Yunnan Lar Gibbon
Encyclopedia
The Yunnan lar gibbon 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.
(People's Republic of China) is listed as a distinct subspecies of the lar gibbon in recent taxonomic articles. However, there is still debate about its recognition as a valid subspecies.
s. .
"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".
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the lar Gibbon
Lar Gibbon
The lar gibbon , also known as the white-handed gibbon, is a primate in the Hylobatidae or gibbon family. It is one of the better-known gibbons and is often seen in zoos.-Range:...
, a primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
in the Hylobatidae or gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
family. This Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
subspecies is thought to be extinct.
Taxonomy
This animal from YunnanYunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
(People's Republic of China) is listed as a distinct subspecies of the lar gibbon in recent taxonomic articles. However, there is still debate about its recognition as a valid subspecies.
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 hairPubic hair
Pubic hair is hair in the frontal genital area, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region....
s. .
Status
The Nangunhe Nature Reserve in Southwest Yunnan (People's Republic of China) 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 conclude in their 2009 paper that the lar gibbon has become extinct in China, meaning the global extinction of the Yunnan lar gibbon. The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed this subspecies as Data DeficientData Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
"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".