Germain’s Silvered Langur

 Germain's langur (Trachypithecus germaini) is a lutung native to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The Old World monkey was previously included in Trachypithecus cristatus and Trachypithecus villosus.

Two subspecies were recognized:

  • Trachypithecus germaini germaini

  • Trachypithecus germaini caudalis

Germain's langur is part of the leaf monkey subfamily Colobinae. Two subspecies of the Germain's langur are recognized: Trachypithecus germaini germaini and Trachypithecus germaini caudalis. However, the classification of the Germain's langur has been contested, with T. germaini being grouped with other species in its subfamily. T. germaini and T. margarita were considered to be a single species, T. villosus, but morphological and genetic evidence has shown that they are distinct. T. germaini has also been grouped with T. cristatus until recent reclassifications.

T. germaini goes by several common names such as the Indochinese lutung, Germain’s langur, Germain’s silver langur, Indochinese leaf monkey, and Indochinese silvered langur.

Germain's langur has black colouration on its hands and feet, as well as the upper part of its body which fades into paler grey on its underparts. They have long grey tails and white hairs on its round face. Their young have bright orange fur.

The limits of the distribution of Germain's langur are not well known, but they are currently found in Asia, specifically Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand. Populations in Vietnam are severely reduced, with few sightings in the last 50 years. In Lao PDR, the species has no continuous range, rather multiple patches of higher relative abundance. Its distribution in Cambodia is widespread, but its abundance will vary from common to rare. One of the few sites with a population estimate is Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary where a stable population of 1487 is reported. In Thailand, the species is common, with many protected areas supporting large populations. Germain's langur is a terrestrial arboreal species, often found in lowlands. They prefer evergreen and semi-evergreen, riverine, mixed deciduous, and gallery forests. They are not commonly found at high elevations or hilly areas.

The individuals in this gallery are from a troop at Sai Kaew Beach in Sattahip Thailand