Presbytis melalophos

112. Black-crested Sumatran Langur Presbytis melalophos French: Langur a créte noire / German: Rotbrauner Kammlangur / Spanish: Langur de Sumatra Other common names: Mitred Leaf Monkey, Sumatran Surili, Yellow-Handed Mitered Langur Taxonomy. Simia melalophos Raffles, 1821, Indonesia, Bencoolen (= Bengkulu), Sumatra. Formerly, P. mitrata, P. bicolor, and P. sumatrana were considered subspecies of P. melalophos. There are widespread geographic gradients in color and individual variation (often in the form of wellmarked morphs), making assignment of subspecies difficult. In addition to the typical P. melalophos, there are three main morphs that coexist widely overits distribution. They have been described as “nobilis” (foxy-red), “ferruginea’ (less reddish), and “aurata’ (golden-buff with a black spot on chest, black hands and feet, and a white tail-tip). There is a fourth form described by N. F. Chasen in 1940 with the name fluviatilis. It is found in Palembang, Sumatra, and is similar to the Black-crested Sumatran Langur but much paler. The taxonomic status of these morphsis currently under study. According to genetic and acoustic data, the proposed distribution of P. melalophos may have to be extended into the distribution of P. mitrata. Monotypic. Distribution. W Sumatra, from the upper Rokan River (Tanangtalu, 0° 20" N, 99° 59’ E), just N of Gunung Talakmau, S to the upper Batang Hari River and beyond along the Barisan Range, W of Lampung Province. Descriptive notes. Head—body 34:1-39.7 cm (males, n = 15) and 25.7-40.4 cm (females, n = 13), tail 68-80 cm (males, n = 15) and 67.5-86 cm (females, n = 13); weight 5.9-9 kg (males, n = 15) and 5.2-8.9 kg (females, n = 14). The Black-crested Sumatran Languris variable in its pelage and coloration. It is so-named for the distinctive, blackpointed crest on its crown. Coat color ranges from white through gray to reddishorange. Tail is normally bi-colored (dark above and white below). The Black-crested Sumatran Langur is generally reddish-orange above (tipped with black), with a white, yellow, or pale orange underside. Outersides of limbs tend to be paler (more orange), and inner sides of limbs white, with hands and feet usually orange but sometimes black. Tail is like the body above and whitish underneath for the proximal half. Facial skin is black, and cheeks are straw-colored and separated from the whitish forehead by a reddish or blackish band. Crown crest is black, and there is usually a single, indistinct whorl on forehead (none or two in some populations), as well as a U-shaped parting on nape. Habitat. Primary and secondary lowland and hilly rainforest, rubber plantations, and bush areas. The Black-crested Sumatran Langur uses all levels of the forest canopy. It tolerates a certain degree of habitat degradation and can be found in disturbed areas and secondary forests. Food and Feeding. Black-crested Sumatran Langurs eat young leaves, unripe fruits, flowers (e.g. Erythrina indica, Fabaceae), mature leaves, and seeds. In Bukit Sebelah Protection Forest, much of the diet consists of leaves of Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae) and Ficus variegata (Moraceae), and they feed mainly at 15-20 m above the ground. Breeding. Little information is available for the Black-crested Sumatran Langurs. Allomothering is rare. Newborns are whitish-gray, with a thick, dark dorsal stripe, but no shoulder cross-stripe. Activity patterns. The Black-crested Sumatran Langur is diurnal and arboreal. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home ranges of Black-crested Sumatran Langurs are 14-30 ha, and daily movements are ¢.300-1360 m. Their social groups are small, with 2-8 individuals and a single adult male. The Black-crested Sumatran Langur has never been studied in the wild. Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (as P. melalophos melalophos). The Black-crested Sumatran Langur is protected by Indonesian law. There has been widespread recent loss of habitat in its distribution, mainly for oil palm plantations. Nevertheless,it is still relatively common, and it seems thatit can tolerate some degree of land conversion and forest degradation. Populations are now, however, very fragmented. It is commonly trapped for the illegal pet trade, but less so than the Mitered Langur (P. mitrata). This and some incidental hunting for food are threats acrossits range. It occurs in Kerinci-Seblat National Park and Bukit Sebelah Protection Forest in Sumatra. The still rather confused taxonomy, confounded by different color variants and little understood boundaries of the ranges of this and other species (formerly considered subspecies), requires further research to better understand the conservation status of the Black-crested Sumatran Langur. Bibliography. Aimi & Bakar (1992, 1996), Brandon-Jones (1999, 2011a), Chasen (1940), Davies et al. (1988), Fleagle (1977), Groves (2001), Hooijer (1962), Kawamura (1984), Meyer, Hodges et al. (2012), Meyer, Rinaldi et al. (2011), Mukhtar et al. (1990), Nijman & Manullang (2008), Payne et al. (1985), Wilson & Wilson (1976), Zingeser (1970).Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Cercopithecidae, pp. 550-755 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 718, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.686706