Nomascus

Nomascus is the second-most speciose genus of the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. Originally, this genus was a subgenus of Hylobates, with all individuals considered to be one species, H. concolor.

Nomascus
Northern white-cheeked gibbon Nomascus leucogenys
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hylobatidae
Genus:	Nomascus Miller, 1933
Type species
Hylobates leucogenys Ogilby, 1840
Species
Nomascus concolor Nomascus nasutus Nomascus hainanus Nomascus leucogenys Nomascus siki Nomascus gabriellae Nomascus annamensis
Map showing the distribution of Nomascus species   Nomascus leucogenys - Extant   Nomascus leucogenys - Possibly Extant   Nomascus leucogenys - Possibly Extinct   Nomascus concolor - Extant   Nomascus concolor - Possibly Extant   Nomascus nasutus - Extant   Nomascus siki - Extant   Nomascus hainanus - Extant   Nomascus annamensis - Extant   Nomascus gabriellae - Extant

Species within Nomascus are characterized by 52 chromosomes. Some species are all-black, some are a lighter beige or peach hue, with a distinct black tuft of crown fur, while others have notable, light-colored cheek “patches”. Nomascus is endemic from southern China (Yunnan) to southern Vietnam, and can also be found on Hainan. Every species within this genus are either endangered or critically endangered; the Eastern black crested gibbon (Nomascus nasutus) has been deemed "the most-critically endangered ape species in the world".^[1]

Extant species

Genus Nomascus – Miller, 1933 – seven species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Black crested gibbon	Nomascus concolor (Harlan, 1826) Four subspecies 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	China, Laos, and northern Vietnam	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Eastern black crested gibbon	Nomascus nasutus (Künckel d'Herculais, 1884)	northeast Vietnam	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Hainan black crested gibbon	Nomascus hainanus (Thomas, 1892)	Hainan Island, China.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Northern white-cheeked gibbon	Nomascus leucogenys (Ogilby, 1840)	northern Vietnam and northern Laos	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Southern white-cheeked gibbon	Nomascus siki (Delacour, 1951)	Vietnam and Laos.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	EN
Yellow-cheeked gibbon	Nomascus gabriellae (Thomas, 1909)	Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	EN
Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon	Nomascus annamensis Thinh et al., 2010	Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	EN

Classification

Foot of a captive gibbon (N. gabriellae)

• Family Hylobatidae: gibbons^[2]
  • Genus Hylobates
  • Genus Hoolock
  • Genus Symphalangus
  • Genus Nomascus
    • Black crested gibbon, 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, Nomascus nasutus
    • Hainan black crested gibbon, Nomascus hainanus^[3]
    • Northern white-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus leucogenys
    • Southern white-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus siki
    • Yellow-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus gabriellae
    • Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus annamensis^[4]