Primates Of Sri Lanka

PRIMATES OF SRI LANKA

Non-human primates are our closest relatives in the living world, but they are threatened the world over, mostly by anthropogenic activities by
another primate: Homo sapiens – us humans ! Sri Lanka has five species of primates, three of which are endemic

Also refer All the world’s primates, Available from:
https://www.alltheworldsprimates.org/Home.aspx [ 10/18/2019].

The purple-faced langur of Sri Lanka (Semnopithecus vetulus) – ENDEMIC

This langur is endemic to Sri Lanka and is listed as Endangered by IUCN. It has five
subspecies as recognised in All the World’s Primates (Rowe and Myers, 2016), the most
comprehensive account of primates in the world to date. Believed to be named as purplefaced langurs due to its “dark purplish black face with a chin framed by white whiskers”. The crown hair is directed backwards and brownish in hue, but this varies among the subspecies. The coat colour also varied among the sub-species from black to browny grey to leaden grey. Most sub-species have a rump patch, but is insignificant or absent in some. The tail is long and grey, with or without ending in a white tip or tuft. Females have a white pubic patch on the inside of the upper thighs.

Threat status: This species is listed as Endangered both in the global as well as national
threatened species listings.

Endangered (Globally)

Semnopithecus vetulus vetulus – The Southern purple-faced langur

The coat colour is jet black, with a pure white sharply defined rump patch; but this varies to grey in some peripheral areas of its range, especially towards Morningside. There are intermediates between its range and the range of the western subspecies, that show a mixture of the two subspecies.

Endangered (Globally)

Semnopithecus vetulus nestor – The western purple-faced langur

This is the smallest of the sub-species, with a leaden grey coat, distinct ashy grey rump patch, and buff coloured head hair.

Critically Endangered (Globally), and recognised as among the most threatened 25 primates in the world (Dela and Rowe, 2005). This is due to paucity of forests in its geographic range and loss of home gardens (its most important habitat) in recent years.

Endangered (Globally)

Semnopithecus vetulus philbricki - The northern purple-faced langur

This is the largest of the sub-species, and may be as heavy as 25lbs. The coat colour is leaden, but the pubic patch is faint. The head hair is a darker brown than in the western sub-species.

Endangered (Globally)

Semnopithecus vetulus monticola

The montane purple-faced langur This sub-species is also large bodied and has a distinctive furry appearance, resulting in it also being called the “bear monkey). It has no pubic patch and the head hair is brownish.

Endangered (Globally)

Semnopithecus vetulus harti -Hart’s purplefaced langur

Identified in 1954 by Deraniyagala, this subspecies was long thought to be a synonym of the northern sub-species. It has distinctively long hair at the nape of the neck, which may take on a golden hue. It is also smaller in size that the northern sub-species.

Threat status is not assessed. Its range is not comprehensively known.

Other information

Interestingly this species has different coloured white, mottled, brown, and very rarely maroon morph; seen mostly in the southern and western sub-species.

Semnopithecus vetulus vetulus

The toque macaque (Macaca sinica)

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Endangered (Globally)

Note: The subspecies threat status have not been published nationally, but IUCN has provided their global threat status)