Skywalker hoolock gibbon
| Skywalker hoolock gibbon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Hylobatidae |
| Genus: | Hoolock |
| Species: | H. tianxing
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hoolock tianxing Fan & al., 2017 [2]
| |
The Skywalker hoolock gibbon or Gaoligong hoolock gibbon[3] (Hoolock tianxing) is a primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It is one of three species of hoolock gibbon and was first described in January 2017 in the American Journal of Primatology.[4] Researchers estimate H. tianxing diverged from H. leuconedys roughly 490,000 years ago.[3]
Etymology
The Skywalker hoolock gibbon is named after Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, as the scientists who described it are fans of the franchise.[5][6] The specific name tianxing is the Pinyin transliteration of the Chinese terms 天 (tiān) meaning "heaven" and 行 (xíng) meaning "movement".[7][8] The name is a reference to brachiation, the main locomotory mode of gibbons, and derived from the text of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of divination.[2]
Habitat
The Skywalker hoolock gibbon is found in the tropical forests of eastern Myanmar and the Yunan Province in southwestern China.[5] About 200 individuals are estimated to live in China and an unknown number in Myanmar.[5]
References
- ^ Fan, P.; Turvey, S.; Bryant, J. (2019). "Hoolock tianxing". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T39876A10278553.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|last-author-amp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Fan, P-F; He, K; Chen, X; Ortiz, A; Zhang, B; Zhao, C; Li, Y-Q; Zhang, H-B; Kimock, C; Wang, W-Z; Groves, C; Turvey, S.T; Roos, C; Helgen, K.M; Jiang, X-L (2017). "Description of a new species of Hoolock gibbon (Primates: Hylobatidae) based on integrative taxonomy". American Journal of Primatology. 79 (9999): e22631. doi:10.1002/ajp.22631. ISSN 1098-2345. PMID 28073165.
- ^ a b Natali Anderson (2017-01-13). "Hoolock tianxing: New Species of Gibbon Discovered in Myanmar and China". Retrieved 2019-04-24.
- ^ Brown, Georgia (11 January 2017). "New species of gibbon discovered in China". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c "'Star Wars gibbon' is new primate species". BBC News. 11 January 2017.
- ^ "New Species of Primate Is Named After 'Star Wars'". National Geographic News. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ "Tian | Chinese religion". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ "Xing dictionary definition | Xing defined". www.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.