''Nomascus'' is the second-most speciose

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 Indi ...

s (family Hylobatidae). Originally, this genus was a subgenus of ''Hylobates'', and all individuals were considered one species, ''Hylobates concolor''. Species within ''Nomascus'' are characterized by 52 chromosomes. Some species are all black, some are light with a distinct black tuft of crown fur, and some have distinct, light-colored cheek patches. ''Nomascus'' is found from southern China (

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in 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 Kunming. The province borders the ...

) to southern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

, and also on

Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...

. One species, ''Nomascus nasutus,'' has been deemed "the most critically endangered ape species in the world". All species in this genus are either endangered or critically endangered.

Classification

* Family

Hylobatidae 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 Indi ...

: gibbons ** Genus ''

Hylobates The genus ''Hylobates'' is one of the four genera of gibbons. Its name means "forest walker", from the Greek (, "forest") and (, "one who treads"). It was once considered the only genus, but recently its subgenera ('' Hoolock'' ormerly ''Bu ...

'' ** Genus '' Hoolock'' ** Genus '' Symphalangus'' ** Genus ''Nomascus'' ***

Black crested gibbon The black crested gibbon (''Nomascus concolor'') is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon found in China, Laos, and northern Vietnam, with four subspecies. Taxonomy The taxonomy of the species is confused. Previously grouped in the ...

, ''Nomascus concolor'' **** Tonkin black crested gibbon, ''Nomascus concolor concolor'' **** Laotian black crested gibbon, ''Nomascus concolor lu'' **** Central Yunnan black crested gibbon, ''Nomascus concolor jingdongensis'' **** West Yunnan black crested gibbon, ''Nomascus concolor furvogaster'' ***

Eastern black crested gibbon The eastern black-crested gibbon (''Nomascus nasutus''), also known as the Cao-vit black crested gibbon or the Cao-vit crested gibbon, is a species of gibbon from southeast China and northern Vietnam. The term "Cao-vit" originated from the sounds ...

, ''Nomascus nasutus'' ***

Hainan black crested gibbon The Hainan black-crested gibbon or Hainan gibbon (''Nomascus hainanus''), is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon found only on Hainan Island, China. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the eastern black crested gibbon (''Nomascus n ...

, ''Nomascus hainanus'' ***

Northern white-cheeked gibbon The northern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus leucogenys'') is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon native to South East Asia. It is closely related to the southern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus siki''), with which it was previously con ...

, ''Nomascus leucogenys'' ***

Southern white-cheeked gibbon The southern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus siki'') is a species of gibbon native to Vietnam and Laos. It is closely related to the northern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus leucogenys'') and the yellow-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus gabriellae'' ...

, ''Nomascus siki'' *** Yellow-cheeked gibbon, ''Nomascus gabriellae'' ***

Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon The northern buffed-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus annamensis'') is a newly discovered species of crested gibbon which is found in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Its habitat is in the humid subtropical and seasonal tropical forests of these count ...

, ''Nomascus annamensis''

References

External links

*ARKive
images and movies of the black-crested gibbon ''(Nomascus concolor)''Gibbon Conservation CenterPrimate Info Net ''Hylobates (Nomascus) leucogenys'' Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q990943 Gibbons Mammals of Southeast Asia Primate genera Taxa named by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. Taxa described in 1933