Presbytis comata

Common name: Surili, Grizzled Leaf Monkey

The Surili (Presbytis comata) is an endemic primate species to the western half of Java Island (Kool 1992). This species is protected based on SK Menteri Pertanian No. 247/1979, UU RI No. 5/1990, SK Menteri Kehutanan No. 301/1991, and PP RI No. 7/1999. Listed as Endangered on IUCN due to its population size is estimated to number fewer than 2,500 mature individuals, there is a continuing decline in the number of mature individuals, and no subpopulation contains more than 250 mature individuals (Nijman & Richardson 2008). It’s also listed as Apendix II on CITES.

The Surili has a gray back, white underparts, and a black head and crest. Head and body length of the adult is between 430-595 mm, tail length is between 560-724 mm (Rowe 1996). Male weight is around 6,5 kg and female weight is around 6,7 kilograms (Fleagle 1988). It lives in 1 male-multifemale sosial structure. Group size varied from 3-12 individuals with their homerange up to 40 hectares (Ruhiyat 1983). They are teritorial, but Nijman (1997) found this species sometimes forming group with Trachypithecus auratus.

This diurnal and arboreal species is found in primary forest and in secondary forest, both at the edges and in the interior, lowland forests, forests on steep slopes and on hills, and in upper montane forests up to 2565 m (Nijman & van Balen 1998). The Surili moves through the forest quadrupedally, include leaping and brachiation (Fleagle, 1988). It found at an average height of 25 meters in the upper canopy of the forest (Melisch and Dirgayusa, 1996). Their daily activity dominated by resting 60%, feeding occurring 30% and traveling only 5%. The diet consists of 59,1% young leaves, 13,5% fruits, 7,0% flowers, 5,6% mature leaves, 4,1% fungi, 2,7% pseudobulbs, 1,5% branch tips, and 0,7% seeds. They also known to eat reddish soil, usually from small holes on the slopes (Ruhiyat 1983).

Editor : Azhari Purbatrapsila

Photo : Entang Iskandar

References

Fleagle JG. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.

Kool KM. 1992. The status of endangered primates in Gunung Halimun Reserve, Indonesia. Oryx. 26: 29-33.

Melisch R, Dirgayusa IWA. 1996. Notes on the grizzled leaf monkey (Presbytis comata) from two nature reserves in west Java, Indonesia. Asian Primates. 6(1/2): 5-11.

Nijman V. 1997. On the occurrence and distribution of Presbytis comata (Desmarest, 1822) (Mammalia: Primates: Cercopithecidae) in Java, Indonesia. Contributions to Zoology. 66(4): 247-256.

Nijman V, Richardson M. 2008. Presbytis comata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18125A7664645. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18125A7664645.en. Downloaded on 22 September 2015.

Nijman V, van Balen SB. 1998. A faunal survey of the Dieng Mountains, central Java, Indonesia: Distribution and conservation of endemic primate taxa. Oryx. 32(2): 145-156.

Rowe N. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates. New York: Pogonian Press.

Ruhiyat Y. 1983. Socio-ecological study of Presbytis aygula in west Java. Primates. 24(3): 344-359.