Taxon/Observation Clarification request

General
1

I noticed that the there is still some confusion on iNat concerning two sister species (one of which is the one I work with), and that the default image for the one I work with is actually an image of the sister species.

The species in question is the Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus), which is only found on Cat Ba Island in NE Vietnam, and the sister species is the White-headed Langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus), which is only found in Southern China.

The complications arise here: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75189-Trachypithecus-poliocephalus

That page should only refer to the Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) and a different taxonomic page should be set up for the White Headed Langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) with the following address: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75189-Trachypithecus-leucocephalus

The problem arises from the old categorization of the two being subspecies of T. poliocephalus, a convention which no-longer holds true.

The subspecies pages remain and mark the difference, but these should be elevated to from subspecies level to species level as they have been by the Mammal Diversity Database (see below).

Regardless of the the delay IUCN has made in posting updated information on many of the SE Asian primates, despite receiving updated species information over 4 years ago now, nearly all professionals in the field now refer to the two species as distinct (other than a few hold-outs). The Mammal Diversity Database has them separated as well (despite not having updated the images or the range maps).

Updating the iNat species pages would be a welcome change.

Thanks

1 Like
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Curation needs about particular taxa are better had on flags, so I copied your text over here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/348308

3 Likes
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resolved here https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/348308