The Yunnan lar gibbon (''Hylobates lar yunnanensis''), also known as the Yunnan white-handed gibbon, is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

lar gibbon The lar gibbon (''Hylobates lar''), also known as the white-handed gibbon, is an endangered primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It is one of the better-known gibbons and is often kept in captivity. Taxonomy There are five subspecies of ...

, a

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 ...

in the

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...

family, Hylobatidae. This

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

subspecies is thought to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

.Grueter et al. (2009). Are Hylobates lar Extirpated from China? International Journal of Primatology, 30:553–567
online pdf

Taxonomy

This animal from

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

is listed as a distinct subspecies of the lar gibbon in recent taxonomic articles. However, there is still debate about the validity of this classification.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.Geissmann, T. (2007). Status reassessment of the gibbons: results of the Asian Primate Red List Workshop 2006. Gibbon Journal, 3, 5–15.

Appearance

This subspecies is distinguished from the other lar gibbon subspecies by its longer dorsal hair, shorter light hair-base, and red-brown or dark-brown

pubic hair Pubic hair is terminal body hair that is found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs. In the pubic region around the pubis bon ...

.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).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.

Status

The Nangunhe Nature Reserve in Southwest Yunnan has been the last stronghold of the Yunnan lar gibbon. 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 concluded the lar gibbon has become extinct in China, and the Yunnan subspecies globally. The 2008

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

has listed this subspecies as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

"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."

References

External links

*ARKive
images and movies of the white-handed gibbon ''(Hylobates lar)''Gibbon Conservation Center
*Thomas Geissmann'
Gibbon Research Lab and Gibbon Network
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3282707 Mammals of Southeast Asia Gibbons Fauna of Yunnan Subspecies Mammals described in 1986