The black-footed gray langur (''Semnopithecus hypoleucos'') is an

Old World monkey Old World monkeys are primates in the family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus '' Papio''), red colobus (genus '' Piliocolob ...

, one of the species of

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 split ...

s. Found in southern India, this, like other

gray langur ''Semnopithecus'' is a genus of Old World monkeys native to the Indian subcontinent, with all species with the exception of two being commonly known as gray langurs. Traditionally only the species ''Semnopithecus entellus'' was recognized, but si ...

s, is a leaf-eating monkey.

Taxonomy

The black-footed gray langur was previously considered to be a subspecies of ''

Semnopithecus entellus The northern plains gray langur (''Semnopithecus entellus''), also known as the sacred langur, Bengal sacred langur and Hanuman langur, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. Taxonomy The northern plains gray langur belongs to th ...

''. Research done in 2003 by Brandon-Jones may indicate that it is a subspecies of '' Semnopithecus dussumieri''. Some experts believe that the species may be a naturally occurring hybrid of ''

Semnopithecus johnii The Nilgiri langur (''Semnopithecus johnii'') is an Asian langur of the Old World monkey. It has glossy, black fur and an orangey-golden brown, hair-like mane on its head. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. It typically lives ...

'' and '' Semnopithecus dussumieri''. Currently ''S. dussumieri'' is considered a junior synonym of the black-footed gray langur.

Distribution

This black-footed gray langur is distributed throughout south-western India (

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

), but is centred on the Western Ghats. Its total range is around 35,000 km2, with the species living inside and outside of protected areas.

References

black-footed gray langur Endemic fauna of India Mammals of India Monkeys in India black-footed gray langur black-footed gray langur {{oldworld-monkey-stub