Rhinopithecus roxellana (A. Milne-Edwards, 1870)

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Cercopithecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 550-755 : 728-729

128.

Golden Snub-nosed Monkey

Rhinopithecus roxellana

French: Rhinopitheque de Roxellane / German: Goldstumpfnase / Spanish: Rinopiteco dorado

Other common names: Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Sichuan Snub-nosed Monkey; Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (hubeiensis), Moupin Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (roxellana), Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (ginlingensis)

Taxonomy. Semnopithecus roxellana Milne-Edwards, 1870 ,

China, Sichuan, near Moupin (= Baoxing) (30° 26’N, 102° BOE).

The subspecies of R. roxellana below differ from one another mainly in tail length, as well as in skeletal structure and width of the dental arch. Genetically, they do not \:: segregate into reciprocal monophyletic clades. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R.r.roxellanaMilne-Edwards,1870—WCChina(SGanssu,SShaanxi,WSichuanprovinces).

R.r.hubeiensisWang,Jiang&Li,1998—WCChina(ShennongjiainWHubeiProvinceandinNESichuanProvince).

R. r. nlingensis Wang, Jiang & Li, 1998 — WC China (Qinling Mts, S Shaanxi Province).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 56-83 cm (males) and 47-74 cm (females), tail 61-104 cm (males) and 51-92 cm (females); weight males 15-19 kg (occasionally up to 39 kg), females 6-10 kg (occasionally up to 20 kg). Coat of the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is long and dense, being generally yellowish-red (varying from brown-red to bright golden-orange) and overlain with black on back. Limbs are similarly colored, with a thick black stripe running down outersides (although not to hands and feet) and a whitish patch on backs of thighs. Underside is yellowish-white, and crown is dark in adults. Males are similar to females but larger and more brightly toned, with a pronounced mantle, longer canine teeth, and a darker, more contrasting head and back. At the onset of winter, they shed summer coats and a thicker one begins growing. Penis is black, and scrotum is bluish-white. Both sexes of Golden Snub-nosed Monkey have violet-colored skin around their eyes and a broad, soft, whitish muzzle thatis sparsely haired; these two zones are separated, trefoil-like, by thickly furred wedges running from cheeks across bridge of the nose. Adult males develop swollen, reddish, fleshy flaps on corners of their upper lip, whose function (if any) remains a mystery. The “Moupin Golden Snub-nosed Monkey” (R. rn roxellana ) is dull golden-red, with shoulders, forelimbs, and hindlimbs a dusky blackish-brown. Its tail is relatively short (i.e. about equal to head-body length), and its hindlimbs are relatively long compared with the other subspecies. In the “Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkey” ( R. r. qinlingensis ), pelage is uniformly brilliant golden-red. Its tail is relatively long (c.115% of head-body length). In the “Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkey” (R. » hubeiensis), dorsal pelage is somewhat paler (gray-brown) than on other subspecies, and its tail is considerably longer (i.e. ¢.130% of head-body length). In addition to pelage and morphological differences, subspecies differ in their nasal bones, premaxillae, and braincases; most strikingly, nasal bones, which are always short in this species, are absent on one or both sides in the Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkey.

Habitat. Montane conifer, deciduous and rhododendron forest, and bamboo thickets to elevations of 3000 m. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkeylives in a harsh environment where snow cover can last for up to six months. In summer, they inhabit regions above 3000 m, and in winter, they move down into valleys at 1800-2800 m. At Baihe, they occupy high-elevation conifer forests in winter. They occur in some of the same forests as the Giant Panda (Auluropoda melanoleuca). In the Qinling Mountains, the Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is found in mixed-deciduous broadleaf and mixed coniferous forest at 1400-2800 m. Moupin and Hubei golden snub-nosed monkeys occur most often in mixed coniferous and deciduous broadleaf forests.

Food and Feeding. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is folivorous. It eats mainly lichens (29%), fruits and seeds (29%), and leaves (24%), along with bark (11%), buds, (4%), twigs (1%), and occasionally other items such as shoots, flowers, and animal prey (including insects, small vertebrates, bird eggs, and birds). Pine needles and pine cones are eaten during the leaner winter months. Diet composition varies seasonally; they feed more on mature leaves in summer, fruits and pine nuts in autumn, and lichens, bark, and buds in winter.

Breeding. Female Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys have a 22-30day reproductive cycle. Mating occurs in August—=October, with births in March—June, peaking in mid-April. A single offspring is born after a gestation of 194-203 days. Females usually give birth every two years. Newborns have long black hair on their head and back, and the eyes and nostril bridge are bluish-green. Infants are dark gray on their back and whitishgray below, with white hair on their ears. Their skin is white, except for the area around the mouth, which is pale pink, and palms and fingers are dark pink. Allomothering and infanticide have been observed. Adult males carry young on occasion. The age of sexual maturity for both sexes is 4-6 years. Interbirth intervals average 21-9 months. Life span in captivity is 25-30 years.

