NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gaoligong Hoolock Gibbon
Hoolock tianxing Peng-Fei Fan, Kai He, Xing Chen et al., 2017
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Distribution of Hoolock tianxing. Red - Extant (resident).
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Skywalker hoolock gibbon or Gaoligong hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) is an arboreal 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. The Skywalker hoolock gibbon is one of two species of Eastern hoolocks: H. tianxing and H. leuconedys. Researchers estimate H. tianxing diverged from H. leuconedys roughly 490,000 years ago. The Eastern hoolock is vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a population of 310,000–370,000 individuals. Of this population, H. tianxing makes up less than 150 individuals, making the Skywalker hoolock gibbon an endangered species.
Wikipedia contributors, Skywalker hoolock gibbon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:45:36.129574+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hoolock tianxing Peng-Fei Fan, Kai He, Xing Chen et al., 2017
- Name authority
- Peng-Fei Fan, Kai He, Xing Chen et al., 2017
- Common name
- Gaoligong Hoolock Gibbon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hylobatidae
- Genus
- Hoolock
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderPrimates Linnaeus, 1758
- suborderHaplorrhini Pocock, 1918
- infraorderSimiiformes Haeckel, 1866
- superfamilyHominoidea Gray, 1825
- familyHylobatidae Gray, 1871
- genusHoolock Mootnick & Groves, 2005
- speciesHoolock tianxing Peng-Fei Fan, Kai He, Xing Chen et al., 2017
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hoolock. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Western Hoolock GibbonHoolock hoolock (Harlan, 1834) | HylobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Hoolock GibbonHoolock leuconedys (Groves, 1967) | HylobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Fan, Peng-Fei, Kai He, Xing Chen, Alejandra Ortiz, Bin Zhang, Chao Zhao, Yun-Qiao Li, et al. (2017). Description of a new species of Hoolock gibbon (Primates: Hylobatidae) based on integrative taxonomy. American Journal of Primatology, Vol. 79, No. 5. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3MJBG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.