World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) latest report on Mekong region has included ‘ghostly monkey’ in the list of 224 new species. The monkey has ghostly white circles around its eyes giving it the moniker.
The Mekong region is a biodiversity hotspot and is natural home to tigers, elephants and other animals including extremely rare species. The WWF list has underlined need to conserve this wildlife.
The species of ghostly monkey was found in the year 2020 but the report was delayed. The monkey is actually called Popa langur because it lives on the hillsides of the extinct Mount Popa volcano in Myanmar. It is the only new mammal in the list.
WWF’s list also includes dozens of newly identified fish, reptiles and plant species. The plants include the only known succulent bamboo species that’s founf in Laos.
WWF has said scientists have identified more than 3000 new species in the region since 1997.
Identification of Popa langur or the ghostly monkey was done based on specimens from Britain’s Natural History Museum. These specimens were collected more than a century ago. Recently collected bones were matched with these specimens.
The Ghostly monkey is a candidate for listing as critically endangered species on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
