus at Bronx Zoo 1 cropped.jpg, Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q425601
East Javan langur
The East Javan langur (''Trachypithecus auratus''), also known as the ebony lutung, Javan langur or Javan lutung, is an Old World monkey from the Colobinae subfamily. It is most commonly glossy black with a brownish tinge to its legs, sides, and ...
Primates of Indonesia
Endemic fauna of Indonesia
Fauna of Java
Mammals of Indonesia
Vulnerable fauna of Asia
East Javan langur
The East Javan langur (''Trachypithecus auratus''), also known as the ebony lutung, Javan langur or Javan lutung, is an Old World monkey from the Colobinae subfamily. It is most commonly glossy black with a brownish tinge to its legs, sides, and ...
Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire