Strange white Langur found in Lanka

Disna MUDALIGE

A team of Sri Lankan researchers has discovered a strange white Langur monkey in the rain forests of Southwestern Sri Lanka.

This is a new colour morph of the purple faced leaf Langur (Semnopithecus vetulus) which is endemic to the island.

The research team included Galle Wildlife Conservation Society's Madura A de Silva and Nadika C Hapuarachchi, and Nations Trust Bank Primate Conservation Project's P A Rohan Krishantha. The team has discovered over 30 monkeys of this new colour form in 14 troops. The new colour morph was named as the Galanthus (snow white) colour morph. Galanthus colour morph was observed among troops mainly from rain forests and rain forest associated habitats.

"Sri Lanka has four subspecies of the purple faced leaf langur from four different geographical zones. The new colour morph belongs to the Southern purple faced leaf langur (Semnopithecus vetulus vetulus)," said Hapuarachchi.

According to researchers, all white individuals had black naked parts of the face and beige to ashy brown crown hair. None had red eyes and body and limbs were white, sometimes with ashy patches. They have identified adults, juveniles and infants of both sexes of this new colour morph.

The researchers also observed that most rain forests, in which these individuals are observed, are adjoining commercial lowland tea plantations and tea smallholders. Therefore, the encroachment of rain forest by tea cultivations has been a major issue related to the Galanthus colour morph.