Activity patterns. Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys are diurnal and semi-arboreal. They spend a lot of time on the ground. The annual activity budget is 36-2% resting, 35-8% feeding, 22:9% moving, and 5-1% engaging in other behaviors.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey lives in unimale-multifemale or all-male groups, which vary in size according to season. In winter, smaller groups of 20-30 individuals are the norm, although they frequently come together into larger bands of up to 200 individuals in summer. Several bands may in turn combine temporarily to form enormous ,fission-fusion troops of up to 600 individuals. Home ranges are 1000-4000 ha, but daily travel distance is generally less than ¢.1000 m (shorter in winter than summer). The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is adapted to the longest winter and coldest temperatures of any non-human primate. Although noted for their ability to tolerate extremely low temperatures, they nevertheless seem to have an aversion to snow. For this reason, they tend to migrate to low valleys at the onset of winter, during which time they also shed their summer coats and grow a new redder one. While traveling on the ground, bachelor males lead the group and bring up the rear. Natural predators include Dhole (Cuonalpinus), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Asian Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii ), Leopard (Panthera pardus), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List, including all three subspecies. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is listed as Category I of the Chinese Wildlife Protection Act, 1989. It is by far the most common of the five species of snub-nosed monkeys. All three subspecies are threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture and tourism. The Moupin Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is also threatened by illegal hunting for meat, and sometimes hunters’ snares set for other animals. Due to increased protection, hunting has not been a major concern for Hubei and Quinling golden snub-nosed monkeys since 1990. Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys do not raid crops and are not, as such, an economic liability for people living near them. Development of tourism and the accompanying infrastructure such as roads has a significant negative impact on all three subspecies, most particularly Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys in the Qingling Mountains, and has already led to changes in the ranging behavior of groups in some areas. Fieldwork on the species has, until recently, typically used provisioning of favored foods to lure or even herd groups to observation sites; what effect this might have on their behavior is not known. Before 1990, they were threatened by illegal hunting, but this has stopped because of increased governmental protection. Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys have only rarely been displayed outside of China, and almost never outside of Asia, but they seem to do rather well in Chinese zoos, where they frequently breed. At one time, it was customary for Manchu mandarins and other high-ranking officials to wear robes made from woven fur of Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys. Aside from being a symbol of prestige, it was also thought to help ward off rheumatism. In 2006, the total population of the Moupin Golden Snub-nosed Monkey was estimated to be ¢.10,000 individuals. A 2001 estimate put the total population of Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys at 3800-4000 individuals (c.50% of them mature), while a 1998 estimate for Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys was 600-1000 individuals with ¢.250 or less mature individuals. Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys occur in at least eight protected areas in China: Moupin Golden Snub-nosed Monkey in Baihe and Wanglang nature reserves; Quinling Golden Snub-nosed Monkey in Changqing National Nature Reserve and Taibai, Zhouzhi, Foping, and Laoxiancheng nature reserves; and Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkey in Shennongjia Nature Reserve.

Bibliography. Clarke (1990, 1991), Davison (1982), Gao Yunfang & Liu Shifeng (1995), Grueter & Zinner (2004), Groves (2001), Guo Songtao et al. (2007), Hama et al. (1997), Jablonski (1992), Kirkpatrick et al. (1999), Li Baoguo et al. (2000), Li Haipeng et al. (2003), Li Ming et al. (2007), Li Yiming (2001, 2004), Li Yiming et al. (2002), Liedigk et al. (2012), Long Yongcheng & Richardson (2008a, 2008b, 2008c, 2008d), Qi Xiaoguang etal. (2008), Rapaport & Meillen (1990), Ren Baoping, Zhang Shuyi, Wang Lixin et al. (2001), Ren Baoping, Zhang Shuyi, Xia Shuzhong etal. (2003), Ren Renmei, Su Yanjie, Yan Kanghui, Li Jinjun et al. (1998), Ren Renmei, Su Yanjie, Yan Kanghui, Qi Hanjun & Bao Wunyong (1990), Ren Renmei, Yan Kanghui et al. (1991, 1995), Su Yanjie et al. (1998), Tenaza et al. (1988), Wang Yingxiang et al. (1998), Weigl (2005), Zhang Peng, Li Baoguo, Wada et al. (2003), Zhang Peng, Li Baoguo, Watanabe & Qi Xiaoguang (2011), Zhang Shuyi (1998), Zhang Shuyi, Liang Bing & Wang Lixin (1999, 2000), Zhang Shuyi, Ren Baoping & Li Baoguo (1999), Zhao Dapeng et al. (2005).

Figures

122. Red-shanked Douc (Pygathrix nemaeus), 123. Gray-shanked Douc (Pygathrix cinerea), 124. Black-shanked Douc (Pygathrix nigripes), 125. Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus), 126. Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus bet), 127. Guizhou Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi), 128. Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), 129. Stryker’s Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri), 130. Pig-tailed Langur (Simaas concolor), 131. Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus)

Subspecies and Distribution. R.r.roxellanaMilne-Edwards,1870—WCChina(SGanssu,SShaanxi,WSichuanprovinces). R.r.hubeiensisWang,Jiang&Li,1998—WCChina(ShennongjiainWHubeiProvinceandinNESichuanProvince). R. r. nlingensis Wang, Jiang & Li, 1998 — WC China (Qinling Mts, S Shaanxi Province).